First days

Today feels like our first real day living aboard Cupcake. We moved out of the house, handed the keys over to the tenants, walked down the steps to the beach, and sailed away from the mooring on Monday. Anchored about two miles from the house in thin fog. When we awoke on Tuesday we were in thick fog but still needed to get back to shore to take Moss to an appointment at the orthodontist. 

We had forgotten we needed a vehicle. We had forgotten we needed the child’s headgear. We had forgotten about the boat/shore logistics involved. Ellen didn’t want to bother launching the dinghy and motor from on deck, so Moss and I got Cupcake as close to shore as the low tide would allow, and Ellen jumped in and swam to the house towing a dry bag with her wallet, towel, and change of clothes (Turns out the 20 year old dry bag leaked. Not so dry after all.)

Ellen got the truck and drove to the boatyard (Brewer South Freeport Marine) where Moss and I met her to load the final big bunch of gear aboard. Turned out there were no moorings available for rent but a buddy of Simon’s is letting us use his family mooring for the time being. Thank you Christian!

While the girls were doing shore projects, I stayed aboard and tried to solve the Rubiks Cube puzzle of where to stow everything. (My father’s expression is “trying to stuff 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound sack.”) Then the thunderstorms moved in with their rain and wind. The awesome staff at Brewer was willing to deliver Moss and Ellen back to the boat in the afternoon, despite the rough weather.

For lunch, we learned how to roll sushi. Delicious. Had it again today.

Because of the storm, we decided it was prudent to abort dinner plans with our friends Jim and Sherry. Nevertheless, Simon came to visit us in the evening and the four of us had tacos together. 

So Tuesday didn’t feel normal. It felt hectic. And damp. We did watch The Incredibles on the laptop in the evening. Yay Pixar!

But now it is Wednesday. I had a dentist appointment this morning, we ran a few errands, and then we spent the afternoon aboard together getting used to life on a boat again. Ran the watermaker, discovered the source of the unpleasant odor in the aft lazarette, made more sushi. The solar panels were generating. And boy was the wind blowing.

In the evening we went to the local old car show at the Mainely Custard. Saw some lovely cars including a super cool Sunbeam Tiger. The interior was great and I particularly liked the sweet two spoke, banjo steering wheel and the 13” Panasport wheels. Nice.

After some hamburgers and ice cream, Moss and I met up with Simon and had a second dinner with him at Little Tokyo in Brunswick. Simon has been connecting with us pretty regularly and it’s nice to spend these little bits of time together with our favorite boy.

That’s the update. I’ll be uploading this at Brewer, probably with pictures, when we go ashore Thursday morning. The plan is to go for a run in the morning, wash some cars and get them ready for their 12-month hibernation, and maybe spend a little time in the woodshop finishing some projects.