Trial run

Kevin and I returned back to Stamford last night after spending eleven days aboard Cielo traveling to Block Island and then to Shelter Island. Though we didn't explicitly plan it as such, the trip was a good trial run at living aboard at anchor, sailing almost daily (and for as much as 10 hours at a time) and just generally getting used to life as a full-time cruiser. I think we both learned a lot over the past week and a half. I learned that I still get sea sick when we're underway (an improvement from being sick underway AND at anchor), which is unfortunate, but just generally means that I take a nap for a few hours when we spend the day sailing. I haven't yet resorted to medication, which I think would make me even more sleepy and am just thankful that my version of seasickness doesn't involve revisiting my lunch over the side rail....though I suppose that could be coming as we experience rougher seas. I also learned that I still have a whole lot more to learn about living aboard a sailboat--actually, we both do. Some of it is stuff that we can get out of a book--like what the different lights and markers means when we're sailing at night--but some of it, we'll just have to figure out ourselves--like how to make lunch underway, heeled over to 30 degrees with 20 knots of wind, how to shower (and get clean!) using the least amount of water needed and how to not only tolerate, but entertain each other when we're the only company we've got for days on end (no major altercations as yet, though I did toss a book in the general direction of Kevin's head late one afternoon).
During our time away, there were definitely some difficult moments (I think especially for me, given my newness to sailing), and of course there were some amazing ones as well (biking all over Block and Shelter Island, numerous spectacular sunsets, meeting wonderful, friendly fellow cruisers willing to share their advice and their liquor). We're both glad to be back in Stamford at our "home" marina for a few days (thanks Rick and Jacqui!) to get some laundry done, errands completed and to experience the luxury of being plugged into shore power (for those of you who've ever lived with limited water or power supply, you know what I mean)--but I know our time away has given us a taste of the adventures to come and that we're all the more excited to continue our adventure on Friday morning when we sail down to New York.