Hotel Moments

caitie-hotel-work

Caitie is answering customer emails from the desk of a hotel room in Columbus, Ohio. I’m sitting across the room on the bed, making phone calls about whether or not a subcomponent of a product we sell is ULC certified. This is our new reality.

We drove out together this morning from Cleveland in the pouring rain on a “joint” work trip. She goes to see one type of client, and I see another…we’re coordinating schedules, and it’s fun to still travel together when the opportunity presents itself.

During the drive, we joked about how we’d lost appreciation for how crazy it is to stay dry while traveling in the pouring rain…to be in a car bubble.  “This would never happen on the boat” we said, and we laughed.  “I’d be soaked at the helm”.

We smiled, paused, and both kind of wandered off into our own heads.  We were driving our brand new Subaru that we’d leased only a couple of months earlier, but at that moment, we could still feel the rain on our faces, and the smell of wet canvas.

When Caitie finally broke the silence, we sprung into an hour of reminiscing about our trip.  By the end, we were surprised how many specific moments we were able to remember…days/minutes/seconds that will hopefully stick with us forever…

“Remember that time in the Alligator river when we anchored overnight in the middle of nowhere and the fog rolled in?  Remember being completely surrounded except for one small gap above us which became our sunroof for the stars, and we laid on deck and felt like we were the only people in the world?”

“Remember that marina we visited in North Carolina when the temp dropped below freezing and we huddled down below, soaking up the WiFi and blasting the heat?  Oh yeah – wasn’t that the place where you picked all of those hot peppers and got the ride to the liquor store from the guy who had to blow into a breathalyzer to start his car?  What was his name again?  He was nice.”

“Remember when I tried to back into those public pilings in Elizabeth City because I thought it would be easier to get off the boat that way, but couldn’t do it because of the current…or my lack of skills or something?  …yeah that was where we met that really nice guy from Seattle that helped us dock normally”

“Remember that long sail from the Potomac up to Rock Hall, and when we finally dropped the hook in time for the the most amazing sunset?!  …Yeah!  We had nice sunsets both times we stayed there.  I wonder if they have amazing sunsets every night…?”

“Remember the crisp mornings on the Erie Canal when the leaves were changing color and the deck was soaking wet with dew, but you knew it was going to warm up by lunchtime?  Yeah I can practically smell that morning…the water…the fiberglass…Y’know I read that the Erie Canal has some closures again this year due to high water levels.  Yeah?…Frig, that’s a bummer.”

“Why did we rush home again?  We should have spent a month cruising the Chesapeake…”

As we talked, we found ourselves getting happier and happier, recounting all the little moments that we remembered.  We were amazed by how deep the sensory memories  were…we could recall the smells, the sights, the feelings…from two years ago as vividly as if it were yesterday.

 

Chock it up to stepping outside your comfort zone, or just the incredible nature of travel…Either way, looking back and remembering how powerful the experiences were (good & bad) leaves us lusting for the next challenge.

 

The End of an Era

That’s it – we’re done.  We’re back home.  Obviously, we haven’t been blogging…we’ve been in a weird head space.

 

It was emotional coming home…With every week on the ICW, we got a little closer to our return to society…to normal life.  Oddly enough, as we got closer, we became more and more accustomed to life on the boat.  We got better at reading the weather, more comfortable with things breaking, less bothered by delays…It was starting to get easier, and we were starting to figure it out.  WE WERE HAVING FUN!  MJSailing always said it takes a year before you really get into the groove, and we now understand what they meant.  It was getting good.

 

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

 

We returned to the Mentor Harbor Yachting Club on July 16, 2015.  My folks threw a huge party and really made us feel welcome!  We had cake and expensive champagne.  We put on our smiles for the cameras.  It was amazing, but it really hit us hard – it was the end of an era.  Had we done everything we wanted to do?

 

Honestly, after TARA was safely tied up, we didn’t go back down to the boat for two months – not because we were sick of sailing, more that it was too emotional to be on Tara after living aboard for 10 months.  We couldn’t see her stuck in a marina…or something…

 

It has taken us some time to decompress, think about what we’ve done, and absorb all of the crazy adventures.  In the end, as expected, the hard times have turned into amazing stories that we reminisce about again and again.  In the end, IT WAS WORTH IT.

