Perhaps the last day in Onset for a bit - if Mother Nature permits, that is.

Speaking of Mother Nature she was rather indecisive today and gave us everything but snow. Hot, clear and humid; overcast; heavy black clouds and rain; high wind; fluffy white clouds and robin's egg blue sky; then nasty black clouds again; then a red sky for sunset - and a frost warning for overnight.

Yesterday I finally took over the cabin to get started on repairing the jib. The sad news is that there was a lot more damage than I can fix on board with the old Thompson walking foot straight stitch sewing machine we carry with us. She is a workhorse but I need the zigzag capability and heavy motor of the Sailrite machine that is now sitting in my shop at home in Shelburne. The jib is still worth fixing and we can get some more sailing out of her before she becomes upcycled into other creations. So, I did what I could for now and Mike and I folded her carefully and stuffed her in a sail bag to take home for further surgery. Today, in advance of tomorrow's departure, we bent on a heavy storm jib.

I have spent the time here in Onset passing tools to Mike, cleaning, cooking, reorganising where I had stowed things before departure - and generally just getting used to being back on board again. I have been giving considerable thought to trying to be "greener" on board but came to the conclusion that we are already doing as well as we can. We are careful with our water consumption as our supply on board is finite and limited and it takes conscious effort to get more. We either have to go alongside at a marina and top us or make potable water from salt water with the RO system we have on board - that requires starting the engine and using up some of the finite supply of diesel we have. We try to buy things with as little packaging as possible
because getting rid of the garbage is not always easy. We have a good supply of drawstring mesh bags that we take shopping (thanks, Willa Magee) for produce. We use resealable and reusable containers for leftovers - a plastic wrap covered bowl is a spill waiting to happen in a crammed frig. One thing I do happen to use a lot of is aluminium foil and can't figure out an alternate product. If I am baking/roasting something in the oven on a tray I first cover the tray with foil. That way I can clean up afterwards without using a lot of that finite supply of water. Any suggestions for a replacement for the foil that don't include using water or a lot of paper towel?

I admit that we have a lot of our six month supply of pantry staples over-wrapped in resealable plastic bags to keep the dampness out. Those bags get reused until the seals wear out. Things currently in use like flour, sugar, cereal, dried beans, grains and rice are in square OXO brand sealed containers.

More about those resealable plastic bags - I have a lot of treasured reading material and manuals on board to keep me entertained and educated - after many years of ruined books from living in damp surroundings I decided to pack the books in resealable storage bags before putting them on the shelves to stave off the mildew and damp. Kayte told me about the audible app and now I I have downloaded many audio books to enjoy while on watch when it is calm enough to have my iPad or iPhone in the cockpit - also great for listening to while my fingers are busy with mindless and uncomplicated knitting.

But back to greener sailing - We also use products for cleaning that are nontoxic. I shudder when I think of some of the products we used when we started boating. A lot of the cleaning products we use now are from the Norwex company. They are not specifically for boating use but they are equal to the cleaning challenges presented - you should check them out (a shout out to Shannon MacIver who keeps me supplied with these products https://shannonmaciver.norwex.biz/ and to Kayte who invited me to meet her several years ago).

In Mike's post he was talking about the passage of time and it got me to thinking about it as well. This past week (the first 58 hours I would really rather forget about) has been one of transition and getting used to life on 42 feet again and being thrust into a 24/7 existence with just one person. It is a challenge but generally things work out OK - after all you just can't open the door and go for a walk to cool off. I do find that I have to keep an eye on the tension in my knitting though as I tend to knit too tightly when anxious/angry/peeved/frustrated. LOL.

More about the transition to life on board. I find it takes a lot more discipline than it does living on the land - simple things like putting away things after you used them, put them where they belong and don't just stuff them somewhere as I guarantee that you will forget where it was, hang up your jacket and backpack when you come back aboard and don't just dump them on the salon seats. The "house" is now only 42 feet long and 13 feet wide and that house is a workshop/garage/mode of transportation/ sleeping accommodations/office/library/bathroom/laundry/storage/entertainment area/galley... I derive a certain perverse sense of satisfaction in making a decently comfortable existence in such conditions and in turning out nutritious and tasty meals from a small galley equipped with a two burner stove and minuscule oven. All that is missing are friends and family - so before I get all maudlin and plod on down the track of what I miss I believe I will call it a night. We have planned an early departure tomorrow - just as soon as the Club manager gets in and we can clear our bill for tying up to this friendly place.