No boat travel.
The big news for today was wind, wind, wind! Sunset Delight is a heavy boat, and I normally do not even feel movement on the boat when in a slip. Today, however, is the exception to that norm. When we woke this morning, we were rocked back to sleep with the motion of the boat.
Eventually, I managed to drag myself out of bed and into the galley for breakfast. Given today was my birthday and given the late hour that we managed to get ourselves around, I decided it would be a great day to have brunch. We feasted on pancakes and a cheddar/broccoli omelet! What a great way to start the day!
After brunch Clark headed up to the bow of the boat to test his saltwater washdown. Clark's analysis ... the manual off/on switch that he installed is handy and works well, but the automatic setting is still problematic. For now, he says, it meets his needs until he can get to an electronics store for some parts. Alas, Radio Shack is no more! Fortunately, we have a store called IEI in Hazlet near our home in New Jersey where he can probably find what he needs.
Thankfully, Clark did not ask for my help testing the washdown unit, so I stayed out of the wind and got comfortable on the couch with the puzzle sections of the USA Today from yesterday and today. While solving a crossword puzzle, I got a visitor. Faith from Third Degree stopped by unexpectedly with a birthday gift for me - a 6-pack of Yuengling and some local-art coasters to go with it. She and her husband, Jim, know I like Yuengling and that I do not buy it for myself. Now I'll have something to bring with me to the next few docktails gathering!
The windy, overcast weather did not draw me outside. I was quite content to lounge on the boat. Clark, on the other hand, kept appearing and disappearing, spending what felt like the majority of the afternoon off the boat. I only partially wondered where he was and what he was doing as I had a new "toy" to become familiar with. My son and his wife sent me an electronic picture frame so I can show off all my family and travel pictures. It took me several hours to get it up and running. I now have some pictures on there but need to add many more.
Faith was not my only unexpected visitor today. Even though the next person to knock on the boat was marina staff, she did come bearing a package for me. With my Christmas money, I bought myself two pair of biking shorts. With all the miles we put on the bikes, I was afraid the one pair I currently own would wear out from too much use! The shorts arriving on my birthday was a surprise to me as I expected them tomorrow, so it was like another birthday gift had appeared -- only this time from me!
At some point Clark appeared on the boat long enough for me to show him my progress with the electronic picture frame and ask him what happened to the gift he had bought me for my birthday. "Oh, yeah", he said, "What happened to that?" He went into the pilot house to search for it.
A few days ago, when we were in Home Depot looking for a replacement Ryobi flashlight for the one he misplaced, we found a Ryobi air compressor to 150 PSI. He bought that for my birthday present to use to inflate my bike tires. The Brompton bikes we use recommend a very high PSI for the tires (90 - 100 psi). Clark keeps the tires inflated to a much lower number, and I am constantly telling Clark to find a gas station to pump mine up. Now we will be able to do it right on the boat!
When he asked what I wanted for my birthday, I told Clark that I had dinner at the Lighthouse Grill on my birthday wish list, so we planned to go there tonight. He decided it would be fun to invite some other folks to join us. By the time he was done knocking on boats and extending invites, he had a head count of 16 for an impromptu birthday outing.
Because of the nasty wind, no one could possibly want to attend docktails at the lighthouse today. Dinner at the grill turned out to be a great alternative way to get folks together. The restaurant set up two side-by-side tables for us. It probably would have made sense to have a table for girls and one for guys, but the waiter insisted that if we wanted separate checks, we had to sit with our partners.
Clark and I realized pretty quickly that we needed to exchange seats. He tried to talk to Jim across from me about boat parts while I tried to talk to Faith across from Clark about crochet. Life became simpler when Clark and I switched seats!
Everyone seemed to enjoy the gathering, and I got a whole lot of birthday wishes!
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| Sandy - L'Attitude Adjustment Ann - Morning Star II Faith and Jim - Third Degree |
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| Ev and Clark - Sunset Delight Mel - Morning Star II Bill - L'Attitude Adjustment |
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| Bruce and Don AC - Hour Plan Patti - CRAIC |
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| Tim - CRAIC Jim - Hour Plan Scott and Linda - Ramble On |
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| Ev, Clark, Mel, and Bill |
Clark planned dinner for 5:00 because, with no docktails, we could eat early and take advantage of the special, discounted price. While we ate, we talked of this and that, but naturally some portion of the dinner conversation revolved around the high winds battering the marina. We had a bit of a debate on whether the moisture we felt in the air was rain or salt spray blown on shore by the strong winds. Sandy said that she only felt the "sprinkles" when in front of Sunset Delight or Morning Star II and, therefore, concluded that it must be spray. Clark and I, on the other hand, contended that it was light rain.
The party broke up around 7:30 whereby we scattered and returned to our boats. With leftovers in my hands I could not figure out how to get on our boat. The wind pushed the boat too far away from the dock for me to step on without holding onto something. Clark was busy talking with Tim, but eventually I told him I was freezing and could not get on board without his help. At which point Tim took the opportunity to escape and ran for the warmth on his own boat.
Afterward, while sitting on board, I continuously heard the wind blowing with occasional wind-related sounds thrown in for extra entertainment. Whenever the wind is up, lines wiggle and flags flap around, but we have a unique sound on board Sunset Delight. As I sit in the salon, the noise comes from overhead and sounds like someone is bouncing a basketball on the flybridge.
I have noticed this noise a few times in the past year when we are underway and the wind hits the full enclosure. Depending on how the wind hits it, the plastic of the full enclosure blows out and then snaps back into place where it hits a support pole causing a twang. Tonight, the twang noise sounds repeatedly and I swear we must have a basketball enthusiast playing up there on the flybridge.
With the numerous birthday wishes I received today, either in person or via email and Facebook, I am humbled by how many wonderful friends I have made over the years. Thanks to all who thought of me.
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