May brought more adventures, experience and learning. We took the LiveMore out in the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) for sunset to give us more confidence with docking. I don’t think the birds and dolphins will ever stop mesmerizing me. We practiced with the anchor in the marina until I was comfortable getting the chain to drop the anchor without fear of losing a finger. Our second class with the Southport Power Squadron, Tides and Currents, sure came in handy on our first overnight trip to Topsail, NC, about 40 nautical miles and five hours. It was a new moon, so we saw first-hand the lower low tides and higher high tides. We felt the pull of the currents when the tide was going out to the ocean. We ordered a moon phase calendar. Larry taught me about “reading the water”, which coincidentally was the name of an article in the NC Wildlife magazine this month.
Another item was added to our checklist: confirm anchor is secure and use the chain hook in the locker for extra security. This was learned after a kind couple alerted us that our anchor had slipped partially while underway and was swinging in front of our bow. I was able to quickly respond to secure it, now that I knew how it all worked.
We had planned to anchor out, but we are not entirely comfortable with our one anchor, and we had forgotten the second one. We decided to opt for a night at a Marina, Harbor Village, in Topsail. It could not have been better. We were welcomed (at closing time on a Friday evening) by three helpful deckhands that helped us secure LiveMore.
For another first experience, we decided to take the dinghy from the mainland to Topsail Island, where our friends would meet us for dinner. Because the tide was so very low, even the dinghy could not make it through the marsh, so we had to go a pretty long way before we could cross over to the island. We were close to the ocean and there were lots of boats coming in hot from a day out fishing. I will admit feeling a bit of terror in a 10-foot dinghy with all of those boats zooming around us. The terror passed when we met Dan and Pat and their daughter Claire for a lovely dinner. We didn’t have much time to visit though because we needed to make it back to Harbor Village before dark. Luckily, the tide was rising and we were able to cut our trip time in half and watch a breathtaking sunset to boot.
The next morning, it was a piece of cake to untie and get ourselves underway. We left the dinghy tied to the aft and set off for the island. There were no places to dock a 40’ boat, so we anchored off. The waters were calm enough that Larry was able to take the dinghy to the dock and pick up our friends so they could see the boat for the first time. We gave them the tour and had some snacks on the flybridge. They were excited for our “whole new life”, but I can’t say they were envious! After bidding farewell, once again the currents were picking up so we moved the boat out of the main waterway and worked to get the dinghy back up on the davit. We left the motor on it and wrangled it up, adding more modifications to our wish list for before we leave. (Electric dinghy davit system?)
Now it was time to get back to work. I have two workstations on the boat. One is a standing workstation in the crew (aka grandchildren) quarters and one is on the flybridge. I have a special chair and wood table that I can set on top of the table that is already on the flybridge to be working at the proper height ergonomically. I was worried that I would not be able to see because of sun glare, but it was very sunny and I was able to manage it by controlling the brightness. I learned a new shortcut: the windows key and the “a” for an action menu that controls wifi/Bluetooth, audio level and brightness level. Since I will be adjusting those a lot, it is a good time saver. With my Bose headphones that I can connect with a wire or by Bluetooth, hearing and being heard was not an issue, even when I tested it from the crew quarters! I did find however, that the battery on the computer lasts only three-four hours. Luckily, we tested the generator, and we were able to use that so I could finish my day. Another item for the wishlist: alternative battery options. We had not planned to setup solar power and we have heard from others that there are various battery packs that might be sufficient. More exploration on this topic to come.
We invested in a new iPad and started loading apps, subscribing to said apps and working to get them all set up. There is a mount for it on the flybridge. We are grateful for the session that the Navigating Nietzels did on apps, as well as the AGLCA Mentoring session this month which have provided us great information and advice.
We have added these items to our potential wishlist:
- New anchor and gear box
- New davit system
- Sea-tek for deck
- Chart plotter for lower helm (when we get it hauled out for service next winter before trip)
We also realized how quickly the bottom is growing barnacles in Southport’s warm, salty water, so Larry is digging out his old scuba gear to do that himself. I just realized that we got this crazy idea just nine months ago, and now we will be leaving in just nine months! For the most part, it is all happy anticipation except that I am struggling with leaving family for a whole year. When I attended my granddaughter’s first grade graduation and her teacher presented pictures of the first day of first grade and the last day of first grade, I saw just how much she had grown up and changed in one year. This made me really sad about leaving for a year. We spent the Memorial Day weekend with my daughter’s family and I was able to spend quality time with them all. It will be hard, but we will be sure to have regularly scheduled online time. We will have family spend some time with us on the boat, and I will probably also visit at some point (at least once). I am less worried about Larry and I because we had such a great time this month. I know there will be trying times, but we are good partners and think our Great Loop adventure will make us even better partners.
Until next time,
LiveMoreLoopers 
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