Welcome aboard. Get comfortable. Let the time pass without watching the clock. Set sail, let the wind drive your course.


We delight in those we meet along the way

Friday, May 27, 2011

Weather Helm

Mark Twain once reported that he was often frustrated by the fact that lots of people complained about the weather, but no one seemed to do anything about it.  I am writing about weather today, because it's starting to cheese me off quite a bit.  Seven days since the launch of Tres Joli and six of them have been rainy.

Well, it has also been said of the weather among those of us boating obsessed, that a bad day of weather on a boat beats a good day of weather on shore, and I tend to agree.  There is still so much to do aboard.  If it's not fixing the new lighting configuration for the salon to give Kay better reading light, or ordering a mattress for the V-berth to create the ultimate in man cave accessorizing, there's still just hanging around.  With all 10 seasons of Seinfeld on DVD, and a host of others, a library of books and magazines, and a decent amount of junk food, what more is there to ask for?

Yes, I am desperate to get the boat out of the marina, where Tres Joli really shows herself at her best.  But we will need to content ourselves at dock until the miserable weather finally lifts.  Now truth be told, one of the best weekends I had aboard Tres Joli was marked by non-stop rain.  It was that foggy, drizzling kind that never lets up, but doesn't really offend.  Kay and I had taken Tres Joli to the south arm of Lake Charlevoix and anchored in a cove with a few unoccupied cabins nearby and lots of quiet.  We spent the entire time reading and just hanging out.  Well, I read for awhile and then when my ADHD kicked in, I lowered the dinghy from the davits and took the camera out to capture Tres Joli in repose, along with some majestic photos of the lake shore.

Tres Joli reminds me that weather is temporary, and Mark Twain was wrong.  You can do something about the weather.  Buy a boat and sit in the cockpit.  If you can't buy one, find a friend who has a boat, and show up at his dock. (Maybe with some food or libations).

With wireless aboard now, it's even possible to remain connected to sailors and landlubbers across the globe.  Upload a few photos, write a few words, let others know you care.  The list of things to do within the small confines of the cockpit cabin goes on.  Oh yeah, I could stay home and work around the house, but what's the point of that?!

Aboard the boat, I can compile a  list of small everyday items, not important to all but a few, but made infinitely better by one thing.

The list was created and conceived aboard Tres Joli!