First Time First Mate

Something I realized after 4 days of cruising....I no longer have a “nine to five” day or any other set time frame.   Well, that’s not actually true as my days have now become structured by the ‘Engine Room Check’ (heretofore referred to as the ERC).   So that means that every 2 hours while we are underway I must man the helm while Ken goes down into the bowels of the ship to transfer fuel and do his “captain thing”.   When that is done I have 2 hours until the next one and must take advantage of that time to get my first mate chores done as well as incorporate some ME time. The morning time off (and I use that phrase loosely) is usually taken up with breakfast preparation and galley cleaning as my Spotify play list provides inspiration.   I REALLY like my galley to be neat and tidy.... After that, my 2 hour intervals involve, among other things, giving our pups some attention and working on “boat potty training” my little dog, Allie.   Ken’s lab...

So....the good news is.....we are still on course for the Bahamas, we survived an arctic blast and are still speaking to each other!!! The bad news:    Now here you have to understand that this is coming from a “newby” cruiser....a so called ‘wanna be’ sailor.    I am in a serious learning curve about all things ‘nautical and live aboard’.     But my captain, God bless his little heart is saying, “Sheree, you are doing so great, I am so proud of you” when I am (in my mind) constantly messing things up.    OK, I get a lot of things right mind you, but this first mate thing is a real challenge if you’ve never done it.    Let me explain......there are 2 very important concerns about living aboard a boat:   Power conservation (and shouldn’t we all be concerned about that?)   Water conservation (ditto) I feel that I am doing pretty well with #1...I only use my blow dryer or curling iron while underway when the eng...