May 2006

Tenaya has been our home for one month now and we could not be happier. OK, yes we could! The weather has been terrible. We have only seen the sun a few times and then not for long. The winds have been strong - 20 knots is common, it reaches 30, and one day topped 40 (too strong for us.... we need some very mellow days with light winds to get used to sailing Tenaya.)

We have taken a number of classes with 2 excellent instructors. Our first goal was just to be able to get in and out of our box. This "box" is very different than the slips we have in California which have finger pontoons on each side of the boat that allow you to step off the boat at any point once you are partially into the slip and, more importantly keeps you from hitting the boats on each side.

Here we come in either bow or stern first (we have only tried bow first so far), between two posts about 50 feet (15 meters) away from the pontoon. Rather than a nice finger on each side, we have very expensive new boats with very little clearance. We are getting better each time and almost think we have it under control now. One of us is at the helm as we come up our channel with the wind trying to push us into a row of other expensive boats. As we make the turn into our box, the other drops a loop of line over a pole as we pass it (if we are close enough...sometimes I have not been close enough for Katie to throw a line over the post). If we have the line the correct length then it is possible to use the engine to keep us centered between the other boats until we can get a bow line to the dock, through the ring, and back aboard. Easy enough to hop off but the bow is too high to climb back on so we must attach a bow ladder to the bow pulpit before disembarking. All this before being blown into the boat next to us.

Most of our practice sailing has been in winds above 15 knots, so we are getting great practice, but we are really looking forward to lighter winds to start working on our technique.

Our first day out without an instructor was exciting. The winds were above 15 knots and it was a 4 day holiday in Holland. So everyone with a sailboat was out sailing. We motored out and while making sure we were doing everything correctly we found ourselves in the middle of a catamaran race with boats that came out of nowhere. We were definitely in the way and the crew of one boat yelled something at us in Dutch. I think they were saying, "Have a nice day!"

24 April 2006

Today we will take delivery of Tenaya. We packed enough things to stay overnight and drove the 45 minutes from Antwerp to Bruinisse. This was the day that seemed so far in the future when we placed the order last June. Then I was still running a business and traveling a lot. Now, I have not had a job since the beginning of the year and even though there were so many things to do it still seemed to me that I was just waiting until today. And now it has arrived.

Marnix, from Nova Yachts, gave us an introduction to Tenaya and all the different systems. Way more information than was possible to digest. We also received a stack of 4 large notebooks of instructions for all the different parts: engine, generator, rigging, sails, electronics, winches, radio, head, stove, refrigerator, lights and on and on. Enough reading to keep us busy for months.

23 April 2006

Katie's birthday and we are enjoying one of our last days as residents of Antwerp. It's a wonderful city with friendly people, great food (and beer) and so many places to explore. We have enjoyed our 3 years here and would be happy to stay longer. But a new adventure awaits.