Grab your favorite drink and enjoy the story of a flying Moo Moo and a giggle to end your day on.
I woke up feeling refreshed after two nights in a row of great sleep. Eleven hours on Tuesday, and ten hours last night. It had nothing to do with Martin being away. It is more to do with catching up on sleep and shaking off a head cold kind of feeling, nothing I can really put my finger on. Maybe it is just sinus.
Just after 6am, I took all three animals up for their morning comfort stop. This can be challenging when I am on my own. Challenging for a number of reasons. Zac the cat is on a 5-meter retractable lead, and I need to keep one eye on him in case any passing dogs are overly interested. Generally, he has their measure. Nowadays the bigger dogs don’t bother him, he simply ignores their barking and attention. I believe most give up because they don’t get the reaction they are seeking.
Zac disappears into the garden bed, digs a hole and does his business and then covers it up. Meanwhile, Moo and Nitro head in different directions and each do their business on the open grass. I make a mental note where each one stopped so that I can collect their calling cards. Checking for big dogs I tie Zac’s lead to a tree. He is happy eating grass. I pick up Moo’s poo and hunt for Nitro’s – cannot see it. Keep looking…
I feel my shoe slide in something soft.
You guessed it – found it. All of it is stuck to my shoe. I wipe it off on a brick and bag it up and bin it.
Time to go back to the boat, feed the cherubs and then decide on a croissant for me. A quick text to a neighbour to see if she wanted one as well. A lovely brief walk in the morning sun to pick up two gorgeous croissants from Christian Jacques French Patrisse (to die for). Proud of myself, I ordered in French. Big grin…
Back to Jazzy’s boat for a tea / coffee and croissants and homemade jam, and a lovely catch up before the day started.
Then back to my boat. A productive morning with the CD blasting and noise cancelling headphones to block out the construction noise across the river. This is my strategy to not let the construction noise beast drive me insane.
Productive work done. Time for a cuppa, put the kettle on (gas stove – and a gorgeous whistle kettle) take the dogs up for comfort stop number two. Decide to take the bin with me.
Get through the gate and shut it. Damn, my keys are on the boat. The kettle is on. Everyone is at work. This return to work has real disadvantages for me. Call the Marina Manager… no answer, text the marina manager, no response.
No marina staff in sight. Surely the kettle is boiling by now. Heck…
Walking up and down the marina to see anyone l know who can open the gate for me. Finally, found someone about to use the amenities, I don’t know them. I introduce myself and politely explain the situation. He asked a few questions, and finally walked down to my gate to let me and the dogs back in.
He opens the gate and steps back, so does Nitro and Moo who are standing behind him. I am sure they were expecting him to walk through the gate, not turn and walk away. Moo goes flying through the air downwards. Looking up at me as he was falling he didn’t bark once. Luckily, it was low tide. He landed on the rocks… My rescuer then jumps over the retaining wall to rescue one flying Moo Moo.
After a million thank you’s, I get back on the boat and turn the kettle off. I have earnt this cup of tea. It was only 10.30am.
It is full moon and the Kamikazi Prawns are running. Under the brightness of the moon the waters around our boat and the marina we are in are very active. We tend to sleep through the nocturnal activity.
First light is usually when we see evidence of the night’s events. Initially it was a mystery. As I walked the dogs along the marina finger they were stopping to hoover up prawn shells that were acting like mini mirrors, throwing the dawn light randomly around.
They were in their element hoovering away. Initially I thought one of the other marina live aboards had done some night fishing and left the tell-tale evidence behind. Further along the finger there are more prawn shells and more doggy hoovering to be had. After a slow walk up the finger the dogs take their much needed comfort stop.
Other occasions I see prawns that are severed into several pieces, the flesh still firm and fresh. In time I learn from our neighbour that the prawns (and fish) jump out of the water as they are being chased by other fish. This makes sense. And so, I learnt the mystery behind the Kamanzi prawns.
There were more mysteries to unpack.
I realised that the early birds had been eating the Kamikazi Prawns. In particular, the shag appears to deshell it. When taking the dogs for their morning comfort stop our noise disturbs the shag, the dogs are lucky, the bird takes off leaving the prawn for the dogs. And our neighbour Lynn learnt why there were never any prawns on the finger for them to use as bait.
This morning I was taking all three animals (the two dogs and the cat) up for their comfort stop. It was a full moon and there were several prawn shells on the finger, and then a fully peeled prawn on the gangway. Now that is way too high for a prawn to jump. Above the gate, on guard, full wings spread was a shag making a racket. An interesting bird that swims under water, has the most amazing long neck that can swivel and rotate its head any which way.
