(Still) on the road again.

Six hours to Chickadee, or so says our trusty GPS.

Yesterday’s Charleston finale included a relaxing morning, a catch-up brunch with the person who introduced us to Charleston in the first place (and hooray for that!), a stroll on Sullivan Island’s beach despite the chill, some shopping, and dinner with friends with Southwest Harbor ties. All in all, a delightful day, and we’re happy to have been able to sneak in a side trip on our southbound journey.

Now we look ahead to the immediate future, which includes provision lists, as much computer work as possible while we have good wifi at the marina, and ‘get-the-boat-put-together’ lists that are so daunting each year. The transfer of materials out of the boat, into the boat, out of the car and into the car is a Tetris challenge that I love, though tricky at times. (We keep a lot of deck gear down below while the boat is in storage, so that has to come out to make room for the contents of the car, which need to be emptied in order to grocery shop and to be able to stow any boat-related gear that we opt not to take on our sail (extra sails, extra cushions, e.g.). It’s a two day game of ‘schlep this box/bin/bag’ in one direction or the other, and sometimes both, which is as satisfying as it is maddening.

The girls will spend their time reacquainting themselves with the yard and its cast of characters and activities. We are regularly informed about new boats coming in (more dependably so if they have pets of any kind), what Jessie and Alex are up to (the two yard crewman who operate the travel lift, which is in constant motion this time of year), and what treasures may be found on the ‘Free’ table in the lounge area. Joined together with the Ruach kids, they are like a band of low-rent Eloises, skibbling around and scoping the scenes.

Back to more planning and list-making on this car trip while I still have time on my duff!