 

We’re happy to be back to a big bed and hot showers.  We have a comfortable place to live (thanks Mom & Dad!) and a nice grocery store around the corner.  Life is good – we’re home safe and have a lot of incredible memories.

 

In other ways, we are sad.  Operation Tropication has ended.  We know if we did it again, we would do a lot of things differently…we know we would do it BETTER…but that’s life right?  There’s always an opportunity to do it better, no?
Now it’s November.  Many of the friends we met along the way are probably down on their boats now, preparing for their crossing to the Bahamas and beyond.  Many of them are “snowbirds”, which we used to think was a dirty word, but now we have learned to appreciate.

 

We have started looking at boats/magazines/blogs again, thinking about the next adventure.  The reality is – once sailing is in your blood, there’s no escaping it.

 

COMMENCE PHOTO SEQUENCE:

SURFS UP! Folly Beach

SURFS UP! Folly Beach

Haaaaapppppyyyy

Haaaaapppppyyyy

Rent a car and drive to Trader Joes, only to find out it's a freakin' used furniture shop. FAIL.

Rent a car and drive to Trader Joes, only to find out it’s a freakin’ used furniture shop. FAIL.

Sitting in St. Johns Yacht Harbour while the years first tropical storm brews offshore

Sitting in St. Johns Yacht Harbour while the years first tropical storm brews offshore

Mark's first haircut in a long time

Mark’s first haircut in a long time

We love Charleston. Have we mentioned that before?

We love Charleston. Have we mentioned that before?

Virginia

Virginia

AMERICA HAS TOUCH SCREENS TO ORDER DRINKS?!

AMERICA HAS TOUCH SCREENS TO ORDER DRINKS?!

AMERICA HAS CHEAP PIZZA?!

AMERICA HAS CHEAP PIZZA?!

WTF?

WTF?

Front approaching. Nature rules.

Front approaching. Nature rules.

Gearin' up

Gearin’ up

Lovely spring day in the Chesapeake (it got much worse from here).

Lovely spring day in the Chesapeake (it got much worse from here).

Pops happy to be aboard!

Pops happy to be aboard!

Family sail in the Potomac

Family sail in the Potomac

Happy Spinnaker Dad!

Happy Spinnaker Dad!

First Maryland Crab Experience. Holy Old Bay

First Maryland Crab Experience. Holy Old Bay

St. Augustine

Annapolis

Amazing sky in Rock Hall, MD

Amazing sky in Rock Hall, MD

Amazing sky in Rock Hall, MD cont'd

Amazing sky in Rock Hall, MD cont’d

Racing a major freighter into the C&D Canal

Racing a major freighter into the C&D Canal

We were pretending there was an apostrophe in there. D'Urban Highway. Say it with us. D'Urban.

We were pretending there was an apostrophe in there. D’Urban Highway. Say it with us. D’Urban.

Overnighter! Dark night up the NJ Coast

Overnighter! Dark night up the NJ Coast

Calm Foggy Morning - NJ Coast

Calm Foggy Morning – NJ Coast

FOG HORNS

FOG HORNS

Genoa blaster into Sandy Hook

Genoa blaster into Sandy Hook

33 hours, 170 miles, First overnight sail. Tired n' thirsty

33 hours, 170 miles, First overnight sail. Tired n’ thirsty

BACK TO NYC!

BACK TO NYC!

Printing this and putting it on the wall.

Printing this and putting it on the wall.

Splurging in the city :)

Splurging in the city :)

Continental

Continental

AirBNB loft in Brooklyn. Thanks to our host!

AirBNB loft in Brooklyn. Thanks to our host!

Picnic in the city

Picnic in the city

Cold grey megacity

Cold grey megacity

Liberte

Liberte

Weird Panorama

Weird Panorama

Threading the needle

Threading the needle

Happy/Cold

Happy/Cold

Get your sway on

Get your sway on

WRITE IT DOWN OR FORGET IT

WRITE IT DOWN OR FORGET IT

There's the sun!

There’s the sun!

