New Neighbourhood Friends

Feeling so blessed to have met some incredible people in Port Washington.

It's been a great couple of days here in Safe Harbor marina while our alternator was being rebuilt.

Being at a dock means you see your liveboard neighbours more often because you're literally just a few feet away.

Friendships form fast and furious when you're cruising. You already have so much in common. The pleasantries are often skipped and one can really start to have a serious conversation from the get go.

We have met so many new people in our few days here, cruisers and land-dwellers. We met as strangers but we part as friends. It really is one of the best parts about cruising.

Tuesday was rainy, cold and foggy. We stayed inside and took advantage of the fast WiFi here.

Aila made her Halloween costume, we played Catan, we went to visit some other liveaboard neighbours on their boats, and basically chilled out.

A new local friend Antonia Fthenakis came onboard with her two boys to meet us. Laura put us in touch because we are both homeschoolers. So lovely to meet you to share, exchange and learn from!

Wednesday was a glorious sunny day.

Thanks again to Laura Stulbaum for loaning us her car, we were able to get a lot done: provisioning, laundry, filling up our 20lb propane gas tank that was gifted to us from Robert, a dock neighbour. The closest place to fill the tank was a 45 minute drive away! Fun to drive again but definitely don't miss traffic!

Back on the boat, we hoisted the dinghy to store on deck for our upcoming passage.

Tai caught a fish too which he was super proud of!

The alternator came back and was installed in no time. It's all systems go now!

For our last dinner in Port Washington, we had another new local friend Matthew Straus and his kids come on board, as well as Laura's family.

Our kids mentioned afterwards how interesting it was for them to see other kids' reaction to the boat and certain things which they consider normal.

For example, when one of our guests needed to use the heads (toilet), Tai took him down and asked him precisely "so what are you going to be doing in there?"

Perhaps a bit rude and direct to ask such a question but completely necessary to know in order to explain how to discard toilet paper and flush.

I'm happy to be moving on again but am sad to be leaving Port Washington and all her wonderful people.

I'm feeling bit anxious about this passage.

There is a lot to consider in this next leg: getting through Hell Gate at the appropriate slack tide and sailing down the New Jersey coast which can be unforgiving in terms of sea state and waves, and rounding Cape May with the tide going in.

We have a plan and we will tuck into designated anchorages if we need to. So right now we cannot say how long this passage will be because it depends on how it goes when we're out there.

That's probably why I'm feeling more apprehensive than usual. We will be doing another marathon passage but we don't know how much to pace ourselves since there is no set finish.

The big picture is to get down and round Cape May and into the Delaware River. It would be awesome to do it all in one go, a passage of at least 24+ hours. But we'll see.

For now, we focus on the next few hours. And that means pushing off from the dock and sailing through the East River in New York City!

More whipping today!

Shiny newly rebuilt alternator... Drool!

Bought and fastened the new poppers for our dodger. No more worrying 
in strong winds if the entire thing will just lift off now. 

Aila walking back on the dock in the rain.

Fishing!!

Dock neighbour Robert helping Tai with the striped bass he caught.

Just a boy and the fish he caught. He was SO proud!

Having new friends over for pizza!

Dockside

Folding clothes and putting them away is a struggle. 
But ask him to coil a rope and you will get perfection.

We're at a dock tonight. Not by choice, but out of necessity.

Our alternator needs a rebuild and so while we wait for that to happen, we are dockside.

The faulty alternator explains why we've been having issues with our tachometer and the lack of battery charging.

Today we had a couple of mechanics come and help us diagnose the issue.

Again, everywhere you turn there are tools and parts on every surface.

Aila described it perfectly in her journal entry by saying "it's like the tools were having a dance party!"

I would've said "rave" but she hasn't learned that word yet.

So yet again, we fix and wait and fix some more.

Pros:

We have met some nice liveaboards on the dock next to us.

There are clean showers and laundry facilities at the marina.

We are plugged into shore power. A strange feeling, but nice to be able to turn on any and all the lights on board. Although it feels instinctively wrong since we are so accustomed to conserving every little bit of electricity.

But tonight we can charge every device and electric toothbrush without turning on the inverter. Plus we've got hot water to wash up in!

The water pump is working again. It just needed some serious air pumping in the filter. However a new filter will probably be needed in the not too distant future.

We are hoping we can have the alternator installed and everything in good working order before the weekend. That's when the next good weather window is here, at least that's what it looks like right now.

Counting our blessings and not dwelling on the things you cannot control is not easy.

Especially when winter is approaching and we are facing yet another expensive repair.