I was wondering if it was safe to open the gate to take all three animals up to the grass. Oblivious to what was going on with the bird the dogs proceeded to inhale the prawn. Meanwhile, I realised the shag was trying to protect the prawn from a crow that was making a nuisance of itself.
I was not sure how the shag would react to the missing prawn and if it was safe to proceed. Fortunately, I think they are cautious of humans. It decided to take a piss all over the gate and fly off.
The expression comes to mind, the early bird catches the worm. In this case the earliest human, dog or bird rising catches the Kamikazi prawn.
Following on from last week’s post introducing you to the not so glamorous aspects of boat life, I thought you would enjoy the on-going comedy of errors of my ‘meant to be perfect’ boat life writing retreat.
I called this post, ‘OK Dave James. You asked for chapter two,’ based on the comments Dave made about the first post…
Well here it is.
—-
Queue music, Bobby McFerrin singing “Don’t worry, Be happy”
When I posted my “be careful what you ask for post” I was foolishly thinking tomorrow would be a better day. And it was more or less. I still had to get to tomorrow.
So the story continues…
Martin joined me for dinner. He had just read my post and still with tears (from laughter) in his eyes asked me what I had planned for dinner and what was he actually going to get for dinner.
Dinner was fine. He got home made fish cakes (Thai style), with stir fried vegetables in ginger and rice noodles. The feat in that was I was using a single gas top burner. I somehow timed it all well for dinner to be on the table.
So far so good.
We took the dogs for their evening bedtime wee only to learn Nitro had diarrhoea … Not a good start to the evening. This was at 9pm.
Martin left to go home.
Nitro woke me at midnight and three am to take him to the toilet. He forgot about waking me somewhere between 3 and 6am when he managed to throw up on the bed. I did not realise this until I made the bed when I got up this morning.
OK more fool me for letting him on the bed when he was sick. The point is not lost on me.
My escape to boat life writing was intended to avoid such tasks as laundry. I am also at a marina that has a laundry that Martin pointed out to me. I knew this but it also uses coins. So, who carries coins now days. Not me.
I proceeded to wash the linen in what new feels like the smallest sink in the universe and the largest double bed spread with good old morning fresh. First wash I can still see the stain. Did I mention the quilt cover was brand new? Never been used before.
Fade music Bobby McFerrin
Queue music Richard O’Brian singing “The Time Warp”.
Second wash, I think I can see it (the stain that is). I was so determined to get all stains out. Third wash I am pretty sure it is gone. During this process of seriously scrubbing and rubbing I started reflecting back on my grandmother and washing in the coppers and wash boards. Seriously the women in those days had to have some strength. All I was washing was a quilt cover. Anyway, the next challenge is it looks like it is going to rain. Lucky me. I have no coin for a dryer.
After seriously wringing out the linen I grab a couple towels and roll the linen and towels together as tightly as I possible could with the hope the towels will draw more moisture out from the linen.
By some miracle the sun comes out. I quickly run to hang out the washing on the clothesline then get back on the boat and realise how wet my trousers are. I change and hang them over the helm. Don’t think we are meant to do this. Bite me! I am beyond caring.
Finally, I feed the dogs. Dry biscuits only… just in case.
Now it’s time to feed me.
It put my oats in the saucepan, some sultana’s and dice up half an apple and toss it in. I grab the almond milk from the fridge and it is frozen… yes, frozen.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I don’t like oats with water. Now I am sounding precious I know. Mitch arrives. Welcome distraction. Light installed. Yippee!!! Mitch leaves.
The almond milk has started to defrost enough for me to have enough for my breakfast. Finally, I sit down to breakfast. While keeping a close eye on possible rain.
Fade music Richard O’Brian
Queue music, Alana Morrisette singing “Isn’t it ironic”
The fridge freezing delayed my breakfast, but also made my salad that I had made yesterday a soggy mess… Another meal that ended up not as planned.
I tried registering for Coles to do home delivery but gave up in frustration when they would not recognise a Marina as an address. I then could not find out how to switch to pick up.
Why, Coles delivery you ask? Two reasons. To try and maximise time for boat life writing and I have two dogs that I don’t want to leave on the boat unattended at this stage.
So, there was nothing left to do but an emergency dash to Beefy’s pies drive through for their signature steak (gluten free) with the best gluten free pastry I have ever had.
The reality of living on a boat is that there are sometimes leaks. Boats are designed to be flexible to move and bend with the elements that they are in. Like high rise buildings have a sway element and aircraft a flex element.