Back to Catskill

Back to Catskill

Found our stands (amongst the chaos)

Found our stands (amongst the chaos)

Awww yeah

Awww yeah

Spring has sprung!

Spring has sprung!

Damn. Mast down again

Damn. Mast down again

Passing our old friends When and If in Albany! Pretty with the mast(s) up.

Passing our old friends When and If in Albany! Pretty with the mast(s) up.

Lock 1

Lock 1

Rainy barbee solution

Rainy barbee solution

Free docks are great

Free docks are great

Glassy mornings

Glassy mornings

During our trip we were pessimists, optimists and realists.

During our trip we were pessimists, optimists and realists.

High water delay in the ICW = visit home!

High water delay in the ICW = visit home!

Nice to be back :)

Nice to be back :)

Summer backyard greenspace

Summer backyard greenspace

Caitie gets her hair did

Caitie gets her hair did

West Virginia

West Virginia

Sister time at the lake for July 4th!

Sister time at the lake for July 4th!

Saucy Ladies

Saucy Ladies

Sistertrip to Charleston!

Sistertrip to Charleston!

Rocking our July 4th swag

Rocking our July 4th swag

Mad Dog

Mad Dog

Reliving University

Reliving University

Grillmaster

Grillmaster

I wish I looked as hot as she does

I wish I looked as hot as she does

Snoozin'

Snoozin’

Spirit Cake! Cousins!

Spirit Cake! Cousins!

:(

:(

Heart Steaked Box

Heart Steaked Box

Rainy motoring in the ditch

Rainy motoring in the ditch

Casual

Casual

Young punks. The kid second from the right is giving us the finger.

Young punks. The kid second from the right is giving us the finger.

Vintage postcard moment - Holley, NY

Vintage postcard moment – Holley, NY

Who knew?

Who knew?

Happy Place

Happy Place

'Yonce

‘Yonce

Gorgeous weather - Eastern half of the canal.

Gorgeous weather – Eastern half of the canal.

Last two locks - LOCKPORT, NY

Last two locks – LOCKPORT, NY

This is it!

This is it!

They had a disagreement

They had a disagreement

#Enhance

#Enhance

First "Canadian" in a loooong time

First “Canadian” in a loooong time

Tasty

Tasty

MAST BACK UP! Buffalo, NY

MAST BACK UP! Buffalo, NY

Wally workin' on the radar

Wally workin’ on the radar

Doing what he does best

Doing what he does best

Last night - Erie, PA

Last night – Erie, PA

Product placement

Product placement

Don't bug me before coffee

Don’t bug me before coffee

Mmmm...Cake

Mmmm…Cake

MHYC we have arrived

MHYC we have arrived

Smile for the camera!

Smile for the camera!

 

Charleston

We’re way behind on blogging (obviously), but it’s been an interesting month or two.  As of writing this, the boat is sitting in the Erie Canal due to lock closures: https://wwwapps.canals.ny.gov/news/notices/ntm.aspx?id=567 and we jetted to Cleveland then South Carolina.  Caitie’s sister is visiting for the July 1st/4th week, and the girls are running off to Charleston this morning for a quick getaway.

 

Ahhh Charleston – the unfortunate location for a very recent/disappointing/heart-wrenching shooting event, is still one of our favourite cities.  Since the girls are going, I figured the least I could do was post the photos from our LAST Charleston visit…wayyyyy back in May.

 

Checking out the parks in North Charleston

Checking out the parks in North Charleston

FountainSelfie

FountainSelfie

ESpanish Moss

ESpanish Moss

Park Cafe for happy hour # 1

Park Cafe for happy hour # 1

#smorgasboard

#smorgasboard

LEONS Oysters AKA Happy hour 2

LEONS Oysters AKA Happy hour 2

Tuesday night jazz @ the Black Sheep in Mt. Pleasant

Tuesday night jazz @ the Black Sheep in Mt. Pleasant

I'm sure this is some sort of historical building.  Caitie looks cute.

I’m sure this is some sort of historical building. Caitie looks cute.

Day 2 Happy hour part 1

Day 2 Happy hour part 1

Happy hour asian style

Happy hour asian style

Budweisers are CHEEP

Budweisers are CHEEP

$2 bucks a pop!

