November 8, 2012

November 8, 2012

We finally made it to Edgewater at 5:00 p.m.  We were met by Mick and Kevin who took us to our boat and showed us the basics.  That means--how to use the head (toilet) and how to turn on the heat.  They had the boat already heated for us since I the temperature t was in the low 40's.  We unloaded the truck and placed everything where we thought it should be stowed.  I got the galley stocked and was surprised by the amount of storage space available.  The cabinets are deep.  We made a quick trip out to eat dinner and then to the grocery to get food for breakfast and lunch on the boat.  After those trips we finished unloading again around 11:00.  We figured out how to climb into the bed--yes one climb.  I could hear the water splashing outside as I fell to sleep.

In the morning we learned how to use the shower.  Not difficult at all.  I used my teeny tiny hair dryer which can only be used when on shore power or with the generator--as Steve has so kindly reminded me about 6 times.  Next I ventured into the kitchen and learned how to make toast in a convection oven.  We have a convection/microwave combination.  Using the broil setting, we had toasted pop tarts and English muffins in about 6 minutes. 

The boat sways gently while we are tied off at the dock.  It is a crisp cold day in Edgewater. 

Mick came by this morning to start our training sessions.  We began in the master stateroom by pulling up the mattress.  Wow!  Who knew there would be so much room in those secret compartments below the mattress?  We (well really Steve) cleaned out all the mechanical doodads we found that we are going to store in the engine room.  Now we have plenty of room for beach towels… 

We learned that anything stored below the waterline against the hull will absorb water through the hull.  It is a weird phenomenon depending on water temperature and air temperature.  For this reason, we were advised to place everything stored in these compartments inside sealable plastic bags. 

From the stateroom we ventured into the Head (bathroom) and companion way (hallway) and then on to the guest staterooms.  At this point my head was spinning.  We took a lunch break and then went onto studying the salon with its audio visual equipment.  We explored the storage areas underneath the cushions which we learned are easy to remove.  This was great news to me because now I can take these home to be reupholstered by our hometown friends Steve & Marie in Monroe and we can use Dale Strickland to help us pick our fabrics!!!

We met Barrie and Mary who just purchased "Proud Mary" a new 55 foot Fleming.  They graciously invited us over to their boat this evening.  There are three boats here at Burr that are currently occupied.  The others are here for repair, maintenance or consignment sale.  It will be interesting to learn from these experienced cruisers.