The joy of darkness
03 October 2011 | Annapolis
Kathleen
All the new boats, all in a line. The great thing about being an exhibiter at the Annapolis boat show is getting to watch all the new boats line up for their spots on the docks as they motor right by our boat. We are as close as we could get to the dinghy dock, anchored right off the Naval Academy. I am so glad I insisted on darkness in our berth because the bright lights of the stadium would have been unbearable without it. Most Americans don't know about melatonin production and the importance it plays in cancer fighting. Melatonin is a hormone that is produced only while sleeping and only in complete darkness. It isn't enough to have your eyes covered or most of your body covered in blankets. It has to be dark head to toe. In our security consciousness we have almost all but eliminated natural darkness. Parking lots have lights that shoot up into the sky and illuminate cloud cover making a dome of light over any city. Unless you are far, far offshore or waaaay far away from city lights the stars just are not visible. In Tucson AZ they created light ordinances to combat light pollution. All parking lots must point their lights to the ground so they are not reflected on the night sky. I just love that! I am super conscious about light when I am sleeping. I know that I cannot get the quality of sleep when there is light pouring into a room as I can when I am in a nice cool dark sleeping quarter. Early on when we were outfitting Vicarious I knew this to be true. In all of our moves to different homes I have had light blocking curtains and shades and why not have that on the boat? We have porthole covers and a hatch cover and a light blocking curtain at the door which does a good job of letting in air, but keeping most of the red night-light light out of the berth. The only time we have an issue is when it is just too hot to keep the hatch closed, but I close it as soon as the air turns cooler near dawn. Spencer at first thought all the darkness at night was extreme, but recently we slept ashore and it was a room full of windows and sheer curtains and he did not sleep well at all! Sometimes it seems you have to experience what you don't have to appreciate what you do have!
The last few days we spent with Spencer's step dad at Lighthouse Baltimore Marine Center. It was a fantastic visit! We had Dick Davies all to our selves and had great dinners that we cooked each evening. He and his wife have an older Katy Krogen, a very comfortable boat with a large table for fun family gatherings. We were able to walk to the Fells Point Festival. It was drizzly and cold, but it felt like fall, so nice. We talked about our plans and Dick had lots of suggestions which we appreciate. He also took me to Trader Joes!!! Yay!
But here we are sitting in the glittery sunshine, working on emails and bills and watching all the sparkly new boats going by, knowing that the boatshow is only 2 days away. We have no expectations this time around. We are doing this for the fun of it and to meet new people! And now we will have a sign up for Vicarious, our beloved boat that someone else will love too because she has been loved into a beautiful boat and is all ready to go! Darkness and all!