Here we go...

By Sailor Keddy -
Leaving Boston in just about 7 hours now. We took Winchelsea out on Saturday, with great, calm weather. The engine started without much fuss, the sails were raised and despite the lack of wind, it all went very well with only a few minor things that needed attention. There were six of us: Maria, Christian, Hilary, Seth, Elena and myself. We anchored on the eastern side of Spectacle Island for lunch of chicken kabobs and veggie burgers. The anchor was probably the closest thing we had to a mishap; I let her drop and didn't count on the fact that the  momentum and weight of the chain would carry much more out than the simple depth alone. I grabbed the last 6 inches of the 100 feet of chain I had before it slipped over the bow. Below is a picture of the new mahogany pulpit, with the anchor, anchor roller and chain, as well as the mooring I'm currently on. Its a little dirty from all the mud, but you understand, right? The picture on the right is of a few brews in a bag I threw overboard to chill in the nice 40 degree harbor.


Not to sound dramatic or anything, but tomorrow is pretty significant for me. I would have been in Boston three years next week, and I'm leaving doing something I never could have predicted. I've learned to sail here, from the lessons on the Charles when I was an intern in 2006, taking more lessons in Chicago and Florida, sailing on the harbor for a couple of seasons, buying and living on a boat, quitting my desk job and embarking on a completely new career in a totally new city, with many more new places to come. To be flat honest, I've been having a lot of anxiety about the whole thing, but I've dismissed it as a natural feeling when you up and leave your job and start on some completely new track.

Christian and I went to get provisions for the trip this afternoon, which included some really great food coupled with some things I wouldn't normally buy in my right mind. There is a fair balance of healthy, filling sustenance and foods that are strictly for pleasure to keep morale high when its four in the morning and you've only had sporadic single hours of sleep. We leave at 6 am tomorrow; we being Christian, Maria and myself. Winchelsea is fueled up, her batteries charged, food stocked, and sails repaired. Here we go.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Good luck! I've been following your blog with great interest and envy. Keep in mind that real anxiety come from not following your dreams...
May 5, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Great strength of feets: removing the old diesel

By Sailor Keddy -
Image
After a blissful Christmas at brother's house with his family in Stuart, and my new little nephew, I drove back to Sarasota to start working on getting the engine out from under the cockpit. I got to my sweet Soveraine on Sunday morning and, after getting the lock open, couldn't slide the companionway hatch forward. This had never happened before. No amount of pushing could get it over the drop slides, it was as if they had swelled for some reason. I took out my sawzall and cut a tiny bit away from the top drop slide and it slid open. I was dumbfounded. The entire cabin was submerged in four inches of standing water. Nearest I can tell, during the fall the oak tree, that the jackass trailer park owner let the jackass of a hauler park my boat under, had shed all its tiny goddamn leaves which clogged my cockpit drains causing water to spill into the cabin. Luckily my dad was there to keep my spirits high and attitude in check, because I was in a throw in the towel, no good, d...
Read more

The voyage that changed it all, Part III

By Sailor Keddy -
Since this will be the third and final part of this series, and although I could go on for just about ever about this trip, I should mention why this is "the voyage that changed it all." Before I got that fateful Facebook message, I was struggling hard with the job I have, my passion for sailing and all that is associated with the Ocean, and trying to connect it all together in a way I could put food in my mouth. The people I met opened my eyes to a field of work that was exactly was I was looking for. I had to leave the When and If  abruptly due to her being stuck in Charleston for what looked to be over 10 days. The weather around Cape Hatteras was less than favorable. I flew back to Boston, with a weepy eye and thoughts in my head that I would not return to her, and the wonderful people I had met, ever again. A week past, and during this time I applied to nearly half a dozen jobs within the realm of getting me on a boat. From the lowliest bilge rat position on a moto...
Read more

Goodbye Boston: A Sailor's Proclamation

By Sailor Keddy -
"The decision to flee came suddenly. Or maybe not. Maybe I'd planned it all along -- subconsciously waiting for the right moment." Hunter S. Thompson I am leaving Boston. There is a laundry list of reasons why, but it boils down to an essential few. This is my third winter up here, and to be honest I've had about enough. The cold is oppressive; it latches onto your soul, sucks your vital will to live and leaves you breathless and desperate. It inhibits activity on both a mental and physical level. I've tried to get used to it, but the thoughts of what I could be doing if it were 30 degrees warmer have overcome me. My career, more than likely, will be put on hold. Had I known that I would be spending 8 plus hours per day staring at a computer monitor in the middle of a cube farm, while the world, my youth and my life pass me by, I would never have signed up in the first place. I have been with the same company for three years, since I graduated college, and I hav...
Read more