IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT . . . . .

SHIP'S LOG:

......And day as well. The wind blew, the sky rained, the waves went up and down. It was a crackerjack storm and I was safe and dry on ABISHAG. A cartoon i saw years ago came to mind. It was from a book called "The Gaff Rigged Yacht." I never read it, I only saw the cartoon which features two worthies in the cockpit of a rather dilapidated sailboat in the midst of a storm. One says to the the other, "It must be hell ashore on a night like this!"

The wind was really something, with gust hitting 44 mph. I would lay in bed listening to the wind humming through the rigging and the tone would go up the scale as it vibrated the wire shrouds. When it gusted the tone would drop lower as the wind got strong enough to vibrate the thicker wire shrouds. The rain pounded, and I mean really drummed on the deck, and at times would be so loud that it woke me up. There is, of course, no attic above my head so it is something like sleeping in a car. Add to that the waves that occasionally struck the hull in just the right way and made it vibrate and you will get some sense of what it was like. The motion was not bad at all. No longer on the dock and free to move with the wind an waves, ABISHAG produced a rather gentle rocking motion that was almost pleasant.

I was stuck inside the whole day as the rain fell without a let up. I finished most of the storage, fixed a leak in the main salon hatch, took a nap and started "DRACULA". Not a bad day at all, especially considering the weather. The wind died down by 4pm which meant that since it was Friday, the club launch would be running and so I gave it a call. It was and and I took a trip into the club for a shower and supper and then back out to ABISHAG for round Two. The weather is supposed to continue to be bad for the next two days but should blow out by Monday. . . . And then, well I see what happens when I get to Monday!!!!

MASTER'S PERSONAL LOG:

It was not the least bit scary being on the boat during this storm. I never felt the least bit in danger. I am not sure what I would have done if something had "happened," but nothing did, so I will have to await the next storm. Providentially, it arrives in a few hours. Chuck the launch driver, who left almost 10 days ago, called from Atlantic City. He was holed up in a creek near the city with 7 or 8 other boats heading south. They were all sitting three waiting out the storm. He suggested that I do the same in New London and I told him that I was way ahead of him on that score.

It was a boring day today. I was able to establish a rhythm to the day and it will become habitually I am sure. But with not sailing to do, as well as being trapped inside, there was not a lot to occupy my time. It was, in fact, difficult to manage any enthusiasm to do anything. The leak in the hatch that I have fixed a half dozen times was inspiration to do that job again(the good part being that at last I knew when the thing was actually plugged), but I spent a lot of time ruminating about stuff to do. It took awhile to set a plan of tasks and go at it. It wasn't a long list but I set it and got most of them done. Adjusting to living on the boat is going to take time . . . . but at least I am getting lots of sleep! I guess God wanted me to start out slow.