April 2019 – Cannons to Cruising

JOMO

I learned a new phrase the other day—JOMO. It is the opposite of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and means the JOY of missing out. As introverts, Conor and I experience JOMO all the time while we retreat into our own hobbies. He plays video games while I write, and we don’t miss hitting the town on Saturday nights.

However, when it comes to cruising/sailing, we are a little envious of people who have already cut ties with the 9-5 (or in the military life, 7-6). It is hard to wait for our time to go and there is some serious FOMO when we look at boats anchored in crystal clear water next to deserted islands. Can we go now? What experiences are we missing by being in North Carolina still? Those sailors look like they’re having an incredible time. When will that finally be us?

But if we were already cruising, we would miss out on so much here. Grilled pizza date nights that turn into impromptu dock parties with 8 other liveaboards until 10 pm. Game of Thrones watch parties on the boat with not enough room on the couch. W going to her first gymnastics class and showing off her sea legs as she fearlessly traverses the balance beam. Conor getting his JTAC-E certification. Time to write with book #2 coming out and halfway through drafting book #3.

There is something to be said for stability and routine and finding joy in the present. We are focusing on turning our cruising FOMO into JOMO as we hang dockside for a little longer. Summers are SO fun here and we have many marina adventures to look forward to.

Love,

Taylor, Conor, and W

Learn Our Lingo

If you ever come and stay aboard Story Time for a while, you’ll need to learn a few key phrases that are particular to our boat.

Tokyo Drift—This refers to a combination of prop walk and wind while we are attempting to dock. It is when Conor stops trying to steer and lets the boat drift its way into our slip. He pretends to be in Fast and the Furious.

Winch Wench—This term is for whoever is working the sails (male or female). I like alliteration, okay?

Drop It Low—Inside our main settee, we can lower our table and put a cushion on top for a comfy way to watch TV. Speaking of which, who is pumped for the Game of Thrones premiere tonight?!

Bumpin’—The term for the way our boat rocks front to back when a Nor’easter blows through. The dock slams down next to the stern of our boat. Bump Bump Bump. It is super annoying in the middle of the night.

Pump Out Beer—References the beers you consume both before and after doing a pump out.

Waked—When some jackass in a fishing boat zooms through the marina at 30 mph and sends you + everything inside the boat flying.

Hit The Gas—Surprisingly, not a term for under power while on our boat. It almost always means “Please turn on the solenoid switch so I can cook dinner on the stove. Thanks, honey.”

Smells Boaty—Just like how every family home you go into has its own distinct smell, every boat does too. It is most noticeable with stuff that doesn’t get washed often (bags, shoes, etc) when we are off the boat. It’s a smell you’ll have to experience for yourself to understand. Don’t worry, you will also take it back with you. It’s not gross, just boaty.

Weather Window—When I obsessively check the Accuweather app for a time period with perfect conditions before we take the boat out.

Up Help—W is also contributing to our family lingo aboard and when she says/signs “Up Help”, it exclusively means that she wants to climb the stairs and needs our permission to watch her as she ascends. This happens at least twenty times per day.

What silly words or phrases do you use while aboard? Or do you have any unique ways of communication in your family? We would love to hear!

Love,

Taylor, Conor, and W

Shake Out The Sails…

Because Story Time is officially back at it this season! Sunday was our first sail of 2019 and MAN did it feel great to be out on the water again. 75 degrees and sunny with 5-10 knot winds means that winter has finally lifted. Conor is home from Norway at last, and there is no better way to reconnect as a family than doing what we love all together.

It didn’t matter that we discovered a rip in our mainsail (again! Seriously, wtf) and the wind died on us for about an hour out there, because our engine ran great, our rigging looks good, and Story Time seems no worse for the wear after hanging out in her slip for the past 4 months.

We had a magical encounter with a pod of 6 dolphins that played around our boat for at least 20 minutes. I could have reached out and touched them, they were that close. I was a bit nervous to see how W would cooperate while we were sailing now that she’s extremely mobile, but she loves her sailing harness and was very into ‘helping’ with the lines.

harness

Looking at this picture makes my heart so full. She’s only 15 months but ready to dive right in to every adventure. I can just see the little girl she’ll become—brave and fierce!

I’m keeping this post short and sweet so we can get back to family time, but now that Conor is home I will be able to update more frequently with sailing and liveaboard life. After only 2 posts in March (gah!) I promise to be more on top of it in April.

Love,

Taylor, Conor, and W