$2 bucks a pop!

Folly beach pier

Folly beach pier

OK, I'm definitely going surfing tomorrow

OK, I’m definitely going surfing tomorrow

We’re BACK! First week in the ICW!

On the road again!  We love being back.  We loved being “gone” too, but being back has its perks.  Full fridge (including BEER, the most expensive commodity in the Bahamas allegedly), calm water, cell phone service and familiar scenery.  We are making great time up the coast, flying through Florida, Georgia and part of South Carolina already.  Loving doing the ICW better this time – warm weather, local knowledge, and a few more months of boating experience are making this trip up way more fun than our route down.  Here are some road-trippin highlights so far:

Slightly less beardish

Slightly less beardish

The Big Mainland

On the road again (this time, red to PORT)

le journal

le journal

CUMBERLAND ISLAND 2: The Found World

CUMBERLAND ISLAND 2: The Found World

Still one of our favourite places

Still one of our favourite places

IMG_0058 IMG_0068

Sunrise...sunset

Sunrise…sunset

IMG_0084

Sunrise...sunset

Sunrise…sunset

#streetstyle in Beaufort, SC

#streetstyle in Beaufort, SC

Happy hours and free BBQ?  Southern Hospitality!

Happy hours and free BBQ? Southern Hospitality!

Beautiful Beaufort, SC ("Bew-fort")

Beautiful Beaufort, SC (“Bew-fort”)

Forrest Gump celebrity spottings.

Forrest Gump celebrity spottings.

Schwing bridge / full moon

Schwing bridge / full moon

IMG_0138

Us

IMG_0620

Rough winter for this guy

IMG_0986

Fort Matanzas, Florida. The black and white makes it look kind of epic…but it was about the size of a garage.

IMG_1009

BBQ in the Georgia marshlands (Wally’s leg, GA)

IMG_1015

Beers in Beaufort, SC

IMG_8650

Navigation. “Easy in. Weird current vs wind but quite scenic (for FLA)” – anchorage reviews by CL

IMG_8656

Love dees manatees

IMG_8661

The land of 1000 bridges

IMG_8686

Wow – wasn’t expecting to wear this guy again. Frig!

IMG_8703

This guy gets us every time. Hard to tell whose hair it might have been…

IMG_8725

Classic ICW anchorage morning on the Herb River, GA

IMG_0124 IMG_0129 IMG_0136 IMG_8695 IMG_8745 IMG_8750 IMG_8769

Gulf Streaming

We are waiting out Tropical Storm Ana in Charleston, SC right now (don’t worry – so far it’s just been a bit blustery and rainy), which has allowed us a chance to sort through some of our fave photos from the past couple of months.

Our Gulf Stream crossing was relatively easy – we anchored on the Little Bahama bank the night before (basically anchoring in 10 feet of water with no land in sight) and then headed out at 3am for a 15-hr close haul sail to Fort Pierce, FLA.

We mostly dodged the thunderstorms that had been following us around in the Abacos, except for a solid shower right before making landfall in the US of A.

Awesome sail day to Eleuthera from the Abacos. Caught a deep sea monster but couldn’t get him on board.

First American-style grocery store in 3 months (Marsh Harbour) = SURFnTURF DINNA

Bearded man and the sea

Abacos

Pink House in Green Turtle Cay. There was a cat by the conch but I scared it away.

Nautical book club

Power Shower

IMG_0918

Castaway

IMG_0931

Our dinghy guard bird

IMG_8608

Sunrise in the Gulf Stream

IMG_8612IMG_0951

IMG_8621

Excited for new adventures in the USA.

 

 

 

Family Visit & Assorted Bahamas Memories

SO, we’re back in Florida, and are trying to get caught up on photos/etc. now that we have Wifi again (the irony is that the Wifi at this marina sucks)

 

Here are a few photos from the last month or two in the Bahamas, including an awesome family visit!

 

Storm front approaching, anchored at Big Majors (with no engine)

Storm front approaching, anchored at Big Majors (with no engine)

IMG_0180

“The night is dark and full of terrors”

IMG_0164

Still adorable, even as the front approaches

IMG_0177

IMG_0186

Might as well have a good laugh

IMG_0558

Rainbow.

