FAQ: Do you two ever get tired of traveling?

 

We're asked quite regularly if we're tired of traveling after all these years aboard. Let's think about that for a nanosecond … NO! I guess I could end it there, but would make for a very short blog. I guess I should elaborate because there are some caveats to that unequivocal “no”.

I'd say we don't tire of traveling, but we do tire of some trips, some locations and some situations. It's more like getting antzy to move on or conversely, looking forward to staying somewhere for awhile. When we're in an anchorage and the weather prevents us from going ashore, for instance, we don't like that aspect of things much. When we sailed for 30 days from Easter Island to Ecuador having to hand-steer because the autopilot was broken (and so was the back-up!), the starter motor crapped out so no engine, the head wasn't working and the list goes on … I'd say we were pretty tired of that trip by the time we reached Ecuador. But tired of traveling in general? No way.

I require some nesting time every few months … a chance to collect myself, put down some temporary roots and get cleaned up and organized after a long passage or even lots of day trips between ports of call. This “nesting time”, as we call it, usually figures well into the schedule because by the time I need to stop for a bit, David has a long list of things to fix on the boat, needs parts and a place to make repairs. It doesn't have to be long … a couple of weeks, maybe, and then I'm good to go. In fact, usually anxious to go.

We figured that the travel bug would have run its course after 14 years, but it really hasn't. Every time we arrive at a place, we're anxious to explore, but at the same time, we have the travel guides out figuring what's next, what's down the road, where to now? The lure of the next place.

I'm thinking that sitting in our rocking chairs at home knitting mittens or whittling little wooden animals is never going to be enough for us. For now, at least, wanderlust is still strong. If you want a look at where we've traveled thus far, check out the Passages link above, and for more photos and insight into our travels check out our website.

Splash in Mandurah

We splashed today. We could not have planned a more miserable day to plan going back into the water. It poured in torrents all through the night and we only hoped that the clouds would rain themselves out before our 0930 appointment with the TravelLift.

Luck was with us. It did not rain on our walk from the hotel to the boatyard. It did not rain while we were making final preparations to go back into the water. We waited rather impatiently as another boat was hauled and then it was Nine of Cups' turn and the TravelLift moved into place.

The slings were put into place and the stands were moved out of the way. Cole, the lift operator, is quite friendly and very proficient at his job. He had us ready to go within minutes.

With Cups in the sling, we knocked away the keel supports and David slapped some anti-fouling paint on the places we hadn't been able to access while Cups was on the stands.

We had planned letting the paint dry for a ½ hour or so, but Cole indicated that radar showed a rather large squall heading our way. It was already blowing nearing 20 knots; we really didn't need any more wind for launching. Without delay, Cole had Cups moving toward the lift bay.

She looked beautiful with her new blue bottom, red bootstripe and shiny topsides. Cole lowered away and her keel touched the water. Splash!

We scrambled aboard using the anchor as a step and ducked under the bow pulpit. We were ready for take off. David burped the shaft seal and turned on the engine.

A friend had brought over large cardboard boxes which David had rigged to shield Cups from the dirty slings and keep the topsides clean. We had a time tying them to lifelines as the wind gusted and blew them like kites. Marcie rigged the docking lines to tie back up at the marina and grabbed the boat hook … just in case. We were ready to head out.

We're pleased to report … no drama. Cole moved us as far to the end of the bay as possible. David backed her out and the wind caught us, but in the right way. He made a u-turn and maneuvered Cups across the channel … the northwest wind pushing us closer to the dock without much effort on our part. We were tying up and removing the cardboard protectors when the winds increased and the torrential rains started up once again. Thank you, Neptune!

Blue Bottom and a Red Stripe

Nine of Cups' bottom is now blue. We finished up three coats between intermittent showers and downpours. The hull was painted black last haul-out and actually we prefer black, but we alternate colors each time we paint her bottom. It makes it easier to tell when the ablative paint is wearing away. Anti-fouling paint, by the way, is a cuprous-oxide based paint (copper additive) which keeps barnacles and other obnoxious critters at bay and hopefully off the hull. Legend has it that a black hull attracts whales. So far Cups has received no amorous advances from horny ceteaceans, but you can't play it too safe.

David has just finished up put two coats of paint on the bootstripe and it's looking pretty fine.

Being out of the water and “on the hard” is always an unusual feeling. The deck is about 10-12 feet off the ground. The boatyard supplied a ladder high enough to reach our swim ladder, so we can board from the stern. This means ducking under the solar panels in a sort of crouch and getting your feet onto the deck in a rather ungraceful maneuver … tough for these old, non-pliable bodies … but it certainly beats climbing up on a rope!

We're the tallest boat in the yard and the birds are certainly pleased with our spreaders and masthead. David has spent quite a bit of time scaring away the murder of crows that seem to enjoy this boatyard habitat.

From our vantage point, we have a commanding view of the boatyard and the public marina. It's amazing how 10-12 feet can change your perspective.

We've got a long list of things to do while we're out of the water in addition to the anti-fouling and red bootstripe. We usually have to scrape, polish and paint the propeller. Last haul-out we used a product called PropSpeed and we're pleased to report that the prop is in great shape with no growth whatsoever. Instead of a product that is toxic to critters, the Prop Speed is too slippery for them to attach. Anyhow … no work necessary on the propeller except to change the anode.

David is changing out the hull zinc/anode as well and, boy, did it ever need it. He's also performing regular maintenance on the thru-hulls, all 13 of them.

We noted that our haul-out lift points were not quite in the right spot and David has put temporary marks at the new locations for the TravelLift straps. We'll use them as a guide for going back into the water. If they're correct, he'll paint them on the topsides.

With any luck, we'll splash in the next day or so. Heavy rain and big winds are predicted for the next few days … we'll see how it goes.