I had ice in my gin and tonics last evening. Decadent. And I drank them sitting on a Sportaseat on our terrace after sunset watching running lights on a few passing boats and lights on channel markers winking red and green in silence broken only by wind rustled leaves. From our unit we seem to be living in a tree house.
I lugged a sail bag of stuff from GANNET to condo late in the afternoon after taking delivery of an air mattress from Amazon—a few clothes, my Megaboom speakers, laptop, phone, a bottle of rum, a bottle of tonic, a whistling tea kettle, instant coffee and containers of oatmeal, trail mix, powdered milk and protein powder. And I biked three and a half miles to the nearest supermarket where I bought some cheese, crackers, Lean Cuisines, blueberries, grapefruit juice At the liquor store in the same mall I procured a bottle of Buffalo Trace.
With the necessities of life procured, I spent my first night in our new home and had the pleasure of waking this morning in the tree tops.
The bicycles were my first purchase. With my vision I don’t like to drive and there are bike paths almost everywhere here.
I usually buy cheap bikes, but I expect to live here for a while and bought something better. One for me, one for Carol. The ride and comfort are decidedly superior to what I am accustomed to.
This place is empty.
Until patio furniture arrives in a week or so, the Sportaseat is the only thing to sit on, other than the bed, and I am on it now on the living room floor. When I glance up I am looking out on the marina and a small bird hopping along a tree limb.
I have running water, a flushing toilet, a hot shower, a refrigerator that makes ice, countless electrical outlets, and a washer and drier, in which I am presently doing my passage clothes.
I like it here even more than I expected to.
No longer number four on my list of places I’d like to live, this condo has leapt into a tie with New Zealand’s Bay of Islands, with the added virtue of being possible.
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I doubt anyone will have noticed, but the total miles for the passage from Marathon to Hilton Head has been changed from 476 to 490. I realized that I had forgotten to include the 14 miles we sailed from our noon position on Tuesday until we anchored in Port Royal Sound.
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James sent me these quotes, for which I thank him:
Land was created to provide a place for boats to visit. —Brooks Atkinson
To the question, “When were your spirits at the lowest ebb?” The obvious answer seemed to be, “When the gin gave out.” —Sir Francis Chichester
And Steve reminded me of a quote from Peter Mattiessen’s SHADOW COUNTRY, which I recently read: Life was great and life was terrible and life could not be one without the other.
I thank him.
Google alerts notified me that someone online wrote: A quote from STORM PASSAGE: Alone Around Cape Horn: 'I would set my course that instant not for the nearest but the farthest star.’
I don’t recall writing that, but good on me if I did.
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I have been asked if I shot any video during the brief passage. I did, but do not presently have enough Internet access to upload them.
I will when I can.