IMG_0571

Rich neighbors with toys.

IMG_8499

Anticipating the arrival of my broski

IMG_0583

Lil’ lady

IMG_8504

BROOOOTHERRRRR! Slash Jetsetter slash private plane

IMG_8506

So pumped he’s here!

IMG_8512

First beer behind Ida’s laundromat…Andrew seemed pretty stoked (and surprised by how nice the water was). SUCCESS!

IMG_8514

Various modes of transportation to pick up guests at the airport

IMG_8523

…annnnnd and empty waiting room.

IMG_8532

Parents arrival! Victory #2!

IMG_8534

Mom n’ pops going for their first beach walk in Black Point

IMG_8540

Caitie n’ a Kalik

IMG_8549

View from the cottage with our busted golf cart in the foreground

IMG_8550

Look at that smile, m-I-right?

IMG_8572

Wally’s lovin’ it.

IMG_8586

Scorpio’s happy hour – watch out for those 2-for-1 rum punches!

IMG_8591

The rum punches take effect :)

IMG_8595

I think Dad’s beard got longer during the visit

IMG_8601

Saying goodbyes at the Black Point airport (yes, that yellow building is the airport)

 

White point “Bonsai”

In May of last year, we went to Japan.  It was an amazing experience – I could write a hundred posts detailing how incredible the experience was (but I’ll spare you).

During one of our exploration days out of Tokyo, Caitie indulged me and hopped on the train out to Omiya, which is a town that hosts several Bonsai nurseries, and even a Bonsai Museum.  Even though it was blisteringly hot, we managed to check out some amazing 100+ year old trees…in pots :)

Now, I’ve had a weird fascination with bonsai for a long time.  Going to Omiya was like making a small pilgrimage in a way…Now here we are in the Bahamas, and as I was strolling around the bluffs at White Point, I saw tons of wind-swept/weathered trees that reminded me of our visit to Omiya last year.

Caitie will laugh, but here is my inspiration.

IMG_0263 IMG_0265 IMG_0291 IMG_0295 IMG_0337 IMG_0342 IMG_0406 IMG_0380 IMG_0373 IMG_0519 IMG_0495 IMG_0355 IMG_0424

Home Sweet Boat Home

We have been trying to do this post for ages, to finally show y’all what this little boat home looks like.  However, mostly it looks a lot messier, so when we had cleaned it all up for my (Caitie’s) parents’ visit, it was our chance to capture it in a moment of calm and cleanliness.

Welcome to TARA!

IMG_0203

Companionway stairs hide the Universal/Westerbeke 44HP Diesel engine. Navigation station to the right of the photo (which is the port side of the boat), and cabin (aka our bedroom) on the starboard side.

 

IMG_0202

Nav station, VHF radio and power switchboard for the fridge, lights, fans, etc. We are constantly turning things off to save power…although less so now that we have awesome sunny days powering the solar panels!

IMG_0201

Galley! The fridge is top-loading (the two rectangles on the left side of the picture) as well as an amazingly sweet bottom-access door, mostly leading to a cool compartment of beer. The stove and stovetop are run on Compressed Natural Gas, which unfortunately is not refillable outside of a few key stops in the USA, so we often cook outside using a propane Coleman stove or BBQ. Double sinks, including a salt water foot pump, are a lifesaver when piling up a days’ worth of dishes. Gear hammock sadly devoid of fresh fruit, but awesome for preventing bruising underway.

IMG_0199

Salo(o)n converts to be a double bed, as well as a large table for dinner and dominos matches. Our dry food stores are in the wall cupboards as well as behind the settees (couches). Water tanks (108 gallons) hide under the settee cushions.

IMG_0196

The head! There is a shower behind the door, but we exclusively shower using a solar bag in the cockpit, to save water/power.

IMG_0194

V-berth / guest suite all cleaned up for my parents! Normally filled with all sorts of fishing gear, extra sails, cold weather clothes…

IMG_0188

The master suite.

IMG_0195 IMG_0191 IMG_0187