Solo… So low
Sadly, Liz and Henri fly back to Boston and I’m solo for the first time on this journey south. Over the next 3 weeks I learn many lessons:
don’t leave a hatch open - you will forget and then fall into it scraping your shin and severely bruising both hips!
first time anchoring solo - don’t drop your anchor too close to a channel marker! the anchor got caught in the marker line and took several tries to get it untangled
how to use a boat hook to help swivel the anchor into the correct orientation to be pulled onto the bow
how to set the audible alarms for the radar guard zones (thanks to the mechanic that diagnosed the autopilot issue - needed a new drive for the hydrolic system). also determined I was not transmitting my AIS location because I needed a dedicated GPS unit - so I ordered that it has been resolved (which is a major win for safety)
the ESPAR (heater that uses diesel when not on shore power) will stop working when you run out of diesel (uh- of course)!
how to have Thanksgiving alone (went to whole foods and purchased way too much food, had excellent ingredients for a mushroom risotto, but the results were only mediocre)
the loneliness set in the day after Thanksgiving and had myself quite the pity party - definitely going to fly home to see family for Christmas
got an amazing massage and did a “float” - a very good alternative for a relaxing bath
cleaning the waterline of the hull - it is disgusting! and needs more work
finally gluing the velcro back onto the dingy to attach the dinghy cover
crew. oh the difficulties that arise. posting on sites, vetting people, people agreeing to join then backing out, getting desperate and not vetting people, seeing several good weather windows pass by, vowing not to feel pressured to do Hatteras solo, feeling resigned to maybe spending the entire winter in Virginia, feeling empowered to do Hatteras solo, finally lining up 2 crew, but the weather window moves a day earlier and they can’t come any sooner.
I will attempt to do Hatteras solo.
