Leaving Port

Friends and colleagues had one of three reactions when I told them of my plans to move from my home to a boat for two years.  First… are you crazy?  Second, you are kidding… right?   Third, I wish I could do that.  The answer to those questions came easy… no, no and you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

Pulling in the lines and waving goodbye to family and friends at the dock was the easy part.  Getting ready to transition from a house to a boat was harder, much harder. My husband, Ed and I had talked about leaving port for several years.   We bought the right boat, rehabbed it… and we were ready.  NOT!   Well he was anyway.  He had recently retired and was ready to sail the road less traveled.  It’s one thing to talk about it in the future, another when reality comes to call.

Leaving port meant leaving work

Leaving Meals on Wheels was the first reality check.  I was actually going to go through with this.  I had the best job in the world…. most days anyway.  I worked there for nearly 19 years.  I worked with hundreds of volunteers each year.  I helped to make a difference in the lives of elderly and disabled.  It was fulfilling work.

A sabbatical crossed my mind, but that route was not in the best interest of Meals on Wheels.  The agency really needed someone at the helm who could continue to move the program forward.   That person turned out to be Peg Marshall. I realized that it was never a good time to leave and that it was time for me to make a change.  Once the decision was made stress diminished a bit, but other challenges came forward.

Leaving port meant leaving family

It is fair to say that I became quite emotional every time anything I thought about leaving my grandchildren, Lexi and Sam, for such a long time.    My mom and dad, still live in Sharptown where I was raised, both have a few health challenges of their own.   What if some thing happens and I’m not around?  I have a close relationship with my own children.  All three are independent and on their own, but I would also be away from them.  I’ve always been there for them whether they needed me or not. I still worry about them even at ages 34, 32, and 27. A Single Side Band Radio and a Pactor modem will allow me to stay in contact with them via e-mail when cell phone coverage ends in the Bahamas.  I’m also flying home for six weeks to welcome my third grandchild and visit family and friends in early spring.

Leaving port meant living in a small area

A 42-foot boat only holds so much.  I had to choose items we could take.   What was I going to do to keep busy?  I love to read. There isn’t much room for books. A Kindle solved the book issue and an I Pod the matter of music.   We were able to put 95 CD’s on the I Pod that we can plug into our radio.  The Kindle holds 1000 books.  I have downloaded 100 so far.  Most are free from the Guttenberg Project, Barltelbys.com and feedbooks.com.  I downloaded Caliber, a free translation program that will convert e-books to a format read by Kindle.

I carefully selected items we would use.  It ‘s amazing how little you need.  Crystal, china, pizza rollers, curling irons, ironing boards, items we use most every day are now packed away.  On the boat I have large, medium and small saucepans and frying pans.  Crystal has given way to plastic glasses.  Plastic storage containers double as mixing bowls. 

Leaving port means a new way of living

The job is gone and I’ve survived.  I do miss my colleagues and so many of the volunteers at Meals on Wheels.  Now instead of getting ready for work and sitting in traffic, I pull up the anchor and am underway usually before 7 a.m.   I have not sat in a boat jam yet. Instead, I watch dolphins swim along the boat. Pelicans fly in formation on their way to roost. Mangroves and mansions pass by as Imagine carries me forward. The grandchildren are only a phone call away.   I get pictures when I can get Internet connection.  I talk to my children and my parents every few days and sometimes more. 

As far as living in a small space, it’s not so bad.  I’ve found a home for most of the items I’ve brought to the boat.  The forward berth is still somewhat of a storage area. One perk is not having a huge area to clean   Ed and I have spent a lot of time close to one another.   I can cook at the stove and reach in the fridge at the same time.  Mostly I’m relaxing and having a great time.   Soon we will be on our way to Key West.  From there we head to the Bahamas.

Imagine was anchored in St. Augustine, FL at mile marker 777 off the Inter Coastal Waterway when this article was submitted.