Slaying Dragons

“Do one thing everyday that scares you” said Eleanor Roosevelt. I'm not quite sure I agree. I need a break every once in awhile from things that scare me, but maybe once a week would be okay. Really what she means is to keep yourself challenged, not necessarily with life-threatening activities, just traveling into new and uncharted territory once in awhile. Don't be afraid to try new things.

Old nautical charts frequently used the expression “Here Be Dragons” for uncharted, unknown territories. When we first moved aboard, everything was new and uncharted … our lifestyle, the boat, living on the water instead of land. Heck, even the terminology was different. It wasn't the toilet any more; it was the head. Dreaming the dream of heading off into the sunset on a sailboat is one thing, but actually doing it ... well, that was downright daunting.

Enter the dragons. We define dragons as anything that causes angst. Fears and anticipation that get your heart pounding, adrenaline pumping and/or stomach churning. There were dragons lurking about the first time we took our new boat out into the Gulf of Mexico; the first time we were out of sight of land; the first time anchoring; the first time waiting for a bridge to open; the first overnight passage which included our first overnight watches alone. It was a world of firsts. Each day was a new dragon to face, a fear to overcome, a dragon to slay.

Dragons come in all sizes and shapes. It doesn't have to be a heart pounding experience. I'm not a seamstress, so when we determined in Ecuador that the cost of replacing the dodger and bimini was too expensive, we decided that I'd make new ones. The dread was palpable. I'd never done this type of a major sewing project before. What if I screwed it up? What if I wrecked all that expensive fabric? What if I failed? Take a deep breath. Think it through. Do some research. Talk out the plan with David. Start the project … then just a little further. Not right? Tear it out and do it again. Be patient. Just a little further. We ended up with a new dodger, bimini, sail cover, winch covers, hatch covers and more. Because once you slay a dragon, you get a new burst of energy and confidence.

Have we had any heart pounding experiences? Oh, sure. I can't imagine anyone living on a boat crossing an ocean that hasn't had at least one or two hairy times. Squalls come up unexpectedly and the first few times, you wonder what the hell you're doing out in this miserable weather with waves breaking over the bow. We've hit rocks and reefs, dragged at anchor, almost had a dragging ship hit us at anchor. The good thing about experiences like this is that they teach you.

We've been told “Oh, you're so brave. I could never do what you're doing.” Wrong! You could, if you wanted to. It might not be your cup of tea, but you could do it. I firmly believe, you can do most anything you want, if you want it enough and are willing to slay a few dragons along the way. Give it try. Do something that scares you today. Slay a dragon.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

We tend to think of dragons as vicious, cruel and heinous. For many Eastern cultures, the dragon is a symbol of wisdom, power, and luck. In the Chinese culture, they're even portrayed as benevolent and kind. Not quite ready to slay one? How about creating a virtual one to take care of?

On to Port Arthur

 

A one-day delay due to a minor medical issue and we were down the Huon River with the wind for a change. We sped down the winding Huon at 8+ knots and were spit out across the Channel into Little Taylor's Bay. We spent a relaxing night, prepped for an early morning departure and we were off down the Channel again.

The day's forecast for early N/NW winds, backing to 25kt westerlies by midday was perfect for heading south down the Channel, then rounding Cape Bruny and heading up Bruny Island's east coast to Port Arthur on the Tasman Peninsular.

Forecasts are one thing...actual weather, well that's quite another. We did see northerlies for a short time which got us down the channel, but with less than 7 kts of wind, the engine helped considerably. When we headed east across the bottom of Bruny, the wind clocked and instead of the promised fresh west winds, we had a light headwind from the east. We motored. When we turned the corner and headed up the east coast of Bruny...that darned wind turned with us and backed to NE again and then clocked to SE and south, but light and never west...not even once did we see a hint of a west wind until... you guessed it, until we headed into Port Arthur and tried to anchor. The west wind came roaring across the bay 20, 25, 30 knots and continued to roar all evening.

We did, however, have a pleasant day despite the need to motor. It was a slate-blue kind of day. Blue hues and shades and shadows of gray pervaded the day. The water was slate-blue. The sky was overcast with massive clouds of slate blue and gray. The mountains and hills took on the same tones ... endless shades of slate. Every once in awhile, a bright patch of blue sky would open up as if someone above the clouds was peeking through.

We were in the Tasman Sea again and the bird life changed from shore birds to ocean birds. Mollymawks (small albatross) soared overhead. Yellow-headed gannets dove into the water like bullets and shearwaters in great flocks hunted for breakfast.

