The First Half Full

Today marks the half way point between Lil’ G’s return to the sea and the day we will say goodbye to her. I counted the weeks more than once in disbelieve. The days have passed so quickly and yet upon reflection the memories seem to fill a much greater length of time. I guess it’s kind of like falling, experiencing both the quickness that prevents a physical reaction and the slow motion visual that makes you think you could have reacted before your knees and palms hit the ground. 

After scrolling through the calendar and counting the weeks on my fingers to be sure, I pondered the time that has passed, the seemingly small chunk between the piles of rat scat and now. Because of my overly organized nature, I found myself categorizing all the moments and activities into chunks that I could mentally hold, analyze and then relive as I typed them out. Really it’s no wonder it feels both short in time and long in experience, because we’ve done a lot.

We’ve sailed. Not as much as we would have liked due to a lot of heavy winter wind, but on days that it’s calmed long enough for the seas to follow suit, we’ve gotten Lil’ G out to spread her sails. Over the course of the last month and a half, we’ve gotten in roughly eleven days of sailing and covered around 135 miles. Most of our outings have been on the Atlantic side of the Keys because of the primarily northern winter winds, as well as our direct access from Boot Key Harbor. However, we did make it over to the Gulf side for an overnighter in Big Spanish Channel and on another afternoon to sail to a friend’s house for a Sunday barbecue. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for calm or southerly winds in the coming weeks so we can return to the Gulf, to the northern edge of the lower Keys which is often referred to as “the backcountry,” where the islands are uninhabited, the passages are less traveled, the anchorages are often empty and the sea life is plentiful.

We’ve worked. Not in the “traditional” show up and get paid by an employer kind of work, but rather the kind that keeps your home afloat and doesn’t pay diddly. Since we got Lil’ G back in the water, we’ve tackled nearly a dozen boat projects and repairs, some necessary and others preventative. Adam installed a new electric bilge pump and ran new wiring, which was a labored process full of frustration, but much better (even though not particularly likely) than finding our Lil’ G half sunk upon returning from a long day on shore. We fought off an army of carpenter ants who’d made a home for themselves in some damp and dark corner of the hull during the summer and began scrambling for food and water sources after we’d moved back aboard. We serviced all of the winches, which we assumed hadn’t been done since they were installed, but is recommended every two years or so. This was an especially proud moment for myself, because it was the first time I had ever successfully disassembled and reassembled anything mechanical. We got a “mattress” upgrade from a harbor freebie, new four inch thick foam that after some measuring and slicing in the parking lot, fits perfectly in our Vberth and may even be too comfortable.

We’ve hunted. Any chance we get to sail, is also a chance to anchor up, go for a swim and try to catch dinner. Last year we learned how to spearfish, catch lobster and husk coconuts, so this year we’re working on perfecting these skills. And I'd say, so far we're doing rather well. Adam has successfully speared thirteen delicious and much appreciated fish, including five hogfish, four mangrove snapper, three mullet, and one mutton snapper. We also finally found some spiny lobster hiding out, after hearing a lot of locals say they are few and far between this winter, and last week we caught six in one day. 

We’ve eaten. A lot. We have a couple of favorite restaurants in the area, but we do most of our cooking on the boat and I have to say it’s not only cheaper, but often tastier. Adam has made some seriously memorable meals, from fresh fish cakes to lobster bisque and in honor of my favorites, the most amazing assorted grilled cheese platter ever and lobster mac and cheese. We're also big breakfast fans and have a few favorites including huevos rancheros with mango salsa and Krispy Kreme donut french toast, which is a tribute to Jos and the genius that he brought to our boat last year.  

We’ve had visitors. Wonderful visitors! So far this winter we’ve had three Colorado friends come down to test their sea legs and we’ve invited a handful of new Florida friends aboard as well. Since my last post about Pyrat Dave’s visit, my good friend Bob Shannon came for a week to further explore the live-aboard lifestyle with the idea that he might soon become a salty sea dog himself. The strong winds ceased for a couple of days and allowed us to take an overnight trip up Big Spanish Channel. We had everything you can ask for, beautiful blue skies, sunshine, great wind and calm seas. On the days when the sailing weather wasn’t as ideal, we rode our bikes around Marathon, enjoyed hammocks and volleyball at the beach, went spearfishing in the mangroves of Boat Key, attended a small air show where we got to explore both a B-17 and B-29, and spent every evening sharing stories about sailing and traveling over delicious meals paired nicely with beer and wine. 

Photos courtesy of Bob Shannon ~ Thank you so much for capturing our wonderful adventure together!

The same day we said goodbye to Bob, we welcomed our third guest aboard Lil’ G, our good friend David who was passing through on his way back to Colorado from the Cayman Islands. He joined us for a long weekend and after we solidified his worthiness, we took him out for some spearfishing, sailing and the most epic party entrance ever, when we sailed up to our friends Sunday afternoon barbecue. 

In the days since we said goodbye to our Colorado friends, we’ve gotten out for a couple of day sails with some local friends. We met Adam and Ashley a few weeks back and after attending a couple of wonderful barbecues they’ve hosted, we got them aboard Lil’ G and introduced them to sailing. Now I’m a bit biased and don’t really understand how you couldn’t fall in love with flying across the water like you do on a sailboat, but I think we got these two hooked. 

Now with the first half full and behind us, I'm thinking about the empty time ahead and how many things we can cram into it. 

I have no doubt that we'll surprise ourselves. 

Cheers!