Back when I was arm-chair dreaming of cruising, I followed a couple on their PDQ catamaran in the Abacos. There would be weeks when Tom didn’t post anything. “Why wouldn’t he post at least once a week”, I thought.
Now I know why his delay in posts.
Pouch of asparagus, red pepper, and burgers
When your cruising results in being in one place for an extended time- there is little new content to report. Posting every day’s meal and so forth just doesn’t hold anyone’s interest for long (including the blogger). Waxing philosophical is good occasionally, but not the reader’s main reason for visiting a travel blog.
From the deck of Yachtafun, our Gemini sailing catamaran, I can truly state that remaining in Southport NC for almost a year has been a wonderful experience which has revealed what it means to be “cruising in place”. Diann has had the opportunity to be with her Mom for weeks at a time; I’ve published two children’s books and have two more ready to process at CreateSpace; there’s been some major boat maintenance accomplished; and more maintenance to come.
Haag Seafood helper delivered oysters by skate board
natural vegetation at historic Ft. Fisher
Our kids have been able to visit the boat- and us them at their homes. We’ve journeyed to local historical places, walked the Cape Fear River beach; tossed bread to gulls; and simply enjoyed having our catamaran in one place.
But it’s now time to get the boat ready for cruising again. That means taking off a number of items which have been meaningful while tied to the dock. The purge / store items will include:
A Hisence dehumidifier;
Box fan;
Extra large travel suitcase with rigid back, pull handle, and wheels;
Leather dress boots;
Real estate client files which are now inactive;
Folding plastic saw horses;
Extra battery charger for drill;
Heavy duty auto style battery charger for the (not used in 10 months) dingy battery;
And assorted other goodies that being at the dock has seemed to attract.
An example which tells you just how much stuff creeps onto your boat when tied to a dock- our boating neighbor, Nancy, sent me a text this week, “your port side looks below the water line- just FYI!” Granted we had four guests on board that evening- but the main culprit was all the extra stuff put into the port side rear berth!
If you are reading our blog as a means to add knowledge of what long term extended cruising will be, add the term “Cruising in Place” to your lexicon. If you have children, aged parents, or rental property that will factor into your responsibilities- you’ll either park for a while relatively nearby, or become frequent flier friends with the airline staff.
Oyster season is over. Boy will they be missed until September.
Zoey will be happy here….or further north !
The story / blog of Yacht A Fun, a Gemini catamaran sailboat, traveling the ICW and east coast with insights to the extended cruising life. Cruising in place at Southport NC