Overnighter with Aelena

I promised myself when the season started that I'd spend a night on the boat at Star Island this year. I've been on vacation for the past two weeks and it was beginning to look like I might not during my time-off. But as luck (and God) would have it, I got my chance and I had such a good time that I wanted to write about it here.

I sailed out at 9:15 yesterday (Thursday) morning with the wind directly behind me. I went wing-and-wing all the way out and the only gas I used was getting her off the trailer and picking up the mooring. I hadn't moored in Gosport before (I hadn't moored anywhere before) and the 'Dockies' at Star told me which mooring was never used. I moored and buttoned up the boat and then hitched a ride into the dock with one of the aforementioned Dockies. There was another rider on the tender and he had a 17' sailboat anchored in the harbor. He and I chatted about our boats as we motored in and I was glad to talk with another small boat ocean sailor.

As I've probably mentioned in these posts before, I volunteer on the island one or two times every year working as a carpenter, software engineer or general laborer. That's how I spend the majority of my time there so this trip was a real luxury without having to work. I didn't do much at all except walk around talking with people I know and meeting some of the current conferees. I finished one novel and started reading another. It was extremely relaxing and the day passed quickly.

At about 8:45 the sun was down and I decided to head out to Aelena before the night got pitch black. I rowed out in one of the SI dinghies and was happy to get a view from my cockpit of the old hotel all lit up with the moon rising behind her. I couldn't stay there long, though, because the mosquitoes were brutal! I put on long pants and unrolled my sleeping bag down in the cuddy cabin. That didn't do much to stop the flying leaches, though, so I closed the companionway and was in for the night.

The boat is small but I'm not that big myself, so I was fairly comfortable with enough room on either side of me to stretch out a little. (It would be tight with two in there.) I brought a flashlight and read for 30 minutes or so before turning in. Thankfully the wind and chop had settled down and the boat rocked easily with the small waves in the harbor. I was asleep in short order, but the motion of the boat was unfamiliar to me as I slept and I woke a number of times.

At about 1:30 I had to relieve myself so I used the bucket that I keep on-board in case I ever have to bail water out of the bilge. When I finished, I opened the companionway and stepped out into the cockpit to wash out the bucket in the sea. When I dumped the contents overboard, I was startled by what looked like a thousand fireflies in the water. They disappeared quickly and when I bent to rinse out the bucket, there they were again. Mesmerized, I kept swirling the water to see the light show. It's hard to describe what a sight these phosphorescent plankton were in the deep black sea. Just amazing and awe inspiring.

I slept in fits until 5 AM when I rowed the tender back to the dock and eventually had coffee and breakfast. I was (and am) proud to have a boat that carries me to a place like Star Island and is (just) commodious enough for spending a night or two on-board. When I talked to people of the hotel porch (everybody on Star Island talks with everybody else - it's very sociable) over coffee, I would always point out my little Newport 17 in the harbor and tell them that's where I was staying.

I had a great day just relaxing with people I knew and people I'd met. Around noon I figured I should get going so I grabbed my bag and hitched a ride out to Aelena. There were more boats in the harbor now, one of which was a 40-footer about 100 yards off my stern. I'd never left a mooring before and I considered motoring away just to be safe, but I really wanted to leave under sail. So I stowed my gear, raised the mainsail, slipped the pendant and started gliding toward my neighbor. In a heartbeat I unfurled the jib, changed tacks and cruised past him with plenty of room to spare. The owner was sitting on his bow watching and he gave me a wave and said 'Good job!' as I sailed past. And it felt like it was.

So I've spent 12 of the past 24 hours on the sea and I can't stop the rocking sensation. I'm home and glad to be here but I always miss Star Island when I leave and especially this time.