And so it is with boats.
Queue music: 5th Dimension singing, ‘Aquarius – Let the sunshine in’
After each rainy period, our routine is to walk around the boat to check both that earlier repairs have actually worked and to look for any new issues in need of repair. Leaks can come from many areas; port holes and hatches whose seals are giving in after 31 years of service, along with any fittings that are bolted through the deck. With our recent two weeks of rain we discovered a new leak. This one was of greater concern for me than normal. Not for any sensible structural reasons, but more so because it was leaking into my clothes cupboard.
I barely got through downsizing my beloved wardrobe without counselling. And certainly not to have my few remaining clothes (yes, few Martin Lloyd) to be damaged by mould when it rains. And so, prior to the most recent rainy period, we dismantled the cupboard ceiling to trace the leak to its origin. We discovered the leak was coming from where the stanchions (these hold our safety lines in place) bolt through the deck. It was leaking because the company who did the work on our deck when we replaced the teak did not seal the holes where the stanchions bolt through the deck, nor did they put two of the three nuts on the ends of the bolts. Let’s leave that there…
Suffice to say I was happy to have discovered the leak before any damage was done to my clothes. I was even happier when Martin repaired it. I am thrilled to confirm that with the last lot of rain, it did not leak.
After the rain came sunshine
Saturday morning, I woke with a smile on my face as my first task of the day was to return my clothes back to the cupboard. And in doing so, the bedroom started to resemble a bedroom once more. It made me super happy for the rest of the day.
Queue music: Cyndi Lauper singing, ‘Girls just want to have fun…’
I would be lying if I said boat life was all about sitting in the cockpit watching the sun slide below the horizon everyday.
Honestly, we should do it more often. It is a magical time of day. When we do, the day’s worries evaporate, with or without the assistance of a lovely red wine.
The reality of boat life is that it is not that dissimilar to life on the land… Things go wrong.
The following post tells the story of me planning to work for a week on our old boat. This was before we were live aboard. The plan was to escape and work on a book I was writing. What follows is my very first personal post that I shared with friends. It was a year or so before we bought our new boat and before we had the idea of going liveaboard and started blogging.
I called this post..
‘Be careful what you ask for… You just might get it…’
I decided I wanted to remove all distractions this week and focus on finishing my book. I had not planned for being disconnected from WIFI…
Going into lock down (this was pre COVID) was the plan. The chosen venue for lock down was our boat “Phoenix 7” a 34 ft Duncanson sail boat at Newport Marina.
The reno work on Phoenix is more or less finished. Martin and I spent all day Sunday cleaning her so I could spend the week writing… Starting Monday… Best endeavours.
Queue music… Van Morrison singing, ‘Days like this.’
For this type of trip, I like to pack everything the day before especially when I want to write for 5 days.
Note: to other budding writers. Do everything the day before including your writing plan so you can start writing very first thing in the morning.
Well, packing for boat life did not just include clothes and food for a week. It included linen, soft furnishing’s and dining table seat cushions, shower curtain etc, etc, etc as we had taken just about everything off the boat.
After packing and shopping I decided to get the dogs washed professionally as I was running out of time and it would make it easier to unload the car and load the boat without my adorable munchkins at my feet, or more precisely trying to sniff out whether I’d actually remembered to pack anything resembling food for them.
I had the lovely Mitch (who’s brilliant work on our boat was covered in another post) coming by to drop the second key off. I said I would give him lunch and also Mitch wanted to check something.
Here I must issue a warning to any Celebrity Chefs or even just plain Chefs out there who are about to read this; I swear that I am normally a highly organised gal who seldom lapses into the sort of stupidity that you are about to read about. What went wrong yesterday, I fail to fully comprehend!”
The lunch plan was roast chook from our local butcher (very yummy) and my signature salad.
Ingredients:
~ Celery finely sliced ~ Pears finely sliced ~ Slivered almonds toasted ~ Feta cheese and a drizzle of the oil the feta is marinated in…
Well, I picked up the chook on the way. Tick.
I had forgotten to pack the:
~ almonds from home ~ pear and the feta from the corner store (which is right next door to the butcher)
I had started cutting up the celery before I realised this and I was using a normal knife as I had forgotten to pack the chef knifes… Fortunately I did not get too far before I realised that I did not have most of the ingredients.
Fade music (Van Morrison)
Queue music, Bobby McFerrin singing ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy.’
Lunch became, roast chook… and hummus with celery and biscuits… Lol
After a late lunch we went to buy anchoring lights for the boat. We now have the required lights we need to anchor over-night on our trip next weekend.
