Since everything I do is done with ceremony, getting Serenity ready for her show is no exception. I grocery shopped until the folks in the store I usually frequent started to look at me suspiciously. Three dock carts of "stuff" isn't that much for about 10 days aboard is it? Never mind that 4 of those days will be spent on land in a B and B! I have enough food to feed a small army and tried to cover every "what if" I could think of.
Once I got the food loaded aboard, it was time for the clothes. If you think I had "what ifs" for food, you should see the scenarios I came up with for my outfits! I actually had to sneak the clothes aboard, lest the captain become frazzled at the sight of countless piles of clothes. The fact that I'll live in a pair of jeans and series of polo shirts doesn't enter into this equation.
So, the clothes are stuffed into the closets and drawers (actually Serenity has oodles of space), the frig and freezer are bursting and the pantry's shelves sagging; we're finally ready to go. Oh, did I mention the magazines, book and crossword puzzles I brought? We left Huntington yesterday morning and I haven't even looked at the Sunday Times yet! These things sound good in theory, so are a must to include.
Sunday morning dawned clear and sunny. The last line was cast off at 8:20 am and we were on our way to Newport! A bit after clearing Lloyd Neck, the wind picked up and so did the waves. By 10 am, I was considering calling the Coast Guard to evacuate me off the boat and finishing the trip in a nice car or train. We left the flybridge for the comfort of the pilot house since the wind was making it impossible to stand out there any longer. That was mistake number one. I gamely sat in the captain's chair while Tom and our actual captain Mike, explained things to me. Though I desperately tried to concentrate and drown out the little voice telling me I was about to lose breakfast, the voice won. I rushed down the stairs - that was mistake number two - in those conditions, one rushes nowhere. One crawls and hopes for the best. I made it to the head just in time. Not to be outdone by conditions, voices or any other distractions, I climbed, crawled back up to the pilot house where the two men were still chatting, seemingly oblivious to my dire condition. I lasted about 5 minutes before I had to rush off again. This time I was down for the count. My ziplock bag and I made it to the aft cockpit where we spent the next miserable 6 hours. Do you have any idea just how long 6 hours actually is? It's a very, very, very long time, let me tell you. As we were entering the scenic approach to Saybrook's Harbor One Marina, I began to feel better and was even able to help with the lines. The scenery was enough to focus me on other, nicer things. Who could be unwell looking at this sight?
Once we were tied up, the best part of boating began - cocktails on the aft deck, while watching the sun set. My ordeal was soon forgotten as I reveled in the sight of the most perfect sunset. We had dinner in a lovely restaurant overlooking the marina - the perfect ending to a perfect day. We stayed up too late discussing the day and our plans for the following day. Tuesday would find us traveling from Saybrook, CT to Point Judith, RI.
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