Déjà Vu All Over Again!

This all feels so familiar. We prepared our Smart Home, tested the alarm system, forwarded the mail, arranged for landscaping, and informed our Posse of Preparedness Peeps should any natural disaster strike while we are away. They will know how and when to reach us and what to do. With California in a statewide drought, the threat of wildfire is real.

Over the winter months Pete maintained regular contact with our boat storage marina and requested some pre-arrival recommissioning tasks. Reverie was unwrapped, cleaned, rinsed and got what is commonly referred to as a “bottom job.” Her hull was sandblasted and repainted. She got new house batteries and impellers, then she was polished and positioned for her “splash in.”

We arrived to NY on a Sunday evening and drove directly to the marina. There she was, even prettier than I recalled, resting majestically in the slings of the lift and eager to return to the water.

We spent the next few days reviewing all systems then taking short local trips to ensure she was as ready as we were. We found a bit of sediment and water condensate in the fuel which was not a huge surprise after sitting in storage for nearly two years. This was a relatively easy fix. Next was identifying the source of low water pressure. We found plumbing leaks in the fore and aft deck wash hoses. Another easy fix. We needed a bit of help with the electronics so Mark, a Garmin rep, assisted with the reprogramming. It’s still not quite right but we could travel if we needed to without it. We hope it will be fixed this coming week.

We built in time for family and sightseeing. Our first guests were the three generations of the Soltis family. Rose (Mimi), Danielle Soltis McKee and Ruairi George! RG will have a sibling soon so this was a very special visit in which “little man” took center stage.

Last weekend was open so after another early Saturday morning sea trial we got off the boat. We found out, during pre-travel research, that the Finger Lakes wine country is the largest wine producing area in the U.S. outside of California! In addition, there are several museums that piqued our interest. We visited the Glen H. Curtiss Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass and the Rockwell Museum. We loved the Corning glass live demonstration!

So far we’ve been to five Finger Lakes and five wineries.

Also, last week I sought a Vessel Safety Check Examiner from the local United States Sail and Power Squadron to come aboard and inspect the boat. We met Kevin, a colorful man who is a lifelong local mariner, engineer, property manager and handyman. He shared some wonderful stories about the history of the area and he highlighted several points of interest. He found our boat to be shipshape and awarded us a clean exam and a current safety sticker.

We are still waiting to secure a commercial captain and crew to take our boat through the Welland Canal. We have exhausted the resource list offered by our support group (AGLCA), and have not heard back yet from the local United States Sail and Power Squadron nor the local Coast Guard Auxiliary. We anticipate at least another week in the local area.

While we are eager to move ahead, we are very familiar with how to deal with delays. We will keep investigating all options while enjoying our surroundings.

The art of life is to live in the present moment.

Emmet fox