Just before going to the Chandler I also learnt from a client that an automation was not working as expected… and this was a problem. Mitch left and I went to pick up the dogs.
Back on the boat and I went to plug in my phone to hotspot it to fix the automation and my phone was down to 7%… And the phone charger was not working… Sorry Mitch the cigarette thingy charger point gave up… No way of charging my phone…
A quick note to my client while I still had some charge and hotspot… Followed by a quick call to my husband saying phone about to die 2%…
By now its dinner time…
My boat life comedy of errors continued…
I went to cook green prawns stir fried with ginger, coriander, beans, capsicum and nuts…
I pulled out the green prawns (which I had had in the freezer at home) and opened the bag, only to discover they were prawn shells that had not made it to the bin… LOL
I had a lovely vegie stir fry… Followed by a shower and went to bed by 8pm.
Lights out – I woke 12 hours later.
This morning I believe I have rectified my comedy of errors I’ve now purchased knives and a few other essential things and a power source for my phone.
Take Two… Productive work occurring…
Queue music, Pharrell Williams singing ‘Happy.’
Stay tuned for next week’s post as I will follow up with day 2 of this trip.
Zac (the cat) has been settling in with his new friends and winning hearts at our new marina. My biggest concern about moving on to the boat was how well Zac would handle moving into a home on the water.
Fair to say it was an immense relief for me to see him settle so quickly at Gold Coast City Marina. He very quickly got use to the fact that the boat sways and rocks. Dockside is now Zac’s third marina and he appears to have the following routine.
The first couple of days,
…you see him listening to everything. He occasionally would venture up the companionway (stairs), sit on the top tread and watch the world through the fly screen. Finally, he starts to paw at the screen as if to say, Mum I am ready to go out. He walks on his 5-meter retractable lead and tentatively steps out. His first walk is always late at night. Why? Most people and their pets have gone to bed. It is usually a very slow walk with every smell and sound needing to be investigated. He is flighty and on full alert. With each walk comes increased familiarity, he appears to gain confidence.
Zac on one of his late night walks.
One night on a walk with Martin, Zac met Shadow, a Pomski (Pomeranian – Husky cross)
…who appeared to be ‘interested’ in chasing Zac, but for her owners keeping her at bay.
Shadow has lived at this marina for years, so Zac is well and truly in her territory. Martin returned saying that the Shadow and Zac encounter needed human supervision.
And so fast forward a couple of weeks with Zac and Shadow checking each other out, the following encounter happened.
I was sitting downstairs in the cockpit. Zac was on his retractable lead, initially on the deck and he had jumped on to the finger. He loves flashing his blue eyes to the staff on The Yot Club (our neighbours). They adore him along with the dogs. Zac loves watching them work as well as watch all the boats go past.
I heard Shadow bark and I bolted upstairs.
The Yot Club staff were watching Shadow and Zac and I stood on the deck to watch the encounter. Anthony, from The Yot Club told me Zac went up to Shadow and Shadow barked it him. He then took a few steps back. Zac again went up to him and Shadow barked again. It was at this point I arrived on the deck, in time to see Zac sit down. He looked at Shadow who was not so sure about Zac approaching him. Zac then decided to roll over and scratch his back on the finger and settled into a comfortable position spread eagle on his back. He clearly was not worried at all about Shadow at all.
With that encounter I felt the last of my concerns about Zac settling in melt away.
Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me when I ran up stairs. Since then Shadow has been on board a few times including sitting beside the bed singing to Zac. As evidence below looking for him through the bedroom porthole.
Shadow looking at Zac through the bedroom porthole.
Looking forward to Zac and his new friends adventures.
Catching up: 4 months since I posted a blog post 3 weeks out of the water 2 marinas One major goal achieved
Thank you to all of you for checking as to why I have not been posting. I am finally catching up on the last few months.
Our pursuit of a live aboard lifestyle has not changed.
In fact, our conviction has only grown stronger. Obtaining this lifestyle is a journey that requires discipline and dedication, serious dedication too.
We definitely want to work less and embrace what our surrounds offer us more.Martin demonstrated his dedication to this lifestyle change by resigning from his job of 11 years to go consulting. Ironically, (I am hearing strands of Alanis Morissette in the back ground) he has 3 clients and could easily work equally as hard if he is not careful. Now he needs to focus on the discipline of not working too much. This is coming from the voice of experience.
As I write Martin (and another friend Rob) are crewing on TimandJo Hayter and Jo’s boat, making their way to beautiful Harvey Bay and home of my bestie from Manly.
