more caffeine please

Sunday afternoon Sam and I headed to Poulsbo to stay for the week. Poulsbo hosts a 3rd of July celebration with fireworks over the harbor and the best way to ensure your boat has a spot at the dock is to arrive a few days before since they don't take reservations for the 3rd since it is so popular.

We have started to make a week of it and commute into work for the week. Before I worked in Seattle instead of in Redmond it was a bit more convenient but it is worth it to stay aboard for a week.

I was really looking forward to my week until Sam told me he had to be at the office at 6:45 this morning for a meeting he was facilitating which meant he couldn't take the call in route. Of course he didn't mention this until Sunday afternoon as we were already in route on the boat. I am pretty sure it was planned so I couldn't back out and he had company for his morning ride in.

After checking the ferry schedule last night we realized it would mean catching the 5:20 ferry and leaving the slip by 4:40 in the morning.

While I am a morning person I don't consider 4 a.m. a time to get up. The only reason I should ever see 4 a.m. is if I am going to bed from the night before and even then I am usually not much interested in that option either.

The espresso machine came in quite handy this morning but we could really have used bigger mugs. After getting at the ferry with no traffic (seems most everyone else thinks the 5:20 ferry might be a bit too early as well) we watched the sunrise over the water. I thought it was beautiful but given the choice I would choose my bed any day. Actually I was the only one in the truck watching since Sam was taking a nap. Wasn't he the one that should be awake since he was the reason we were even out of bed?

After arriving in Seattle we hit an coffee shop for more caffeine. Being the kind person I am I gave Sam part of mine. After driving over 520 I was wishing I had some more caffeine so I stopped at Starbucks for a bit more of a pick me up. Lunch resulted in more caffeine - this time in the form of a diet coke. Afternoon meant I needed another caffeine jolt to get me through the day so I got an iced tea, venti sized.

I think it is a good thing I don't have to do this every morning since I would most likely need some kind of caffeine iv to get me through the day. Normally 1 latte and 1 diet coke is exactly what I need but today I couldn't seem to get enough caffeine to make up for the time the alarm sounded.

I asked Sam what time his first call was tomorrow but he couldn't remember. Somehow I am not thinking this bodes well for me at all since I am pretty sure he would remember if he could start his day at a normal hour - lets say at 8. Wonder how much caffeine I will need to do this 2 days in a row? If he is smart he will just set the alarm for 4 and pretend it is later until I have already taken a shower oh and he might try and find a bigger coffee cup so I can at least get a head start on my caffeine intake.

more toys on the big toy

I accuse Sam all the time about how many toys he has and how many more he wants. I will admit that some of them I definitely enjoy as well but he is usually the one who initiated the purchase. But lately I seem to be the one eyeing and thinking about new toys to take on the boat.

On our boat we opted to have a storage locker instead of a 2nd bunk in the stern of the boat. We figured having 1 guest bunk was plenty and storage was a much larger priority. It is a pretty good sized storage locker but we seem to have filled it up.

Soon after getting our boat I found an inflatable kayak and decided I really needed to have it. Of course once I had one then Sam needed one as well so we could kayak together. We found out quite a while ago that the double kayak was too big of a test for our marriage and the single was the only way to go. So now we had 2 kayaks and 2 paddles in our storage locker.

Then somehow Sam sold me on the fact he needed his own dive gear. He told me how much money we would save when he could clean the bottom himself and how much faster we would go if it was cleaned regularly. So now the storage locker has dive gear and a tank.

These large items are in addition to Sam's fishing gear, extra lines, extra drinks, a tool kit, and various other items I cannot recall. So the other weekend when I rode a fold up bike I suddenly had the urge to add to our locker. A bike would be an excellent addition to our boat and would be quite a bit of fun when we ventured to more remote ports. But if I had a bike we would suddenly need 2 and I decided not to buy one just yet (well Sam might have literally dragged me away but I prefer to pretend I was making a rational thought out decision).

So far I haven't yet succumbed and bought a bike but I do realize it is really only a matter of time. Then 2 weekends ago we played golf and brought along our golf clubs on the boat. Since I have a rather large golf bag it was a bit of a challenge to drag it down the stairs.

