Feeling the Groove

A little over 2 months of cruising in The Bahamas and we are definitely in the groove, which must mean that we just don't care as much as we used to about clean hair, dry clothes and fresh sheets. Accessing a locker under 3 cushions to grab a can of soda or digging out pancake mix from the stowage under our bunk doesn't require the same grunts and groans as it once did.
We have found a bizarre rhythm that seems to work. Phrases like "First one off the dinghy takes the painter!" "Rinse off the dog's feet before he gets aboard!" "Careful with the fresh water" "Don't drip saltwater!" or "Did you close the hatches!?" aren't repeated quite as frequently (or as loudly) as they once were. Even our anchoring sequence of silent hand signals and head gestures are now a well choreographed dance.

It's still a lot of work to relax this much. We never stop zipping, fastening, pulling, pushing, lifting, balancing, mopping, drying, rearranging, opening and closing. This is the best gym I have ever belonged to & at the end of the day we are exhausted. Frequently I look around and think how are the 4 of us actually living on this thing? I'm sure some of the yachts we pass are wondering the same thing. And yet, here we are. Riding out big blows on Lee Stocking & Darby Island, climbing coconut trees, discovering ruins, discovering rocks, discovering we could jump from the rocks, swimming with sea turtles, spearing lobsters, screaming with delight over finding the perfect shell, learning about the local fish, celebrating 2 birthdays & watching what we thought was the Super Bowl.

....

Since writing this a few days ago, the weather has dramatically shifted from consistent sunny dry days to strong wind & rain. All day wind & rain. Everything is… damp…. Soaking wet dinghy rides & dodging drips of water coming from the canvas has put some things into perspective. I can't believe I ever commented on the woes of taking apart half of the boat for breakfast ingredients. If I only knew how good I had had it 2 days ago. Luckily we are at a place in this journey where we are accustomed to wearing wet shorts & can handle sleeping on misted pillows. At least I am. I'm not sure if these salty boys ever even cared or noticed it in the first place.