Our Peapod adventure started early this cruising
season. My Mum had died on July 27th 2016 after two difficult years of struggling
with chronic illnesses. As the dark days of autumn approached I felt the need
to do something constructive to distract me from my grieving.
We had heard from boating friends that
Thanksgiving at our “home” marina in Indiantown Florida was a real treat. The
owner and staff put on a week of special celebrations. The fall weather is
ideal for boat work, giving a jump-start on the cruising season. I figured that
a couple of weeks of sun on my eyeballs in late November would help to stave
off the inevitable SAD (seasonal affective disorder) that our Canadian winter
brings.
We had quite a backlog of maintenance to
do. David’s fracture last season put a major dent in the time we spent in the
work yard so we had big to-do lists. Both, of course, involved teak. I started
at the top and tackled the flybridge. David shared the ladder time needed for
the rub rails. He also stripped and refinished the teak and holly sole
(interior floor), which was very worn and scuffed.
His biggest single project was installing a
new system to lift our dinghy. The old Weaver davits required David to first remove
and store the outboard motor, an awkward and heavy task. Then both of us would have to haul like crazy
on lines to pivot the boat up against the stern. Now one person with the aid of
pulleys can do the job and the engine can be left in place. What simple and
wonderful tools!
We found bug screens for the doors. They
are a treat, especially while you’re on or close to land! We started off with a
cheap version found in Walmart but later ordered another type that turned out
to be much better quality. Highly recommended and used by the US Military! They
turned out to be effective and tough. We ordered ours from Amazon – link below.
As Thanksgiving approached, there were four
days of free food and drink, a real treat when you’re slaving away all day. As
Canadians it was a real pleasure to share the excitement of the season, which
is quite low-key at home.
There were also pesky acorns falling all
around us as we were tucked in amongst a grove of oak trees. A bonk on the head
was only one of the many misadventures to be found on board. I was hyperaware
of the dangers given David’s accident last year. Sharp sharp scrapers, hot hot
heat guns, wobbly tall ladders, hanging upside down over the rails 8 feet in
the air. Lacerations, burns,
concussions, sprains, fractures are all possible. The boat yard
is really more dangerous than the boating.
We headed home at the end of the month,
only to be ensnared in a weather issue in Newark. Our flight to Ottawa was
cancelled and we were not able to get on another direct flight that day. We
suffered the usual traveller exhaustion from waiting in lines to rebook or
waiting to be called for an empty seat that never materialized.
As we really, really wanted to get home and pick up Lucy from her sitter as
promised, we bailed on our return ticket and jumped onto Porter airlines. Well,
we ran rather than jumped, between terminals, picking up checked luggage (which
had been stored for later flights) and then sprinting for the gate just as the
doors were closing.
Their small nimble plane had no problem with the weather
and they got us home safely that night via Toronto. Lesson learned. Don’t ever
fly home via Newark. That whole day we heard other people’s stories about
nightmares in Newark. Who knew?
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