Two weeks ago my friend Jon called me and excitedly explained that there was a neat opportunity to crew on a sailing adventure. His friend Alex had a friend in Albany who needed crew to move a sailboat from Albany, New York to Florida, destination unknown. Jon said, "Send him an email, give him a call and then call Alex." So I did. I sent a quick email sharing my enthusiasm to crew for him and shared my basic knowledge of sailing which included sailing an iceboat and a sunfish since I was a child and exploring Passamaquoddy Bay in a 23' Hunter. Within 24 hours, Captain Bob sent me an email with a few basic details and asked me how long I could join him. I wrote back that I was available for the month. A day later I spoke briefly with Bob on the phone. He sounded like a gentle man and then I Googled him which eased my mind even more. Alex, Mom's neighbor has sailed around the world and spoke very highly of his friend Bob and Bob's sailing expertise. This felt like an extraordinary adventure to grab and just go! Savvy sailors are Alex and Bob and they gave few instructions that included bring warm gear, a light sleeping bag and foul weather gear, wool is good! Neptune's Car is the name of the sailboat. It is a 44' steel hull ketch with a 5'9" draft and her beam is 12'6". A ketch is a two-masted, fore-and-aft-rigged sailboat with a mizzenmast stepped forward of the rudder and smaller than the foremast.
In less than two weeks I had to close up the cottages, harvest from the garden, plant 350 Georgian crystal garlic bulbs, find cat care for Seamus, get Garlic and Dill to their winter home, clean my house and figure out what to pack and where to get all of my equipment.
With the help of my great parents and a few wonderful friends we got it done! Now I am journeying from Perry to Bangor, Bangor to Boston and Boston to Albany, NY to join Captain Bob, and 2 other crew members to prepare provisions for the boat to set sail on the 15th!
Wow, wow, wow & gulp!
