Fussy Muffy

The admiral arrived on board yesterday after a two day drive down from NYC. We promptly took the boat out to anchor in order to get reacquainted without disturbing the neighbors on the dock. Last night was 12th night. We had a night of revelry after a two month separation. We cooked a nice meal on the grill, opened a couple presents (We did save a few for today), and watched the football playoffs. Condolences to Grampa and Brianna on the Steeler loss.

Muffy insists that I point out that she has not been fussy. Even though I've had a week to clean and organize, there are still plenty of issues with the boat. She's been a good sport and complained not a bit. She's looking forward to pitching in on the repairs. We'll balance the work with play and exploring the island now that we have a car.

Having Muffy aboard when sailing makes things a lot easier on me. A task like weighing anchor is a lot less complex. My usual routine often requires running between the bow and cockpit to reel in the anchor and steer the boat. I can get quite out of breath if the anchor has really dug in or there is a lot of wind or current during the procedure. Having a mate at the wheel makes it all a lot easier.

It does help that both Muffy and I know that I've done all this by myself for the past two months. We know that her presence is a luxury, and if need be I can take care of any task myself. Before we do something like weigh anchor, I try to explain to her what I'm going to do and what I want her to do. I try to keep the task I give her relatively simple. In the case of weighing anchor, it's mainly operation of the throttle. You hear horror stories about couples, yelling and first mates getting turned off by the experience and abandoning ship. So far I think the experience on the boat has been a positive one for Muffs (excepting some seasickness while running on some swells in the Chesapeake).

Pic is of Muffy watching football in the cockpit.