While on a green I was struck by inspiration after a particularly good shot (one of only about 2 that day) and mentioned to Sam we should really have golf clubs on board. Maybe we could get 1 small bag and each have a few clubs since really we mainly use the same ones. We both thought this was a great brainstorm and started discussing which clubs we would each need. Now while we haven't added this yet I am pretty sure it is coming.

So last night while on the boat I checked out the storage locker and realized it was pretty full. The bikes and golf gear might not easily fit. But then I saw that there was plenty of room on the bed in the back guest bunk and since we don't have guests every weekend that could be a second storage place. I mean if someone was lucky enough to come aboard they really shouldn't mind cleaning out the back bunk before crashing.

So if you suddenly come aboard and see the back bunk is full at least you know what happened and we will have bikes and golf clubs you can use in addition to some kayaks.

books and a boat

Monday night was book club and it was my turn to host. Since everyone in the book club with the exception of myself lives in Seattle and most people in Seattle think of the Eastside as being closer to Outer Siberia than Seattle I offered to host on our boat.

Last night as I headed down to the boat to open it up (air it out since it was actually a bit warm inside - that really put a smile on my face) and get the food set up I had to laugh at myself. I had not really envisioned hosting any type of event on our boat while just sitting at the dock without Sam being there. But I guess a captain isn't required for hosting, just for the actual boating part and maintenance - I think first mates might be the better hosts.

I realized that I had started to think of the boat as a second home, someplace where I would go hang out with friends even while it was still at the dock.

It was a great evening and it did feel like a home - though a very small one. There was plenty of room on board and it seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves. Halfway through we moved from the deck to downstairs as the wind had picked up and the sun had started to go down. I was perfectly comfortable but then it seems I have been spending much more of my time outside with breezes when we sail.

The good thing about hosting on a boat is the tour most people want to have of your place takes very little time. Well it does for me anyways since Sam wasn't on board to point out all the small details. I just showed them our bedroom and the back guest room and the rest they could see for themselves. I did make sure to show how the head works since that can really affect enjoyment of the boat the next time we go out for the weekend if someone wasn't clear on how it works.

Guess this means I might be getting closer to liveaboard consideration since I have now proved I am willing to entertain via the boat though it will have to be on a larger boat. Our boat is the perfect size right now since we have a house but I still will need a shoe closet, a freezer large to hold more than 10 ice cubes, and a fridge door capable of accepting Tupperware larger than 7" across before I consider living on a boat for longer than a few weeks.

throw in a little sunshine

Hopefully I don't have anyone reading this contemplating a move to the Seattle area but we are having weeks of sunshine here in our typically gray rainy May/June Seattle. Of course after our extended, way too cold winter, we are definitely due for some blue sunny skies and warm temps.

Unfortunately I missed 5 of our sunny days due to a business trip to Vegas where I added 2 personal days in the beginning. Only those who live hear understand how disappointed I was to leave 70-80 degrees of Seattle sunshine for 95 degrees of Vegas sunshine even if it did include a pool. To miss any sunny Seattle days here is out of the question for most of us. While many people travel during July and August most residents here stay in the area. When warm sunny days are at a premium we don't want to miss any.

I guess it is just one more thing that makes us unique (or so we like to think) here. Winter - time to pack the bags and head out, but summer is a time to stay put or in our case pretend we are boating liveaboards. I really don't mind the gray, rainy weather but by the time the sun comes out I am so ready for it and ready to soak it in.

Unfortunately this year our house is a bit hotter than usual since we are missing a few trees that if we had not removed them might have landed on our roof sometime in the near future. While Sam may have been tempted in hopes I would pack up and head towards the boat permanently even he decided that may not be the best way to make that happen. But I am not going to complain about how hot it may get since that just means the sun is still out.

It truly is true here that Seattle residents know more people with boats than air-conditioning. But then I think I know more people with boats than without one (and I definitely feel sorry for those without one - hey there are some great deals out there now).

Now I just need to figure out how to run my laptop off of solar power so I can sit outside and get enough Vitamin D to last me through a Seattle winter. I can't say I had ever really considered solar power being any kind of option here for the most part especially in June.

