Month: July 2015

With our sights set on Sandy Hook, NJ, we woke at the luxuriously late hour of 6AM. We moved a little slower, knowing that we had less distance to cover in great conditions. We made quick work of getting the boat ready to vacate our slip in AC. Once again, I was thankful Gerry was at the helm. The marina was tightly-packed, and moving about in an unfamiliar, heavy sailboat was scary. For one tense moment, the stern of our boat practically kissed the bow of a powerboat behind us. I sucked in my breath, bracing for the jolt of collision, but our boat turned just in...

4:30AM. I woke up in the same clothes I’d worn the day before, minus my waterproof shell layer. With temps like these, I’d be wearing this ensemble of fleece-lined running tights, hoodie, fisherman’s sweater, wool socks, hat, and mittens for the rest of the trip. We were going to be one ripe boat by the end! As Gerry prepared the engine and deck for a speedy departure, Brian and I went forward to the bow to take in the anchor. The previous evening, as we were letting out all of the chain, we remembered that we’d never actually practiced...

The alarm went off at 4:30 AM, followed by a muffled “you awake?” from the salon. Gerry, apparently well-rested despite the racket of rain drumming above our heads all night, had sprung into action. While I fumbled with the coffee mill in the galley, Brian and Gerry got busy prepping the boat; checking the engine, filters, oil, and checking out the instruments that came with Morning Light. Once they had the lay of the land, there were eight dock lines attached to tall pilings at all four corners that needed to be undone. By the time they’d started the engine,  I was handing mugs of coffee...