Martin just texted me to tell me he is seasick, very, very seasick. My poor baby.
Meanwhile I stayed behind as someone has to look after the animals. Truth be told I was catching up on a few work commitments and had also been unwell for a few days. My day was split between client work in the morning and my stuff in the afternoon. A nice walk around Kangaroo point to mark the end of the workday. We are now at Dockside Marina, Kangaroo Point. Why? Simple because it has halved our travel from Newport Marina to our clients. Yes, we moved to Newport to enjoy being closer to open water. From Newport…
… we took the boat out of the water for three weeks to have a bow thruster installed, and I desperately wanted our shower working.
I could write a book on the dramas in getting the shower water cascading and draining. Yes draining would be nice. 9 months without a working shower…. And it has finally happened. Happy dance.
Dockside Marina is in the heart of the Brisbane CBD. At night we are bathed in the light of the story bridge and the city surrounds. It is beautiful. As I write, sitting in the cockpit I have been watching the party boat (trimaran) next door to us, the ‘Yot Club’, which lots more like a three-story apartment block than a boat, get ready to go and pick up their guests.
Their beautiful staff are busy readying the boat for the nights adventures. This included showing each other various parts of their bodies which I can only assume are new tattoos. It also included 3 drag queens arriving in full makeup and the best heels I have seen in a while, and practicing their dance moves.
Speaking of heels, I moved back on the boat with only three pairs of shoes. I still have most of my clothes and shoes at my girlfriend’s place. More downsizing to be done.
Our view of the Story Bridge from our cockpit.
And now we are at Kangaroo Point. At dusk we are graced with energy of people embracing the outdoor life style. I honestly don’t think I have seen so many fit people getting outdoors than here. There are almost as many dogs taking their owners for a walk. There are BBQ and picnic spots and a small sandy beach for the dogs. We have also joined the masses and purchased our own scooters which are proving to be a lot of fun. Please no more broken bones baby.
My new book
And finally, the main reasons why I have not been posting is that I have written and published a book. My book is not about our downsizing journey. It is a business book. Drum roll please…While it is a business book, I am sure you will love it. It is called EXIT, how to professionally exit a dysfunctional workplace conversation. I am so passionate about sharing this technique with everyone that the eBook is free. I would love you to pass it on to anyone who you think may benefit from it. You can access the free eBook here. https://confidentconversations.guru/book-exit/
Finally, the good news is I am back to blogging again and it feels so good.
On that note I hear the funk tones of Jamiroquai, singing, ‘It feels good, oh so good… ‘
It was great catching up on the last four months, talk to you soon!
We are super excited to be sharing with you the first post in “Our Galley” section.
Our Galley, is all about: sharing practical tips, and recipes for healthy eating and easy cooking in small spaces.
One of the things we have noticed about Marina life, is that we eat earlier. Our bodies follow the sun. Largely speaking, the marinas that we have stayed at (including Newport Marina north of Brisbane, East Coast Marina in Manly east side of Brisbane, the Gold Coast City Marina on the Coomera River South of Brisbane, Hamilton Island Marina and The Coral Sea Marina at Airlie Beach) tend to be very quiet from 8pm on. Now we know not all marinas are the same. Our friend Jordo, (non-sailor) told us of his adventures staying at various marinas through Spain and they are lively all hours of the day and night. He loved it.
The other thing we have noticed is that many people living on boats give up cooking. Often resorting to a bowl of cereal, a sandwich or toast for dinner. Others grab microwave meals (Don’t get me wrong there are good meals out there). Then some if they are near shops and their budget allows, grab takeaway. At the moment our go to takeaways are Friday night, Fish and Chips and maybe one other night during the week. Indian or Chinese are favourites.
In a nutshell
we want to show you how we cook simple tasty food without a big budget in a
small (tiny) kitchen (Saboteur’s galley).
Martin is a
foody. He loves cooking for people. He owned his bakery for 7 years and has
worked in a number of professional kitchens.
Now me, I am a foody, I love eating his food. Simple.
A match made in heaven you could say. I also love cooking but don’t get so much access to the kitchen.
Key themes
for “Our Galley” are:
From Martin’s
perspective:
an understanding of what it is like
cooking on a boat… i.e. cooking in small spaces
an understanding of planning for
cooking, when you have a small pantry, tiny fridge and freezer
cooking with few ingredients… cooking tasty
and healthy dishes
practical videos on how to make some
of Martin’s signature dishes
From me,
easy recipes
easy tips
This section of our blog site has the added advantage of becoming our on-line recipe book. I will start to publish my favourite recipes along with links to videos of Martin in the Galley (or whatever space he finds himself in) and occasionally me.
