So the first relaxing day of our cruising life begins. We are safely in port and it's blowing like snot out there - about 20 to 25 knots with gusts above that. It's spitting rain and about 50 degrees. We are warm and snug and have nothing to do but...

Try to figure out the leak at the mast (it's not the boot) to stop the relative flood coming in on and around the dinette.
Change the engine oil
Do the laundry
Build the mast support

When the wind and rain stops we have to fold the genoa now stuffed into the forward cabin (see photo in gallery). Bud decided when we started underway that we should try and take down the foresails, to get them inside while it was still dry. It was a good idea, but our visions of being able to nicely fold the genoa on deck, around the trash, while underway even at low speeds, were definitely wrong. We settled for stuffing, but on top of the other things in the forward cabin, and the staysail, which is itself only kind of folded, we were lucky to get it in and get the door closed.

The dinette is still getting wet around the pot. I'd put one of our spare towels there to catch the water, but they are all in the cabinet over the bed in the forward cabin...

Bud asked me when the relaxing part of retirement started. I told him I thought we had chosen interesting rather than relaxing. I think it's probably a good thing that we would never get our investment back out of the boat. Otherwise it would be too tempting to sell it and buy a tiny cottage with matching rocking chairs somewhere.

And it's only the third day out!

On the other hand, we have a secure dock at Fair Point Marina while the wind and waves howl on the lake (see photo gallery). The folks here are awesome! Without us requesting it they lowered the docking rate, since we're kind of stuck here. The man who's the main help here cruises in the winter with his wife and they are offering advice and help and trips to town to get the oil filter we thought we had but didn't. Maybe we did make a good retirement choice!