Our New Home

 

 Here is our new home!

         

            And her name is...

I printed out the words to the song and we've been singing it for days.

     The wayward wind is a restless wind

     A restless wind that yearns to wander...

On Friday, we motored with Larry, the seller, to Tiger Point Marina, where we will stay for a few weeks.  On the way over, Larry guided Dave and me in practicing how to approach a mooring, which was great.  It gave us a chance to get a feel for the engine and how she maneuvers.  After docking, Larry handed over the key!  Exciting!  

We emptied the car and moved on board.  Realizing that we had no bedding, we went on a shopping excursion to buy sheets and blankets  Because we'll soon be in hot climates and, I suppose, because we are so cheap, we decided to buy just one blanket.  Well, that night it got down into the thirties, and we were fu-, fu-, fu-reezing!!!  We both woke up several times, trying to adjust the blankets to cover us.  And, of course, there were all sorts of new noises - sloshing, creaking, thumping - to get used to.  It reminded me of when Tejon was born and I got up several times the first night just to make sure he was still breathing.  Here is a photo of me the next morning in my bedtime attire.  Not exactly a tropical get-up.

Saturday morning we warmed up and went to the Fernandina Beach Farmers Market to buy organic veggies and dried Red Flame raisins and a chicken and leak shepherd's pie from a British guy.  Here is Dave cooking up our spoils.

Both today and yesterday, we've been getting to know Wayward Wind.  There is so much to learn, from how to turn on the heater (thank God!), water pump and lights to how to switch the system from 12 volt to 110.  Larry left a ton of spare parts, which we video-taped him describing.  Now we are labeling and organizing the parts.  Larry also told us about the systems of the boat, how to run them, and their many quirks.  He's a real "fix-it" guy, so Dave and I were both overwhelmed and in awe of his knowledge and expertise.  Even the boatyard guy said that Larry was a pleasure to speak with because he is so knowledgeable about every aspect of his boat.  It's all a bit daunting, to say the least.  Imagine moving to a foreign land and buying a home and a car at the same time and having to know every system using a new language.  But each time we figure something out - how to light the stove, how to turn on the VHS radio - we feel a little less intimidated.  Now if we can figure out how to sail her, we'll be doing fine.