We will be doing a live post on Saturday evening, about 6pm. We will do a brief tour of the Galley whilst cooking Martin’s simple dish of Pork belly (or Chops) and his magic sauce (to be revealed). A one pot wonder. And I will be making my famous Celery, Pear, Feta and toasted almond salad. This recipe first appeared in my third blog post, “Be careful what you ask for” where everything that could go wrong did go wrong.
We can easily find ourselves not following our dreams if we allow the “what if?” to hold us back. For me, more important is “why not?”
“Have you ever wondered what would happen if…?” I have heard this phrase so many times in the last four months since we finally made the move to living on our boat. These questions tend to fall into three categories: • The physical • Relationship based • What makes you happy
What follows is an attempt to answer some of these questions as best I can, from my point of view. Although that may change with time, circumstances or context.
The most frequently asked question I get asked is “Do you still/actually/really like living on a boat?”
After surviving the journey of downsizing and going live-aboard it is now almost four months of living on Saboteur in the relatively safe waters of the Marina and surrounding environments, the answer is a resounding, “Yes. I/we still like living on the boat, in fact I/we love it.” My heart sings as I look outside and step off our boat onto the kayak. And I am sure half my friends are sick of another sunrise or sunset photo or video. Thank you for liking my posts anyway…
Morning sunrise
The first question is often followed by, “How do you find living in such a small space?” (Assumed compared to a sprawling house). Another common question is, “How do you find living so close to each other?” and also “What if you get annoyed with each other?”
I find those questions are all related, and I will answer them together.
Let’s not lose sight of the fact that I can get annoyed with Martin Lloyd in a big house or a small boat… Just saying.
And in fairness, he can get annoyed with me, too!
These questions require an honest look at myself. And a level of self-awareness that at 53 years of age you kind of think/hope you had sorted out for oneself. But under new circumstances and new environments, I am finding I have to look inside a little bit more. It begs the question “should I have been more reflective more often?” The answer is probably. I am being kind on myself. The answer should have been a resounding yes; however I can’t go back, only forward.
My future is on the boat and in a smaller space. I am finding I need to share my frustrations and raise my concerns sooner.
Sometimes they are about something Martin has done, other times it could be something else. When it is something else, and I share it with him it means he is not wandering around the boat wondering if he has done something to annoy me. I am having to be more aware of what I do that may annoy Martin. Hard to believe. But it can happen. That I can be annoying that is. And sometimes we mirror each other. This makes for interesting and often humorous moments.
Being more honest with yourself can be confronting. Being more honest with each other can be even harder.
The “what if” factor… What if I am more honest? It is simple; we develop a greater understanding of each other’s needs. And we move past the annoyed stage much quicker. Another outcome is that I choose to let go of some things much quicker as well. And that feels great. Why waste quality time that I could spend enjoying something else? You know what I mean. The funny thing is I can get annoyed at myself for being annoyed and wasting time being annoyed…
There are also easier and equally as interesting questions, “What do you miss from living in a house?”
My alternative to a bedside table
The first words out of my mouth the first time I was asked this was “a bedside table”. Why? I miss having a cup of tea in bed. No biggie I know. My work around option is a small high sided baking dish I use as a stable tray and my “keep mug” (it has a sealed lid) which sits beside me in the bed. And if I knock it over without the lid sealed the remaining early grey is captured in the baking dish. Works well.
That sounds like nothing really. And I think if that is what I miss the most then I am doing alright. OK I missed fresh water when the fresh water pump broke recently. And it took a week to replace due to the challenge of finding the right pump with the right capacity that fitted the confines of the space.
What I truly miss is more associated with relationships and being in a different city. Being further away from family and friends. It is also one of the reasons for our adventures. Not the being away from family and friends bit. It is more about the travel, adventure and meeting new people, people who love being on the water or connected to the water and/or seeking adventures. And then, there are those who grow up on the water and worked on the water. “Salties” as they are called. I doubt we will ever be called “Salties” Our skin is too pale to start with. I’ll settle for sailor girl.
I digress – back to your questions…
What happens if one or both of you and are physically unable to sail anymore?