We passed by Bruny Light and the ragged Friars, then up Bruny's east coast past Adventure Bay where Cook and Bligh and Tasman and scores of others have sailed before, exploring a new worlds and seeking more land to claim for their countries.

We passed by the spires of Cape Raoul and West Arthur Head and entered the long south-facing entrance to Port Arthur. This particular area has been spared from the bushfires and houses and farms on the hills looked peaceful and calm. We turned the corner past the Isle of the Dead and the golden sandstone buildings of the Port Arthur historic convict site sprawled before us like a page from a history book.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Strawberry Ice Cream Day

This one's easy. Just linger over a scoop of thick, fresh, rich strawberry ice cream. Even better, make some yourself.

It's also Hat Day

Wear a hat while you're licking your cone.

Blown Away Down the Channel

hobart waterfront

We left the wind tunnel, known as Cornelian Bay, a few days ago. With a forecast of N/NW winds for the area, we thought we'd have a great sail down the Channel. It was blowing 25kts as we raised the anchor and sailed under the Tasman Bridge. By the time we passed the Hobart waterfront and headed towards the Channel, the wind had calmed to a variable 5-10 knots. We motored on.

The wind came in spurts...5 knots, 15 knots, 5 knots, 20 knots. The jib was out and caught the wind when it came and flogged when it didn't, but the day was gloriously sunny and dry and it was good to be sailing. We dropped the hook in Oyster Cove (Kettering) and dinghied in to say goodbye to a couple of people, take hot showers, get rid of some trash and do a load of laundry. We came back to Cups lighter in trash, cleaner in body and with a dive bag full of wet clothes to hang out to dry.

faucet hole

We had intended to spend the night in Kettering, but it was still early in the day and the sun doesn't set here till nearly 10pm now, so we decided to continue on to Cygnet. Things started going awry at that point. The washdown hose had been leaking and got more water on me than on the deck or the chain. It was on the “to-do” list for repair. As David removed the snubber from the anchor chain, he lost his balance when a big gust of wind knocked him back. He slipped and managed to shear off the entire washdown faucet fitting from the deck, leaving a hole in its place. This also prevented us from adequately cleaning all the thick, slimy, brown mud off the chain as we brought it up. Buckets of water and a brush didn't do the trick like a high power spray and we had a muddy mess on the foredeck.

port cygnet haze

The N/NW wind had freshened and we were doing 8 knots with only the foresail as we headed down the Channel. It was glorious until the wind shifted and increased and we turned off the Channel for the remaining couple of miles into Cygnet. 20 knots was fine and we progressed slowly. Then 30 and 35 knots and the fetch increased. Short, square waves that had green water coming over the bow (and probably finding its way into that little hole where the faucet should be), the boat lurching and the crew feeling uneasy. The wind increased to 40 knots as we rounded Huon Island. The wind shot down the Huon River like a bullet, blowing the tops off the waves, pelting our faces with salt spray. I know, I know...we should have just gone with the wind and found another anchorage across the Channel somewhere. But we reasoned, we were so close...it couldn't take that much longer.

Wrong...it took another two hours before we finally clawed our way around Cygnet Point and into the bay. The wind was still blowing, but there was less fetch and once in the lee of the hills, even the wind subsided to a comfortable 25 knots. One last blast of 55 knots caught us as we passed a notch in the hills and then we were in calm waters.

race line

We anchored and breathed a sigh of relief. Below decks was bedlam. Cushions everywhere, baskets upturned. Anything not lashed down was on the sole. Before we even finished tidying up, a fellow dinghied over to inform us we had anchored on the starting line for the local boat races. Who knew? There's a little sign ashore, not very visible from the anchorage. We left that detail for another day. Instead, we put up the clothesline and hung out the wet clothes...even though it was sprinkling. Then a glass of wine and some relaxation before any thought was given to the faucet repair, the thick layer of salt crystallized all over everything, the mud on the deck, the water and mud in the chain locker …. and oh yeah, the forward head pump which stopped working en route.

Such is life … on a boat, in Tasmania, in the Roaring 40's.

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Days and Ways to Celebrate

A daily list of mostly obscure holidays and fun ways to celebrate them.

Fruitcake Toss Day

Yup, this is the day to get rid of that fruit cake you received for Christmas. Don't have one? If you can't borrow one to throw away, or buy a discounted one from the piles of them at the local grocery, perhaps you bake one and then toss it. Here's a recipe.

Old Rock Day

Nobody seems to know the origin of this holiday, but all agree it's an opportunity to learn about old rocks and fossils. You can discover your state's fossil, visit a natural history museum or perhaps listen to some old rock on the radio or your iPod.