Our first drive to the boat, in February, was through a wild winter storm. We arrived here in NC at dusk and moved onto the boat with flashlights. We had no electricity, no water, no bathroom. We spent a long, dark, windy and wet (condensation) night huddling in the stern cabin for warmth…and here I was expecting a long weekend at the beach.
After almost three weeks as permanent residents of Midwatch, we face our first storm. As Sandy approached, the locals were very nonchalant about the storm. Given that and the storm we and the boat, had weathered in February, we felt confident that we could weather a glancing blow of this storm. We spent a day preparing, putting things away and buttoning down the hatches. In reality, we were better prepared than most. We now have power, battery back-up and a generator, a well-stocked pantry of non-perishables and an on-board composting toilet, no need to walk across the parking lot for the potty! So far, so good. We have been shaking a bit, we have a bit of condensation. Bob has tightened the jack-stands few times and I’m making a casserole for lunch to drive out a bit of moisture.
We are now into our third day of the storm and we are still having fun. We have taken it all as a welcome break from the grinding, epoxy and minor engineering feats required to get the boat ready for our self-imposed November 15th launch deadline. Bob’s stiff neck is healing and we are indulging Finn’s new obsession with Superheros with a Superman movie marathon. We have left Christopher Reeves behind and are onto Superman Returns (PG-13). The kids don’t seem to mind the change in actors or the step-up in drama and violence. Funny how it all sneaks up on you, isn’t it?
