Well, rather than edit the crap out of the 3 hours of footage I shot the other day while in the Atlantic Ocean, I decided to just share it all, set to ambient music. It’s a 4k video shot through the front window of my boat. I’m wondering if watching it will make anyone seasick. 🤔
I won't share a link yet because the file was so damn big -- 8 GB -- that YouTube is going to take 7 hours to process it. You will be able to find it on my YouTube channel, though: https://www.youtube.com/c/MariaLanger
Sometimes I really love being at anchor. I'm in a snug little lagoon about 2 miles off Chesapeake Bay with my anchor holding firm on a 3:1 scope in 6 feet of water over mud. The boat has barely moved all night -- even through a thunderstorm! And now I've got glassy smooth water with a light layer of fog below a cloudy dawn, with birds all around me just waking up.
At day's end, I tied up the boat near a Canal & River Trust service shack: water, elsan, toilets and shower.
A shower! 🚿
I hurried from the boat to the CRT building in only my shorts, T-shirt and shoes, towel and soap in hand. (These places lack clothes hooks, so fewer items is better.) They did have a wooden bench, and a disabled grab handle that I used as a towel rack.
Going through a flight of double locks, traditionally boats would be tied together to move more easily between locks.
You don't see it often because newer boaters don't know how, and —oh no— they'd have to talk about something other than the weather. It takes experience, trust and collaboration.
In the photo, one boat is crewed. It is steering both, using only one engine. The other boat crew is operating locks.
Decided to give my engine a little workout this morning by cranking it up to 3200 RPM, which is about 90%. The Volvo guys says it likes run ing at 80-90% and is built to do it all day, but I don't usually like to cruise "fast" — 14.5 knots in current conditions. Fuel economy is the same as 3000 RPM, so why not? I suspect I'll have to slow way down later in rough conditions so I may as put more miles behind me as quickly as I can now, when I can. #boating#BoatLife#GreatLoop#ICW
@mlanger If boat engines are anything like car engines, they need an occasional workout to burn out all the gunk generated at lower rpm/workload. (there is an optimal speed/etc. for those engines, for sure).
I saw these concrete blocks apparently being used in Morehead city to protect the waterfront from the inlet to the ocean. It looked as if they were using them to build up a barrier island. I just saw this pair of boats towing a barge of them southbound and, a little while later, saw the yard where they are either manufactured or staged for shipping. Interesting. #boating#ICW
Living on a boat with a refillable water tank, I've learned to conserve water.
I wash daily but only shower once a week, because:
It's a waste to run lots of water over your body and then pump it overboard.
Human skin is great at keeping clean and oil-free without any help from Proctor & Gamble IF you let it recover from the chemical abuse of "body wash" etc.
Sorry, I'm not on Facebook! (Actually, I'm not sorry, which is why I'm not on Facebook. What I mean to say is that I can't go to Facebook to look at that picture.)
@mlanger sorry about that link. I'm also not on Facebook. I don't have a fb account. I couldn't download the photo from there. So there you have it. It's only a link.
It was light out when I woke up at 6:20 AM. That’s “sleeping in” in my world and I’ll take it!
Foggy outside, outgoing tide is keeping my boat snug against the dock. Thinking about blueberry pancakes for breakfast to get rid of the bisquick and blueberries.
If the sun comes out before I leave, I’ll take my pups for another hike on the island. Only 30 miles to go today; the tide changes around 8:40, but I’ll likely wait until around noon to get on my way.
If anyone is wondering, I’m still at the same nearly free dock in Green Cove Springs, FL. The boat has been rocking, sometimes pretty violently, for more than 24 hours. My lines are creaking loudly. It’s still raining. I slept like crap.
I am so done with this place. The wind should die down around dawn and I hope to get back on the move by 10 AM.
On a positive note, the boat has been plugged into 30 amp power the entire time so my batteries are fully charged.
Lots of holiday food photos. The #JoinIn tag has been getting a lot of use (and a little abuse). Use/follow that tag if you want to connect with folks who might be pending the holidays alone and are looking for folks to chat with. It’s a great way to meet new folks to follow, too.
My plans are to continue south toward Biscayne Bay. I might try to get a mooring ball about 2 miles south of here on the way, but it’s probably best to just keep moving. #boating#ICW