The Aftermath

While much of the wind still had not ceased on the morning after the storm, Red October hung in there like a trooper.  She kept us safe and warm overnight.  The boat swayed wildly from occasional wind gusts up to 60 mph!  We had to check the lines multiple times to ensure that none were loosening from the constant stress. 

Like everyone else as a homeowner, we had to help ourselves and the rest of liveaboards by shoveling the dock to the ramp.  It was quite an experience for our first and last snow for 2010. 

RO's First Blizzard!

Funny how we look forward to a snowstorm and hope it will be as exciting as we want it to be.  Today was our first blizzard and it was exactly what we expected.  Lots of snow and wind beating up the yacht, but she was able to stay true and strong through the storm.  I am still amazed how we remain comfortable and warm like we are living in a house on land.  I tell myself, "this isn't so bad..." but try to rein myself in not to be overconfident with the situation.  Anything can happen and we won't take RO for granted.  We trust that she will keep us safe,  yet we're listening to the halyards beating on the mast of the sailboats across from us and wondering..... 

RO's First Snow!

Red October's first snow (a light dusting)....and I'm sure that this is the one of many this coming winter.  Life is still good in our yacht world!  Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year's to all!!! 

First Ice

Early this morning, I noticed a thin layer of ice spreading out most of the shoreline...my first sign of winter.  I have mixed feelings about the winter here.  Not only I haven't been exposed to it in 5 years, it is new life on the boat as well.  The heat is running well inside the cabin, and I have all of the comfort of a house.  I feel like I haven't sacraficed anything by living on-board, but it is still an adventure! 

 

Southwestern storm

Howling wind and occasional gusts up to 55 mph came and went with a slap to us, newbies.  I love storms, but our first one on the boat was exciting and scary at the same time.  We braved it for several hours with some major rocking motions and attempted to stay dry for most of the time.  Of course, our home is on the water... the dock lines must be checked every so often.  My wellies came in handy! 

With the southwestern wind, we had to add an extra fender on the port side for better protection.  We looked for any potential leaks inside the cabin , we only had one in the salon.  We think we found the source and corrected it.  Coincidentally, the leak slowed down as the rain let up.  It could be the residual rain at the end, but we won't know for sure yet.  Hard to tell, so we'll need to wait for the next storm to see if it worked. 

By 3 p.m., the storm finally ceased and the sea water was churned up so badly that it produced a number of litter to the shoreline.  Nice. 

Last run of the season

Took Red October out for one last run to the fueling dock on the other side of the harbor before we settle in our slip for the next few months.  Tom also needed some practice to drive it as well.  If he can land a jet, surely he can do this!  Maneuvering between the throttle and transmission is challenging enough to steer the boat when docking.  I asked him how he’d compare the piloting, and his response was, “it’s much slower…”   

New Water Ports

Our first project was to relocate the water ports after discovering the old hoses from the original ports to the water tanks were leaking in several areas.  It turned out that the hoses were at least 20 yrs old.  Tom evaluated the situation and thought his new idea might work!  He consulted with a couple of friends who are experienced with boat repairs and they agreed!  Instead of installing a 10-14 ft hose on each side: port and starboard, he wanted to install two new ports on the transom.  The new way resulted with two 3-ft hose lines directly to the water tanks.  Not too much of a challenge, but it was enough to say with it was a big project.  After working on this for several hours and completing it, Tom cut the old hose and heard a heavy clank near his foot.  He reached down and saw that it was an old key used to open the original water port cap and it was written on the side, “Patriot Games”.   It was the first name of our yacht.  I’m happy to say that she will now come to a full circle when we re-name her “Red October”. 

Time Management

How long does one take a shower?  If you’re a man, 2-4 min with a bar of soap and shampoo.  If you’re a woman, it depends on your preferences.  Let’s see…. most of us would use body wash, face wash, soap, shampoo, and conditioner.   Oh, let’s not forget that we have to shave, too.  Sadly, (yes, sadly) we only have a 6-gal water heater. Living on the boat has taught me to manage my time well in the shower. The hot/cold water handle has a valve where I can turn the water off to lather and then turn it on to rinse.  Repeat through the entire cycle five times.  I feel like my routine is similar to the dial on the washing machine: Wash, rinse, and spin. 

Note to “Honey To-Do” list, update to a 12-gal.   

Moving Day!