However, I have noticed the astonishing growth in confidence and knowledge the kids have gained, and this makes all the delays and repairs seem less significant.

Happy election day, Canada! It is with regret I was unable to vote because we couldn't get a ballot sent somewhere since we did not know where we would be in advance.

However we are following the results closely and will stay up a bit longer still.

Aila has started reading by herself now, without needing Matt or I to sit next to her. Today she spent a good part of the day up on deck with her book in the sunshine. And again at the library. I am so happy about this!

7:30am. As we headed off our mooring ball and onto the 
dock early this morning, Tai shot out of bed and went straight 
up onto the foredeck to get his mooring lines ready to help.

Tai has learned how to whip rope. A new obsession has begun....

Whipping another random rope.

Nothing makes him happier than helping with the boat.

BONUS: Today we also got a tour of our dock neighbour, a 110ft racing catamaran that went around the world in 54 days. First time we've seen a mast with two mast feet!!!

The enormous G-Force mast!

Yes, that is Aila INSIDE the mast!!

New York Hall of Science field trip

Matt:

Alternator not charging batteries and now our fresh water system has no pressure for some unknown reason. 

But anyway I did find and fix a coolant leak and installed a new battery monitor and solar charge controller so we treated ourselves to a day out with my cousin at NY Hall of Science and then a delicious, authentic and super cheap meal in Chinatown at Flushing, NY.

Controlling a ball through the maze.

3-D movie about dogs, what more could you want? 

Sometimes we feel like we have lost our heads too.

A Lego sculpture which perfectly captures how 

fixing boat stuff can feel some days

A most delicious authentic Chinese meal. SATISFIED.

Squeaky Clean

Good morning! Look at this beautiful anchorage .. CALM WATERS!!

I want to bottle this feeling that I'm experiencing right now. It is one of being super squeaky clean. Clean hair, clean body, clean sheets.

But it's one laced with love and new friendships.

There is no amount of gratitude I have for all the incredible Port Washington residents who reached out to us, perfect strangers, and offered everything from showers to beds to cars.

Woke up to even more invitations for showers in my inbox!

Tai, ever the entrepreneur and completely aware that our bank balance is only going one southerly direction, comes up with a plan to have everyone who has offered us showers to put in a bid to have us use their facilities.

Hmmmmm interesting idea which we entertained for a bit but explained how that would be highly unlikely.

In the end, I had to decline so many generous offers.

This morning I took all our dirty washing and sheets into the town dock and met Laura Stulbaum.

Without knowing us, she said she would do our washing for us during the day and we could go to her home for showers later in the afternoon. She lived within walking distance from the town dock, so it was really convenient.

I knew immediately what a special lady she was when she came straight up and hugged me, greasy hair and all.

We spent the day at the Farmer's Market, playground and doing more boat jobs.

Matt discovered a coolant leak and upon realizing it was a loose screw, tightened it and refilled it with new coolant. All good now. Easy fix. Must keep a lookout for screws that jostle loose. If only all boat jobs were so easy!

The kids did their assigned schoolwork on their own initiative, without needing much help and finished in record time.

They are writing their journals in the evening now before going to bed.

A small change but it has totally transformed Tai's focus and determination to plough through schoolwork the next day. I guess he just didn't like to start the day writing a journal entry about the previous day.

We went to fuel up with diesel and topped up our water tank too (which is not acting properly at the moment, the water pump doesn't seem to have enough suction... Another item to investigate!)

Then it was time to go to Laura's house to have our showers. We met the rest of her family: husband Steve, their 2 boys and their dog! Oh boy, were the kids ever happy!

Tai was in electronics heaven on their PlayStation. Aila was playing sous chef and helped with making a spaghetti and meatballs dinner.

Yes, dinner.

A dinner that we didn't intend on being invited to, but it just happened!

Unfortunately we had to leave before 8pm, because that's when the boat launch stops.

Thank you Laura and Steve for an unforgettable experience. Thank you for the beers and wine, the food, the showers and laundry

But most of all, thank you for saying YES and for opening up your home and hearts.

Feeling well enough for breakfast AND schoolwork!

5°C or 41°F this morning. Haven't seen anything from our new neighbours yet.

Walking to Laura's home in beautiful fall sunshine.

Dinner at Laura and Steve's after a glorious shower!

With new friends Steve and Laura! 

Aila's journal - making spaghetti and meatballs were a definitely highlight!

  

Boat launch on left. On the right, they are taking out some of the mooring balls in preparation for winter. 
Time to head south maybe?