It has been a ridiculously cold winter here in Houston. Unnecessarily
cold. “Dammit!” quality cold. Today was the first day in weeks that didn’t require
a jacket of some kind.
When it’s this cold I lose the will to work on the boat.
Most boat tasks require taking large quantities of stuff out of the boat and
placing them on the dock or in the cockpit. The hatches are open and the
companionway is open and it’s just too cold for that. So I sit inside and eat. And
nap. It’s rough. Don’t try this at home kids. Leave it to the professionals.
Right now the air temperature is in the 60s and I have the
boat opened up to air it out. What a relief. Even the cat is acting a little
less crazy.
Now that I have quit the day job I have the time for the next
part of my nefarious scheme. I’ll begin anchoring out for a night or two at a
time to make sure I have things sorted out. I need more time sailing and
getting offshore is a requirement. I have got to get my sea legs under me. I
can’t just “read” that part away. Getting used to the motion of the boat is
something that can’t be done at the dock.
So it’s off to various anchorages around the area. I’ll mix
in forays off into the Gulf and back to get more comfortable with being in
bigger water. Nothing serious – I’ll leave the anchorage in the morning, sail
out a few miles and come back in for the night. After a few trips, I’ll return
to the home port and think about what happened. Easy. Right?
Easy or not, it's got to be done. Until I have the sea legs under me, there's really no trip. And no trip is not an option.
