All aboat our 1st year of sailing

We passed the one full year of boat ownership. What an adventure the year has been! We bought the sailboat at the end of season last year at a good deal! Unfortunately we couldn’t go sailing immediately as the season was ending.

We entered into this new chapter with very little boating experience. My husband and I have lived in this beautiful area for a long time and we have always looked out on the boats in the water and said “some day that will be us.” After all the waiting we decided the time was right to just jump in and learn as we go. We quickly experienced the welcoming and friendly community of boat owners who openly share their experiences and know how on sailing. Ironically we had been looking at our boat that was in the mooring field across from Abbott’s Lobster in the Rough (Noank) for the last 7 years! We found multiple old photos from our dinners at Abbott’s with our boat in the background, how funny is that?!

*Family dinner at Abbott’s 5-6 years before we owned the boat (directly above my head).*

During winter, we focused on renovating the cabin of the sailboat. When we got it, the walls were covered with an old fabric headliner. It didn’t do well for my allergies so we torn it out and repainted the overhead and bulkhead (the walls) a beige color. My husband also did some electrical work and wired in a new electrical switchboard to fit our needs.

*Painting the interiors of the sailboat.*

*Painting, you can see it in my face that I enjoyed it so much!*

*When he painted the bottom of the boat, he had to wear that suit to prevent getting copper (in the paint) on himself!*

It took 3-4 months to finish the project just in time for spring. In spring, we redid the bottom paint on the boat. We had to get a special kind paint since the bottom is constantly in the water. The paint prevents sea growth. Also during spring, my husband took sailing classes at Mystic Seaport Museum. I didn’t join because I wasn’t sure how it would work getting an interpreter and all. Honestly, I was too tired to go through that hassle. I figured that my husband would just teach me as we went during summer. He learned a lot from the sailing classes and he truly enjoyed. The instructors and volunteers were good to him. The people at the sailing school really went above and beyond making sure we felt comfortable taking out our new boat.

*The sailing classes at Mystic Seaport.*

*B is watching her dad learning how to sail.*

Around Memorial Day weekend, our sailboat was in the water. We moved it 20 minutes down the river at another shipyard that was right next to the open water. If we stayed where we stored for the winter, we would had the 20 minutes commute down the river (no wake, have to go slow) which used up gas. We have and outboard motor that helps us to move when necessary. Usually once we were out in the open water, we turn off the gas and put up the sails. The sails on a windy day gets us moving at a good speed!

The sailboat relies on the weather a lot so we had to learn how to read online before going out sailing. We didn’t do so well with that at first! There were a few times when we took the boat out and once we got into the open water, it was rough. The waves were high and splashing water onto the boat getting us wet! When that happened, we would turn around and just go for a causal cruise up the river towards Mystic (where the winter storage was).

*The Morgan Point Lighthouse is how we always found our way home back to Noank.*

One thing that I absolutely hate about sailing… the ROCKS! Unfortunately New England coast comes with a lot of rocks underwater. It makes it fun to dodge them. The GPS plotter does shows where potential rocks are. When we first started sailing, the GPS had a lot trouble working so we got our first brush with hitting a rock right away. My parents got to witness it all while on FaceTime! In the entire summer, we hit a rock 3 times… which isn’t too bad, I think. As the saying goes “you’re not a sailor ‘till you hit your first rock.”

Luckily hitting the rock didn’t cause any damage to our sailboat. We got a chance to check it out when it was pulled out briefly in August. That was another stressful time as a boat owner, when Hurricane Henri made its way to the Connecticut shoreline. We had no idea how bad it would be and what other boat owners usually do. The hurricane was predicted to make landfall 10 minutes away from the boat. It was frustrating trying to make a decision. Our shipyard required everyone to haul out their boats, but they couldn’t get to everyone in time… we did not make it on the list in time. We had to make alternative plans and quickly. The shipyard that we used in the winter helped us out by hauling it out. We were super grateful that they could help us out! The hurricane ended up not being as bad as predicted, so it made the whole experience feel worthless but at least we had peace of mind that our boat would’ve been safe.

*The calm before Hurricane Henri (night before).*

The hurricane came around Labor Day weekend. Some boat owners ended up winterizing their boats earlier than expected. We put ours back in because we had the mooring until October 30th. We have gone out a few times in September but noticed that the waves have been more rough. September is hurricane season, the water from the south had an impact on our waters up north. Unfortunately, it looks like our season will have to end around Labor Day from now on. We had no idea how long we would be sailing for, but were hopeful we could try until October!!

Overall, being a boat owner is stressful but mostly FUN! I can’t express how peaceful it is to be out on the water. We usually sail outside of Noank, Groton Long Point, Rams Island and Fishers Island, NY. It is beautiful especially close to sunset when the sun sparkles on the water. I’ve got so many amazing photos from every sailing trip. There’s something about the salty air and the water that makes the whole experience of sailing relaxing (until you hit a rock!). My dog has joined us on almost all sailing voyages. Sometimes she enjoys it, sometimes she doesn’t. One thing that I love about sailing is when my dog sticks her nose up in the air and inhale the salty air. I’ve got a gazillion photos of her doing that!

As the sailing season came to an end, I smile when I reflect on the past year. It’s been an adventure to learn and all the new memories. I haven’t still learned how to sail, I mean I know how to pilot but not put up the sails. So maybe next summer?! I enjoy laying down or taking photos too much to learn the hard work, ha!

Until next summer!