Springing back North...

A few weeks ago the time arrived to take Wind-Lass back to the North Carolina boatyard from her temporary home at the Charleston marina where we got married last fall. Even though we'd rather have our boat in the water than on the hard, for now it just makes the most sense.

It helped to know that we could go back to the great spot we were at the year before.

And we did it! After a week and a half of whirlwind activity, the boat is safely back in North Carolina for the hurricane season. It’s no easy feat to move a boat in such a short time-span as there are a lot of moving parts at play. Among those are weather and sea conditions, getting the boat ready, provisioning food and emergency items, all while adhering to a timeline that required me to be back to work in Alaska on time.



So, we hopped on a red-eye to East Coast, the most effective way to maximize limited vacation time. This method is also an excellent way to throw off one’s circadian rhythm, you know, just to spice things up a bit. “Why, how interesting it is to feel so wide awake at 2 a.m.!” I probably never said.

Luckily, we had too much to do to waste time sleeping in. And it helped that we had this gorgeous place to wake up to. As we prepped for our departure, there were definitely some mixed feelings for both of us.

We were glad to have been able to spend time in such a lovely, yet unpretentious marina, and yet sad to have to leave after what felt like not enough time there. I enjoyed getting to know several of the neighbor residents during "dock chats", a few kind folks who cheered us on and wished us well during the time of our wedding and commiserated over the crazy winter weather during the holidays. ("You Alaskans... you brought it with you!" became a frequent refrain.)

Scotty and our friend Captain Larry on a decidedly NOT yucky day last fall

Scotty and I agreed that we couldn’t have picked a better place to get married, surrounded by nature, boats, water, a few lovely oak, pecan, and palmetto trees, and some of the coolest boat people we'll probably ever meet.

In the 48 hours before our voyage as I rushed back and forth to the boat from the car, the store, and the bathhouse, I often found myself looking around nostalgically. There was always something new: an egret intently stalking amid the marsh grass, the earthy, salty scent of pluff mud at low tide, or the setting sun casting rays of gold across the water. Gratitude came in waves, consistently tugging at my attention. Life may not be perfect, but moments can be.



So even amid the focused work of prepping for another journey, during our last few days in South Carolina I couldn’t help but feel lucky for where I’ve been in my life that led me to this moment and this place. If it takes a dream and a beautiful, old sailboat to get there, then a boat is far from a hole in the ocean- it’s a life raft.

More on our recent journey soon to come…