Where Did The Month Of March Go!
31 March 2010 | Simpson Bay Marina, Simpson Bay Lagoon, St. Maarten
kurt flock, sunny, warm, breezy, typical
[New photo gallery uploaded: 3/31/2010: Blue Whales Spotted During Sail To Antigua]
Kate and I flew back to St. Maarten on Thursday, February 25th following my father's funeral in Indiana. We arrived back at Simpson Bay Marina to find Myananda in good shape. We also learned that Norm and Micheala had goaded two other couples they'd met at the marina into leaving the following day by noon for a sailing trip that may go as far south as Dominica. They asked if we wanted to join them, and in one of those out-of-our-mind moments, we said sure. Never mind that we just hit the dock and were no way ready to cast off so quickly for a sail of this nature, but what the hell... I sat down and made a check list of the things we needed to do in the next 17 hours if we wanted to join them and make the 11:00 a.m. bridge opening for boats leaving the Simpson Bay Lagoon. So you have some idea of what went on during the next 17 hours (including sleep), here's the list; I was cursing Norm for not giving us at least one full day at the marina to get ready, but where there's a will...
• buy baguettes and pastries
• top off water tanks
• disconnect water hose, electric hook-up, and internet cable from boat
• pull up our zinc "fish" (our anti-electrolysis device)
• secure anchors for passage
• check all bimini fasteners & allen wrench fittings
• clean growth off hull around waterline
• secure solar panels
• secure / stow fenders
• zip tie new bilge pump wiring in the engine compartment
• turn LP gas off at the tanks
• fill spare dinghy gas can with fuel
• close & latch all port and deck hatches
• clear out at customs
• pay/adjust our IGY marina b8ill
• Have Quantum finish installing the sun screen snaps & cockpit cushions
• Meet with Gui at Atlantis Marine for consult on installing our new Raymarine stuff
• properly stow all loose stuff on boat
• move horn, portable VHF, microphone & winch handle to cockpit
• dig jacklines out and install
• close sink thru hull valves
• check engine oil & coolant; note engine hours
• check generator oil & coolant
• start engine 1/2 hour before departure to verify systems are operating
• raise dinghy when off the dock
• roll up cockpit shade panels
• get pdf's and tethers out & ready
• walk Sophie one last time
• drill and tap the engine lift braces on the radar pole
• Have Bill Siefert autograph the book he wrote and sold us for $20
• put the horse shoe life preserver back on
Unbelievably, Kate and I got all but 3 of the items on this list done by 10:45 a.m. Friday morning, just before departure. We hurriedly cast off our dock lines and motored quickly toward the Simpson Bay bridge, where our sailing buddies were qued up for the bridge opening. I think I was raising and securing the dinghy as Kate guided Myananda from the lagoon through the narrow opening under the bridge. The whole get ready thing reminded me of the saying that "nothing crystalizes your thinking like a hanging the next morning". We had accomplished in a few short hours what would have probably taken us a couple of days to do without a departure deadline.
The plans was to sail from St. Maarten to Jolly Harbor on the northwest end of Antigua. The plan for a noon departure would have us cover the 91 or so nautical miles and arrive at Jolly Harbor sometime early Saturday morning - by noon if we averaged 5 knots. The winds were fair, and it looked like we'd be on a close port reach most of the way there, so we settled in for the ride. It was good to be back aboard Myananda, and the fresh salt air, light breezes, and sunshine were a welcome change from the cold, snow environs of Indiana we'd just left.
The sail to Antigua provided Kate and me with time to reflect on what we'd just gone through in Indiana. I felt blessed for the time I was able to spend with my father during the last week of his life. I developed a tremendous appreciation for the extraordinary love and commitment my mother gave during his battle with lung cancer. There's no question in my mind he would have departed months, if not years ago, without the care she provided. After I returned home, we ministered to his needs together, at home where he would be most comfortable - after making the difficult call to hospice.
In the end, my father knew it was time to go. He'd lived a very full 85 years, and he repeatedly told me he now wanted to "go home". We joked about his upcoming trip to the "happy hunting grounds", where I assured him, there was a nice young nurse waiting to give him a good lap dance. In another lighter moment, when he asked "why can't I go now", my mother told him God was out looking for a chair, but he'd just have to wait because it wasn't his turn yet." To the end, my father maintained his characteristic sense of courage and humor. I'm also very grateful that Dennis Ryerson and Tom Spencer, two great friends who sailed Myanada south with me in November's Caribbean 1500, were able to come to New Albany, Indiana for my father's remembrance service.