We have talked this though a number of times. We discussed a number of circumstances ranging from Martin coming off his bike on a track day. This was less of a discussion and more of me telling him how I would handle the situation if he ended up in a wheelchair again. I would put a bed in the shed (we have a shed at the marina) and he can wheel himself to the amenities block… You may well laugh; laugh I did say that. We also discussed hoisting him on to the boat using a halyard. Also possible…
When we think of possible physical limitations, we have both been inspired by a lady at Newport Marina (where we kept our first boat) who is paraplegic and in a wheelchair. She lives on her own on her boat and sails single handed. While I never saw her sail, I saw her physically pull herself in her wheelchair up the marina ramp, sweat on her brow and determination on her face.
I wondered if she was so used to it now or did her muscles burn from lactic acid build up?
I have no idea how many times a day she did this. Going down the ramp you would think would be easier. However it first required her to get off her wheelchair, on to the bitumen and lift her wheel chair over the gutter and get back on and gently control the wheel chair going over the rise and the speed down the ramp and line her wheels up with the grooves that were cut in the bar at the bottom of them ramp to stop or arrest runaway trolleys. She never complained. She was not a victim, she was living her life. Once she told us of sailing her boat on her own (or single handed as they say) from Sydney to Brisbane. Our boat is potentially a bit big for single handed sailing. And if Martin is injured again we have opinions.
Our friends, Jo and Tim (of similar ages to us with Tim older than Jo) intend to sell their sailboat (a 52’ Ketch) and buy a cruiser. They want to sell before they find the upkeep and work required more daunting than is practical.
Even though they prefer sailing to motor cruising they would rather live on the water than on land. So, they have started looking for a beautiful displacement boat to call home.
And then we have met others who have opted for the canal boats of Europe and the United Kingdom. This is something We would love to do. I talk to anybody I meet who has had experience with canal boats. I think I am in love with the pace of life on a canal boat.
Why not?
A recent conversation brought this home to me: “You have to totally learn to relax. Especially if you are travelling in peak season. You may have to wait for hours to get through the locks. You have to wait for the tides. And so you are stopped in the most beautiful countryside, in little villages, hamlets and you can either enjoy the beauty, read a book, listen to music etc because in those moments you cannot change the tide or jump queue. All you can do is be in the moment.” I first fell in love with this idea while reading Richard Branson’s autobiography (the first one). I would love to explore the UK and Europe in a canal boat once we are done sailing. But first we want to bounce around New Zealand and linger there for a while.
And finally, what if one day we are no longer able to manage a motorboat (or canal boat)?
We draw our inspiration from a couple at Gold Coast City Marina. Let me tell you their story.
PJ and Jane: We had not seen the them for a few weeks. They have a house as well as a lovely motor cruiser. However, we had heard that PJ was unwell. He is 88 and they have had their berth at the Marina for twenty years. They spend a lot of time, there on their boat.
Anyway, we recently learnt that PJ has had a couple of mini strokes. In learning this, one cannot help but have a fleeting thought about our own mortality. It was with great joy we saw he and Jane back on their boat last week. Their visit was meant to be just to pick up a few things. However, they stayed the night. Jane commented on the fact that they will be wearing the same clothes the next day. They are always beautifully dressed.
They do not do the scruffy unkept look that many boaties gravitate towards (Including Martin who has clothes I need to throw away).
Notwithstanding, the next day Jane went home and grabbed them a change of clothes for one more night – they stayed two more. I think they left the same day we slipped our lines to go away for a long weekend. FYI our longest trip yet. Friday to Monday.
We spent time with PJ before we left. He still has his wicked sense of humour. The outcome of his strokes has drained his energy and physical capability. However, his wit is still as sharp as ever. They have planned to do a 6-day cruise this week. This cruise is with a Flotilla of boats and theirs was to be the lead boat. So, what have they decided to do? They have organised a skipper. This is the most sensible thing I have heard in a very long time. They will enjoy their cruise even more.
So my friends.
Have we wondered about what if? Yes, we have tried. But more importantly we prefer to look at the why not?
I was reflecting on a brilliant day I had a couple of weeks ago and pondering on what made it so good. We truly have brilliant friends. Perhaps as we get older we are becoming wiser with who we share our time with. They say a burden shared is a burdened halved. What I know to be true is if you are wise with the company you choose, you can transform the burden into a joy. This is what transpired on that brilliant day.
We are
settling in well on the boat. It has been easier than expected on all counts.
We still have the massive task of emptying the “shoe shed” of boxes. Even
typing that sentence, I feel my energy and enthusiasm wane.
To the rescue came Bill.
Bill and my sister (better friends and helpers you could not ask for) helped us with the enormous task of getting out of the house. Bill foolishly offered to help me empty some boxes that we have in the shed. It was a genuine offer that I jumped on. I had managed to empty four boxes the previous weekend on my own and it was like my feet were made of concrete and my mind seemed to slow with each decision I had to make. Now, I can’t remember what was in them. Additionally, I was able to consolidate like items from two boxes into one. As I transferred spirit bottles from two now half empty boxes into one box, I wondered somewhat rhetorically where did all those missing bottles go?