Moving became a series of walk-a-thons.  Each trip took a quarter of a mile to go from the apt to the B dock.  Armed with a dock cart which is no bigger than three milk crates put together, I made about 12 trips that day.  Glad that it counted as a part of my weekly running mileage!  My worst fear was losing a box overboard or even myself, but it never happened.  I’m still cautious to this day. 

First Night

My husband returned from his trip and said, “Let’s go spend the night on the boat!” with such joy and anticipation.  Wha???  Moving day wasn’t until the following week, and I wasn’t prepared to make the transition from the comfort of our temp apt to the yacht yet. Also, I was looking for an excuse not to move in so soon and trying to take advantage of living on land as much as I could.  I admit that I was pretty nervous about it. 

Oh boy, this is it…  Mentally, I put myself in gear and pretended that we were camping out.  We hauled our bedding stuff to the marina—I felt like I was walking the plank.  Am I crazy or what?!   Consequently, the bed turned out to be very comfortable and I overslept.  That is a GOOD sign!  :) 

Getting her into the slip

Reposition

Minor repairs including a paint job on the hull, were finally completed.  Now, the yacht was ready to be moved from the previous owner’s marina to ours.  It was an exciting day for us!  I volunteered to drive Tom and two of his friends there—so I could drive the car back to our marina and wait for their arrival. 

During his 1-hour journey on the Long Island Sound, I managed to find the camera and prepared the video.  To see her cruising in from the sound was very exciting!  Approaching the battleship row between A & B docks became a challenge for a 43-footer with a slight west wind.  Ever so slowly, we got her in like a charm! 

Diplomas

One of the first things we had to get was the certificate of Safety and Personal Watercraft Operations which is required and must be carried on us in the vessel (aka yacht) per CT law.  Luckily, our broker also teaches an 8-hr class at the local community center. 

With that in mind, he suggested to Tom that we buy the book, Chapman’s Piloting and Seamanship.  That book weighs about 20 lbs and is about 2.5" thick! Tom dutifully studied the book whenever he was able to and said that I should do the same.  I was studying for my exam which took precedence over Chapman’s.   He kept telling me that I was going to fail the test.  Nah, I knew the material was far too large for this certification class and was sure that the info pertaining to the certificate would be available on the day of class.  Sure enough, everything was provided as we walked into class.  I gave him my own signature smirk.  The competition is ON! 

The entire day blew by fast and it was quite enjoyable.  Finally, the test—all multiple choices.  He finished his and passed.  He looked at me ever so proudly…then there was the look.  I looked at him back and smiled while my test scores were being tallied.  And I passed.  Still being in the competition, I asked how many I missed.  Only 4 out of 50.  His was 2 out of 50.  He won the silent bet, and said to me as we were leaving the building, “but you didn’t so much cracked at the book?”  I just smiled and thought that some things are better left unsaid. 

Staking the claim on her!

This was the day we started depleting our savings.  After looking at a few yachts, we narrowed down our preferences to comfort, size, and functionality.  A move-in condition was on top of the list.  We did anticipate minor repairs and such, but for the most part we wanted to spare ourselves since we were in unfamiliar territory.  Baby steps for us newbies. 

We were lucky enough to find her online the day after she was put on the market.  Our broker advised us to get in front of the line after a couple of attempts to get on the waiting list with the other yachts we liked.  Needless to say, we pounced as soon as we saw her!  It was indeed PERFECT.  Currently, her name is Pumpkin.  Pretty lame for a beauty, but everything else was the opposite of lame.  She's a 1987 43 Vista and loaded with two staterooms, two heads, a very roomy salon and galley area.  The sundeck and flybridge were a big plus as they expanded beyond the typical cabin. 

At the end of the first week, we had the inspection done by a very knowledgeable surveyor.  His comments further confirmed our decision to buy her. Closing day, after three weeks since we found her, was a breeze!  No endless piles of paperwork.  Very simple and that's the way it should be.  There's no shame in reducing our savings for a greater cause!

The Decision

"Why don't we just live on a boat?", my husband of 6 years teased me while driving to the next house for sale.  Weeks of house hunting became tiresome since we couldn't find the "perfect" home coupled with a reasonable price.  In our opinion, the economy today has not fully recovered and real estate is still not a safe investment yet. 

Later that evening, we went back to the temp apt and looked out of our balcony which faced the Stamford Harbor.  Once more, the view beckons--yes, we should do it.   Followed by a ton of research and questions with the local liveaboards, we started the hunt for Red October.