Teary Goodby's...

Daughter Eldest and Family (of In the Wind Projects You Tube Channel) showed up a couple of days ago, family including four of our eleven grandkids. They live on their own boat in Florida, and have done so for many years now. We sailed together for some of the very best times we enjoyed while traveling on Kintala. Leaving them and going back to land would have been near unbearable except that we ended up with Daughter Middle and her family, including  six of our grandkids, with Daughter Youngest and yet another granddaughter living nearby. But now we are, at least for the time being, back living on a boat sans any family other than the two of us. So Daughter Eldest and clan drove to Oriental so see our new digs and, given my recent bout with mortality, to check on Grampy T.

During the time they were here, we took advantage of having a full crew of seasoned sailors on board for help and moved First Light over to our old marina for a pump out. Afterward, we headed out on the Neuse for a short cruise. It gave us a chance to bring the engines up to temp, power up all of the electronics, and me a chance to log two more approaches and landings at a pier. That brings my total up to five. Each time I am still forced to smile at how easy it is to handle this thing in close quarters.

It also gave our sailing family a chance to see our new-to-us boat in action, and to give to our new crew member a chance at the helm.

New crew member you say?

The next day they departed with three of our eleven grand kids. Grandson Eldest remained. He will travel with us for the next several months while logging time toward his Coast Guard Captain's license. He will also make working the boat a bit easier on me. He has lived on and sailed boats for a large chunk of his fourteen years, handled rough weather, fixed broken things, done route planning and weather checking, and knows the joys and challenges of life on the water. I would trust him at a helm far more than most of the weekend warriors who thrash their way along our waterways pretending to be “sailors”.

He is also, even if just temporarily, the first of the Grandkids to leave the parental nest and set out on his own extended adventure. So the goodbyes as the rest of the family headed back to their floating home in Florida were heartfelt, teary, and full of hugs and promises. It is a part of growing up mixed in with the reality of living the gypsy life of a long distance boater. It is also a turning point. For all involved there will be talk of life “before” and “after” Roo went off to sail on First Light.  A thought both exciting and just a bit daunting.

It will still be several weeks before we toss the lines with the intent of leaving Oriental. There are others of the family heading our way for a visit. I expect First Light will get a few more “dry runs” in nearby waters. Given that we are far from experts when it comes to trawler operations, getting all the practice we can while a dock remains close by and paid for seems like a good approach. Though First Light is in far better shape than she was when we bought her, she is still a boat. And, as a friend of mine put it just a few days ago, “If everything is working, it isn't a boat.” 

Life unfolds as it will, influenced by the choices we make. This particular change in plans came up suddenly, and will be an interesting chapter for a significant portion of our family. It can't be helped that such chapters often include teary goodbye. Another part of how life unfolds.