We enjoy water views with a continuous parade of sail and motor vessels. The marina we call home between trips, has over 1,000 slips, attractive grounds, clubhouse, pool, gas grills & picnic areas, restaurant.

One block away is a 40 minute walking route past summer homes and along sandy beaches at low tide. We have met people here for the season, or cruisers from the Caribbean here for "hurricane season", June- Nov. , or working to fill the cruising kitty to go back to sea, as well as locals.

The yard is staffed with many top-notch professionals who maintain, build and restore all kinds of boats. attracting a wide array of boat owners. Notably , a former Americas Cup boat, a wooden hull and spar schooner Ticonderoga, a 75' Hatterras motor yacht, a 70' Trawler, and several 55' to 80' sailboats, some with professional Captain and crew, owned by giants of industry from bluechip companies, (IBM, Freightliner Trucking), entepreneurs, and retired folks too.

This new lifestyle still includes a few of our favorite things: sunrise (pours through port hole to awaken)
coffee and meals on the deck (but this deck is in motion)
radio news (marine forecast then AM/FM news)
cleaning house (takes about 1 hour, no dusting)
yard work (staff from marina yard to work on repairs or installations)
hammock time ("tied" by halyards to headsail at bow and mast)
BBQ out back (attached to stern with water all around)
eating out (carry your food to the cockpit)
night sounds (wind in rigging, water lapping the hull)
cosy bed (it is v shaped and sways with a starry sky on the ceiling)
visitors (arrive on dock or by dinghy to knock on hull as there is no door)

The picture of "boat life" as most people describe it is "having so much fun, an endless vacation"...but they are not boat owners.

Living aboard is so different from shore life it is hard to make comparisons. Ashore we strove to balance time for work, family, self. We sought convenience and comfort.

Aboard, sunrise and sunset are events that give pause. Aboard we give "fun" new meaning: a segment of the trial and error/oops school learning curve. Aboard we seek patience, and must give time a whole new meaning. We need much more time to accomplish day-to-day life chores and tasks and reaching destinations. Cruising destination is affected by tide time, currents, wind, not just distance. Travel is at a pace similar to a fast walk...5 MPH or so. A town 40 minutes away by car is 7 to 8 hours by sea.

To date we seem to spend 7-10 days dockside messing about on the boat, then 2-4 days cruising to find what needs doing next. Soon, hopefully, that work to cruising ratio will be reversed as the "to do" list is now very short.

Picture the effort required to accomplish tasks in confined spaces, with minimum equipment, then at least double the time needed. For example:

INSTALLATION Affixing gear, in supine position, to a target area in constant motion. Using tools that slip & slide away as if greased. To tighten custom bolts/screws that have an internal homing device to 1. the bilge 2. the sea around us.

HOME IMPROVEMENTS

• Snake a messenger line through invisible, innaccessible areas, hoping that the wires for the latest- greatest-gizmo will find the other end.
• Locate equipment needed, usually found, eventually, in a stowage bin buried by 3 or 4 layers of "important stuff".
• Run upstairs ( to the cockpit or deck) to find a location for the new gizmo, and summon the courage to drill a hole into the deck/hull//teak.
• Squeeze into lazaret/locker (cubby-hole with a lid that is designed to fall on hands/feet, located at the side or back of cockpit containing a jumble of hard, sharp bruising items such as BBQ, ropes, buckets, fenders, extra anchor) & disappear below decks to search out the tiny wire that needs attention...this up and down, in & out disappearing act will be repeated at least a dozen times over the next several hours (days even) in order to locate or borrow the exact tool needed instead of the one at hand. Retrieval time averages 30 minutes per trek..
• Become a contortionist-pretzle-person to tighten the teeny screws (or leaking hose clamp) located (of course) in the dark, above and behind your head. Celebrate success...briefly, then spend a day jamming everything back into the stowage bins.

All stainless and gelcoat (hull, decks) was treated with antioxidant paste and polishes. This will be repeated as needed, about every 4-6 weeks.

Week 1 Cleaned below decks, stowed minimal clothing, provisions, and all tools, and galley equipment, Yes, the wok did fit.

Excess gear to a storage facility. Our philosophy is if we need it badly enough to drive over to get it, it is essential. In a few weeks everything not in use will be thrown or given away. Replaced the water pump filter, the hot water tank, sink drains and elbows. Motor sailed CT River on Sapphire, our friends' boat, to bring it from winter storage to the marina.

Week 2 Daysail Tracey's graduation from Master Public Administration and Policy Analysis program. Drove to Albany/Clifton Park NY to celebrate. Geoff was there too, our 1st family visit since Christmas.

