Accommodations

Well, mostly the boat has been a very (very) small house on the lake--literally. I have spent a number of nights on the boat, even though I haven't been sailing as much as I want.

I did finally get the engine fixed, so that it should be possible to get out of the marina again. I'm nervous about it, since I still don't know that the engine will get me back in. I figure that it's like getting back on the horse after being thrown, though; you just have to do it. They replaced the fuel pickup hose and rebuilt the carburetor, so things should be good. I don't see what else I can do about it but try. I am thinking of putting an oarlock on the stern and getting a long oar, a sweep, to see if I can push the boat that way.

Even so, I wasn't able to get out sailing over the weekend, given the weather. Small craft warnings, a wind coming right in the entrance to the harbor, and 3-5 foot waves ("building to 4-6 feet"). Didn't seem worth, an opinion shared by pretty much everyone in the marina.

So, I spent another night on the boat in the marina instaed. The accommodations are, in real estate parlance, "cozy." The saloon (main cabin) is about 6.5 feet by 6 feet by 5.5 feet, at most. Remove the space taken by settees, built-in cabinets, and so forth, and not much room is left. The forward cabin is significantly smaller.

I haven't checked, but I assume that the boat has been advertised as "sleeping four." Now that's a hoot. I tried sleeping on one of the berths in the forward cabin. It was OK, if quite narrow, at least when I slept on my left side. Sleeping on my right side, however, gave me the feeling that I was about to role out of the bunk. That feeling makes it real tough to get to sleep.

I moved to the berth in the saloon. That berth is made by lowering the cabin table to the height of the settees and moving cuchions around. I'm sure it is billed as a double bunk. In fact, it is exactly the size of the standard sleeping bag that I use. Somehow putting two people in that space is something that I recall as being fun, even exciting, in college, but now? Now, it doesn't seem conducive to restful sleep.

All in all, I am gradually learning to be comfortable there when by myself. Adding people would entail relearning how to do that.

The good news is that now that it is much cooler than it was back in July, it is really nice to stay there. I would prefer not to be in the marina. Basically, I have a house on the lake, but it is not in a very good neighborhood. All those motorboaters who play their stereos too loud, etc. But as darkness falls and I close the hatches, it is a snug place to be. The wind whistles in the rigging and rattles the halyards. The boat moves and rocks, mostly gently, but it feels safe and warm down below.

Not a bad escape from everyday life.