My travel experiences have trained me for this moment. The logistics of international travel are tricky: public transportation or uber or hotel shuttle, where to find groceries, translating, how much to tip, how much cash to exchange into local currency, connectivity plans, managing connecting flights, will we have a steady supply of Pringles, cracker nuts, and Jameson (that one’s for you, Scuba Sue). My brain slipped into its problem-solving mode, organizing my main objectives into action items to be tackled one at a time. I was built for this.
Here is a summary of my first few days in Norfolk with my new-to-me trusty trawler:
Action Item #1: Schedule haul out and shaft replacement from Cobb’s while also coordinating a valve lash adjustment for the engine from Action Master Marine.
There were a few findings from the survey that needed to be addressed so I called the fabulous people at Cobb’s again to arrange for service. While the boat was out, I also wanted to replace a couple cracked through hulls and the zinc for the bow thruster. It was going to take about a month to get on their schedule but that allowed time to make sure I was on Action Master’s schedule for some engine work too. Okay, easy enough.
Action Item #2: Learn to drive the boat.
Plenty of experience on pontoon boats…zero experience on this boat. I have lots of theoretical knowledge but no practical experience on an ocean-going vessel. I called Captain Chris and he set me up with his best trainer but he is in Vero Beach. I called another guy, Captain Craig, hoping he would be closer to Virginia but he was also in Florida. They are both amazing choices with great reviews and resumes and I would be very comfortable with either of them, but this presented a logistics and timing problem. I did not know when my service would be done but I had to get on their schedules with enough time to plan travel. I searched for captains local to Norfolk but struck out. I was waffling between just picking a reasonable date with one of them and hoping for the best and mustering up some (unearned) confidence and relying on my own ability to figure it out. Uggghhhh…
Action Item #3: Get there.
I had to get there with all my stuff and my dog so flying was out of the question. I was going for good so I could not take my car. I rented a mid-size SUV one way for all my stuff and Kali. Good plan but it was expensive so I decided to rent the big one until haul out and then swap it for a smaller, cheaper, local rental until we were settled on the boat, date TBD. Doing good, another decision made.
Action Item #4: Find a place to stay.
The boat was to be hauled out April 29th. The Spring Rendezvous was May 2-6 in Norfolk. Perfect! The anticipated timeline for service was 3 days to 2 weeks (but I also know how maintenance of any kind goes). It did not make sense to go without my dog and then go back and get her. This is where I got stuck. Live on the boat? Hotel? What about while the boat is hauled out? Can I live up there like I’m in a treehouse? What about power? What about water? Can I flush the toilet? I have to work so how do I do act normal during a Teams meeting if they are replacing the shaft right below me? The decision was to stay on the boat until haul out and then move to a hotel until the weekend and then figure it out from there. I did schedule a slip at a local marina so I would have a place to go after service was complete. The most reasonably priced marina had a minimum of a 22 day stay so I booked it from May 1st to May 22nd hoping that my days would line up. I crossed my fingers that she would splash before my hotel stay ran out but somewhere close to May 1st so that I wasn’t wasting money on an unused slip. I did the best I could to predict timing and trusted that it would work itself out.
Action Item #5: Get the boat from Little Creek Marina to Cobb’s Marina.
Remember that I had never driven the boat. I reached out to my new Looper friend, Cathy Aull, who was planning to be in Norfolk for the Spring Rendezvous and she happily agreed to help me move it over to Cobb’s. Ha! All was going to plan until the morning of the day I was planning to move it. Alligator River Bridge was closed for repairs and she was stuck south of it! Shit! Cobb’s is literally around the corner and I probably could have jumped in the water and swam it over by hand if I had to. I decided that probably was not the best idea so I put a message on the AGLCA members page. A local guy, Captain Clint, answered my cry for help within 5 minutes. He lives there and could see my marina from his boat. Looper magic! He was so kind and patient. I was fully transparent with him and made sure he knew what he was getting into. He mentioned that he had his captain’s license and was insured. Jackpot! We walked through my pre-check, untied the lines, and started it up. It took us no more than 5 minutes to get to Cobb’s and then he had a friend pick us up and take me back to the car. He was my SAVIOUR that day!! The best part is….I found my training captain!! I took his card and told him I would set up some time with him once I had a better idea of when the work would be done. In the meantime, I connected with his lovely wife on Instagram and planned a happy hour so that I could ask her 1 million questions about living aboard and compare scuba stories. I breathed a little easier that night.
Action Item #6: Manage Kali’s emotions.
My sassy little Cattle Jack likes schedules and predictability so I knew this would be a challenge for her. She’s also extremely intelligent and works very hard to make sure I am safe and where she thinks I should be at all times. My little herder! She did great in the car and we only stopped 3 times in 9 hours. When we got to the boat, she was curious and sniffed everything but conked out and slept on my head when it was time for bed. We have only had one incident so far and that was when she got upset about kind Captain Clint boarding HER boat. She growled and gave him her best threatening stare. But the doggy downer that I slipped in her peanut butter earlier kicked in and she eventually chilled out. I sensed that she was missing her Cadi, Patrick, Ziko, and Kita at home. She did realize that she loves the beach, especially chasing gulls and eating seaweed. I am continuing to build her confidence and trust in me while I try to trust in her (but I am also keeping some trazodone on hand just in case).
One week down and 50+ to go. The AGLCA Spring Rendezvous is next and I am excited to see some of the Looper friends I have made in the past year and find new ones to add to my circle! By the time the event is over, I am hoping some of these action items will be resolved but as my wise and adventurous niece, Magnificent Molly, says “Who can say?”.
”Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda in Star Wars
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