Who has not seen pictures of glamorous people lounging around on a yacht in crystal blue waters with a cold margarita in hand? The pristine deck and flawless teak are all too inviting and hide the fact that many hours of manual labor are required to get the boat to that point and keep her that way. Granted, most of these people have hired help who work diligently behind the scenes to accomplish this feat, but as I have painfully learned, that is not the norm at all. Having toiled away for countless hours to make our boat our HOME, it is still a work in progress.
My name is Diana and, for the better and worst of it all, the First Mate and sidekick to Captain Duane who runs a tight ship. Note to self…do not use the Magic Eraser on the hull of the boat…well not anymore. I will be sent to my room tonight with no dinner.
As we prepare to depart on the Great Loop on our “yacht” which is a 33 foot cabin cruiser, Bella Donna, I have a new appreciation of all the work that goes into every aspect of making her seaworthy and “our palace on the water” for 365 days or more. Even as we speak, Duane is putting a coating on the solar panels to prevent glass from shattering on us in the event the panel breaks and has moved on to sawing a piece of wood to secure the anchor winch to the bow while the panel coating dries. Before being introduced to the world of boating, the term anchor winch was not a part of my daily vocabulary. But, as I have been made aware, since this piece of machinery will aid me in pulling the anchor up more times than I can fathom over the next year, I welcome the new addition with open arms.
I, on the other hand, do not have clearance to use any heavy machinery other than the handheld sander for fear of distraction resulting in the loss of a limb. So…in the next few minutes I have been assigned the task of scrapping the paint off the engine parts (for those who really care–the elbow and risers which attach to the manifold). Why in the world would you need to paint a piece of metal which only has to be removed before bolting to the engine to prevent catastrophic failure is beyond me. It must be a guy thing…
While most of my jobs getting BD (short for Bella Donna) ready to depart include scrubbing, scrapping and using acetone on any stubborn residue, I would like to think these tasks are as invaluable as wiring the above mentioned solar panels to the battery and bolting my new friend, the anchor winch, to the bow. I am, in essence, the set designer and Duane the stage technician. So let the show begin…
With all that said, we are planning to depart on our new adventure on or about August 5th. We may be delayed a little if I can not scrub the purple paint off various body parts…Yes, the bottom of the boat is purple which adds to her unique charm.
I will check back shortly with updates and maybe Captain Duane will even add his two cents once he gets over the trauma of the Magic Eraser incident…
Taking a Leap…and a Deep Breath
After much convincing (on his part) and many reservations (on my part), we decided to take the plunge, hopefully not literally, and will be setting out on a great adventure –The Great Loop. While circumnavigating 6,000 miles on the water through the Eastern United States, Canada and the Bahamas was a terrifying proposal at first, as the days count down to our departure, I have become increasingly excited for the unknown.
Now, call me uninformed, but it was news to me that there was a continuous waterway that would allow us to access the eastern portion of the United States. After much research and google searches, I was educated on the Lock system and the natural and man-made waterways that will be giving us a taste of a whole new world.
As I am all for trying new things and never one to turn down a vacation, living on a boat for the better part of a year, and not waking up 5 days a week to work at a desk for 8 hours a day, seemed totally out of my comfort zone. But, as I eased into all the changes in my life–giving up my apartment in Manhattan after living in the city for 18 years, putting most of my belongings in storage and relocating to Conneticut — taking a year to travel living as a couple in a space smaller than a studio apartment seemed very logical and not at all scary. Yeah….no! Anyway….here we go.