Preparation on said day consisted of scooting around the marina to get some coffees. Wolff coffee to be precise.
Bill arrived at the marina gate and I jumped in his car to undertake “mission coffee”.
He queried me, somewhat surprised, “What, we can’t walk there?” I pointed to the Quarterdeck restaurant across the marina channel and said, “You can if you can walk on water.” To which Bill replied, “I can’t, the nail-holes in my feet let the water in!” I knew we were going to have a fun afternoon. What more do you need other than good friends and coffee!
We drove out of our secure gate around the corner and in through the marina’s main entrance. It is an amazing shipyard, with many and varied businesses and retail outlets that support this cool hub we find ourselves in. Having passed the business offices we then pass the sheds. Some boats are“on the hard”, some out in the open, some under cover. We were so busy gawking that we almost missed a dog-leg around some traffic cones before parking next to the restaurant.
We ordered our coffees to go and looked out over the deck back towards Saboteur and in doing so Bill gained his bearings.
Armed with our coffees we re-traced our movements back to Saboteur. We climbed on board and gave Martin his coffee and sat to chat. The boat was in a gentle rolling pattern, so small that I almost don’t notice it anymore. This pattern gets the occasional disrupt with each passing boat. There were not many of these today. It was remarkably quiet for a public holiday that was heading for beautiful 27 degrees C. Not bad for winter. I am embracing the weather.
Bill sat back and said, “What’s that creaking noise?”
To which I replied, “Sit back, my friend, and relax – Saboteur is talking to you”. In return he said, “It is a language I don’t understand”. To which we all laughed and Martin explained the boat fender was passively bemoaning the pressure of Saboteur moving at one with the water.
Marty’s smile says it all
We eventually wandered to the shed, enjoying the banter and got on with the task of unpacking boxes. Having someone to talk options through helps letting things go. As does having someone to drop things off at Vinnies means that I cannot be tempted to revisit a decision. Martin jumped in and started going through a box of memorabilia. I loved this photo of him when he was a driver for Fiat. Loved his crazy hair and his big smile. Then they found some photos from the band days.
I left Bill and Martin pouring over old photos and went for a paddle.
Megan had just arrived, our neighbour Dan joined us along with the three dogs. Megan and I realised we have known each other for 15 years and are enjoying the fact that we are living close to each other again. We were briefly flat mates and later lived in the same street. Our first paddle together was the previous weekend. We took a different path this time, paddling out of the marina and up an inlet of the Coomera River.
Sometimes we talked and sometimes we pointed things out to each other.
Sometimes we paddled or drifted in a comfortable silence that is understood between good friends.
It was wonderful to watch Megan fall in love with the Coomera river inlet. The river was silty today. More so than usual.
Exploring the park
On the way back we stopped, pulled the kayaks up on the pontoon and let the dogs run in a deserted park . Dan found a Frisbee that the dogs chased. Well Charlie did, our dogs are not quite sure what to do with Frisbees and balls. The sun was on the horizon and we jumped back into our kayaks and ski. And headed for home.
We found Martin, Bill and Marcus (Megan’s husband) all on the deck with Whiskey’s in hand and nibbles ready for our return. It was a very pleasant 20 degrees with no wind. It was magic on the deck. A different story this weekend. Megan and I freshened up and popped the top of a bottle of bubbles and the evening flowed as easily as the drinks. We were further fuelled by hangi and fish and chips from the amazing local Hangi Pit.
We were bouncing off each other’s energy.
DJ Dan had been pushing out an awesome selection of tunes and we were starting to sing along to a few. I went below and grabbed Martins keyboard and bought it out for the first time. I passed it to Maestro Bill who warmed up is fingers, while Martin warmed up his vocal cords. Megan grinned and I was truly grateful for good friends.
From there Martin, Bill and Megan sang almost any request that was made.
The rest of us jumped in, predominantly on the chorus, our confidence boosted by alcohol. The day had transitioned from tackling the burden of unpacking some boxes to a joyful and a deeply satisfying afternoon and evening. A lovely balance between getting stuff done, some exercise and quality time with good friends.
As Martin
always says. It is exhausting to be this relaxed.
Time for a cuppa, put the kettle on (gas stove – and a gorgeous whistle kettle) take the dogs up for comfort stop number two. Decide to take the bin with me.
