Sailing with Nine of Cups
| Vessel Name: | Nine of Cups |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Liberty 458 |
| Hailing Port: | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Crew: | Marcie & David |
| About: | We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride! |
| Extra: |
07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
Taking a breather ...
Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Keeping fit
We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Happy 240th Birthday, America
Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
Leaving Cups and a Road Trip
Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach
We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]
Living Ashore in Foreign Countries
In La Libertad, Ecuador, the boat was hauled out at the Puerto Lucia Yacht Club and with the help of a local friend, we found a rather large "unfinished" house to rent. Much of the house was in a construction state, but the master bedroom was finished and the master bath, though a bit rough, was useable. The kitchen had basic appliances, but the countertop was tile-less with only bare concrete and there was no kitchen door. Since it was only a block from the marina and very inexpensive ($100/month), we decided we could make it work.
I regularly had to shoo roosters out of my kitchen and ducks came in quite uninvited. Jelly came with us, but was useless when it came to herding large birds. It wasn't until I was walking upstairs from the kitchen to the bedroom in my skivvies that I found the owner was still living in the house. What a surprise ... actually a double surprise since we later learned his teenaged son was also living there on occasion. Our local friend was as surprised as we were, but the owner said he didn't have any other place to live and it was such a large house, he didn't mind us being there. Hmm...a whole different perspective on a house rental.
In Piriapolis, Uruguay, we negotiated the rental of a furnished "casita" (tiny little house) for two months and made sure we were the only occupants. Again, the rent was cheap ($125/month), but since it was further away from the marina, we also added the use of a pair of bikes into the deal to ride back and forth to the marina. The casita was cozy and kind of romantic ... until the rains came. It seems the backyard was more lake-like when there were heavy rains and the low threshold at the back door allowed a torrent of rain to enter and pool in the dining area. Several inches of water had rugs sopped and wastebaskets floating on more than one occasion. The landlady told us this happened every year ... what can you do about the rain? Hmm...
The stories are amusing now, and I guess the point of this post is that these surprises, though a bit bothersome at the time, are the stuff good memories are made of and we wouldn't dream of trading these experiences for a generic hotel room. Living ashore was distinctly different than living in the marina where most of our interaction was with other yachties. We survived the minor catastrophes and chocked them up as little annoyances. We enjoyed our time living in neighborhoods, getting to know our neighbors and delighting in the fact that my favorite vendor at the fresh market knew me by name.
Pics at www.justalittlefurther.com.
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