So I am hoping we are in for the kind of Seattle summer I have only dreamed about cause I do believe we got enough snow this year that I will still be able to water our plants. And if I can't water well then I will just have to head out on the boat while my plants turn brown - it is a price I am willing to pay this year for sunshine.

green at home not on the road

One of my absolute favorite things about staying at a hotel is fresh sheets and towels every day. I would love to have fresh sheets every day at home but my job and other activities seem to interfere and I don't have the time or energy. But when I stay at hotels I look forward to climbing in bed with fresh sheets every night.

Now when I stay at hotels I see this little sign that says in order to conserve water please request that your bedding and towels be washed every other day. While the millions of gallons of water definitely sound appealing I would much rather have fresh sheets if someone else is going to wash them. I am paying for someone to do this for me and now you want to guilt me into giving it up? Not happening.

So I have decided in order to keep the planet green while still getting one of my favorite things occasionally I will take fresh sheets and towels at the hotel every night but won't do that at home. If someone else is doing my laundry and making my bed I am going to take advantage of it. I spend much more time at home or on the boat than I do at hotels so really I am being much greener by not sleeping in fresh sheets at home every night (as much as I would like to).

Now I do have to admit if suddenly I win the lottery and have help my rule is out the window and I just might take the 2nd night on my sheets at hotels and have fresh sheets at home every night instead. Now I think I will throw my sheets in the laundry right now so when I climb in bed tonight I will be in fresh sheets - seems I didn't quite get my fill of that this week in Vegas.

time to recharge

When it comes to boating I am the voice of caution, probably to a much higher extent than is needed. If Sam tells me to watch out for something or that something could happen I listen intently and then tend to freak out if it actually starts to happen or even the possibility becomes apparent.

One of the items Sam said we should continually watch out for on the boat was the house batteries. He told me to ensure they stay above 11.5 and to turn on the engine if they started to get below 12. Of course this made me into a battery monitor and I have constantly checked since.

Sitting on the boat one day without Sam I was working away and suddenly thought maybe I should check out the batteries since we didn't have shore power. Unfortunately they were below 12 and dropping rapidly. I hurriedly turned on the engine and it seemed like they started to go up. A little bit later I noticed the batteries charge dropping rapidly with the engine on.

Time to go into panic mode. I called Sam but of course he didn't pick up. A few minutes later after hearing my panicked voicemail he called back. I explained the situation sure that the batteries were going to have to be replaced.

Sam told me that the boat actually needed to have more power since neutral wasn't cutting it. Visions of suddenly having to try and take the boat out by myself to get it charged had me almost hyperventilating. No he assured me I could do this at the dock. Well we weren't quite at the dock we were rafted to two other boats. Taking out our boat would be one thing but 2 others at the same time plus the boats close by seemed a more difficult thing to explain to the insurance adjuster. Exactly how much could my insurance go up by?

After talking me through it several times about how to get the engine revved up while remaining in place I took the gamble though I do admit I was frantically checking to ensure I wasn't moving. I am pretty sure Sam was laughing internally but for his own self preservation I didn't hear any laughter over the phone.

Having listened much more carefully than I usually do paid off and it worked. We remained in place and very slowly the batteries began to charge. Overall it was much more stress than I wanted. Of course really Sam had just meant to watch the batteries but since they were house batteries the engine would still start even if they were dead. Though it wasn't really the time to explain it all to me then.

So now I know how to keep the batteries charged even when I am all alone on the boat. It just means this is one less thing to worry about but I have plenty of others. After all I have read lately about keels falling off so now I need to convince Sam to use his dive gear and double-check ours. Hey while you are down there Sam I think the bottom could use cleaning (which is really what I want to have him do - that keel is just a handy excuse). I think we could use that extra 1/4 knot of speed.

why I love being on the water

1. Sitting on the deck at sunset on a pin.
2. Unexpectedly seeing orcas on the way to the San Juan Islands.
3. Taking family and friends out on our boat.
4. Having Sam make lattes on the boat in the mornings, or on a chilly evening.
5. Sitting on the low side with my book during a sail in about 10 knots of wind.
6. Driving the boat into a marina while Sam acts as the deck hand.
7. Dancing on deck to Sirius radio while motoring.
8. Watching the weather through the window above my head in the mornings while in bed.
9. Listening to the water against the boat while at anchorage.
10. Smell of the bbq and the salt water mixed together.