Week 3 Began prep work (masking and sanding) the teak trim ..this semi-annual task has been done by pros 'til now, so was yet another "fun" segment of the oops school learning curve. This trim is called "Brightwork". Our classic boat has great quantities. At the moment, my definition of Brightwork is, if you are bright, you don't have any. Cruised (sail & motor) for overnight at Coecles Bay, Shelter Island, NY with friends & dockmates Pat & Dennis, s/v Sapphire.

Week 4 George repaired dinghy bottom & replaced prop on outboard. A rock "got us" as we were enroute to cockpit sundowners on our friends' boat. We really enjoyed cocktails after that experience. Replaced AM/FM radio and installed CD player/changer. Improved communication system. Ran cable from dock to TV. Just learned it is included in dock fees. For a month we have been watching one-and-only-channel the rabbit ears brought in.

My Mom and her friend Fred came to visit. We toured Mystic Seaport, CT and Newport, RI by car, and cruised (sail & motor) 20 miles for 2 nights at Threemile Harbor, East Hampton, Long Island, NY. The weather was sunny, cool. Perfect for dinghy rides, BBQing off the stern, sleeping and lazing in the cockpit to enjoy books, naps, sunset & starry skies. They seemed to enjoy sharing our new lifestyle and are well oriented, for future visits, to living-from-dufflebags---making-a-sea-berth---using-the-head (marine toilet)-&-moving-about-while-underway.

Mystic features a "living museum" featuring a large collection of wooden boats and sailing ships and preserving the history of life in a mid-19th century sea port. There are over 100 buildings more than 100 years old collected from many New England sea towns & brought here to be restored and displayed. Tracey and I attended a Marine Scout week 15 yr ago, and she returned the following year to crew on the Brilliant, a 60-some foot wooden schooner school-at-sea boat.

Newport RI is known as "the yachting capitol" of the east. We attend the annual Boat Show each September to see the latest and greatest boats and gear to add to the wish list. The Navy had major training facilities in Newport until 1970's and since then the waterfront has been revitalized and today it is a yachting capitol with boats of all sizes, from the world over, to be seen.. Shops and restaurants line narrow cobblestone streets filled with tourists year round. For over 200 years this was a major port to ships from Europe and the Caribbean. British occupation in 1776 ended that era.

At the turn of the century, wealthy families from the Caribbean, the south, and the east were attracted by the climate and island setting. The Vanderbilts, Astors, and Belmonts, built "cottages" for the summer season. Many of these elaborate mansions are open to the public. We took a bus tour of the town, passing by many of the cottages including Hammersmith Farm, Jackie Bouvier Kennedy's childhood summer home, where she and JFK were married.

We toured the most elaborate cottage, The Breakers, and were treated to an impromptu concert in the 3- story atrium by a male choral group from England.

Week 5 Caught up on mail, laundry Daysail

Week 6 Replaced the water pump. Calibrated voltage regulator for the alternator Completed varnishing the Brightwork, polished stainless and gelcoat. Cruised 8 hours to Stonington CT, for 4 days in one of our favorite harbors. The tiny picturesque village features charming 18th and 19th century houses and gardens. Fragrant Roses and Honeysuckle were at their peak as we strolled residential streets, past tiny shops, and galleries to the beach, lookout point and town dock, home to the largest commercial fishing fleet in CT Father's Day we dined at Boom, read and planned the next projects and task list to prepare for a multi week cruise towards Maine.

Week 7 Replaced VHF radio and installed remote microphone in cockpit. Installed lift system on stern for hauling aboard dinghy motor and heavy items. Installed additional voltage regulator for the alternator . Daysailed s/v Wildflower with Bob and Marie, friends from marina.

And so it goes...we are having fun learning how to live differently,and feel a strong sense of accomplishment at day's end. Living out of doors, in constant motion, even when at a dock, exercises muscles we didn't know about...and we sleep long and deeply.

Tracey begins her new job Aug 1, getting grants and programs for the City of New York Welfare to Work Program. The office is at South Street Seaport area. Abby, a college chum & new roomate has arrived from Cleveland to run the Ralph Lauren shop at Bloomingdales, and has moved into their apt. in Boem Park, Brooklyn.

Geoff's company has merged with a bigger company and he is happy about the changes. He moved to Magnolia NJ with a new roomate, Jeff. In late July he and a buddy are making a road trip to several cities to see baseball games.

Let us hear about you. E-mail is an infrequent event, but we try to get to a phone for pocketmail weekly and data-port phone for aol at least monthly.

Joan & George
e-mail: egthorne@pocketmail.com
jetthorne@AOL.com