Time to Return Home

After a whole summer, 1293NM, 131 days, 1 million Greek salads, 2 million souvlakis, and 100 million gyros -- it was time to put the boat back up on dry land for the winter.

Docking a boat is challenging. In this case, you are reversing 23 tons of yacht backwards -- and it doesn't go straight. Our boat pulls heavily clockwise when going in reverse.

Then let's add in a challenge -- wind and currents. Trying to get into the slip where they would lift our boat out was one of the hardest maneuvers I did all year (and we did a lot of stern-to docking!). To illustrate what the currents and wind are doing: This combination of forces results in your boat spinning and shifting in a collection of directions -- all while moving backwards towards concrete. For people easily influenced by people shouting suggestions onshore -- they may mean well (and may very well be giving good advice), however it's often a bit too much information to handle at once.

On our boat, reversing means a minimum of three simultaneous actions -- throttle, helm, and bow thruster. One more than you have hands for. Add in the need to communicate with whoever is on deck -- it becomes a stressful maneuver. I most certainly did not get this in first go.

With that -- the boat goes back up!

It is a peculiar feeling, hauling out after a season like that. You spend months learning the boat, learning the water, getting comfortable with the routine of it all -- and then it is back on a trailer in a boatyard. Quieter than you expect.

We will be back to continue cruising along.