Writing Reboot
It's time to reboot a bit to keep the writing muscle engaged. But just like getting back to the gym, it can be painful. So we'll start out slow and maybe taper off if needed. No promises, but with loads of photos and plenty of stories that never made it onto the page - perhaps there is some room for reminiscing. Besides, stories only get better with time and gaps in memory can be filled with fiction.
Looking through old posts, below is a decent one from exactly three years ago, although it seems much more time has passed.
Comfortable Cruising
March 8, 2022
No one walked by without making a comment. We shouldn’t be surprised. A couch sitting in the middle of a dock is an unusual sight in a marina. The fact that we were sitting on the couch as if we were waiting for a bus didn’t really help us blend in. But can we be blamed for taking a little break while moving our newly acquired couch almost a 1/4 mile from the parking lot to the boat? Carrying a couch is not easy, especially in a marina. It was heavy, awkward, and we really didn’t want to drop it in the water.
We seem to have developed a history of replacing furniture on our land and water vessels. A couple of years ago we remodeled the inside of our RV and took delivery (and installed) new recliners while parked in a FedEx Freight parking lot in Albuquerque (more about that story). Fast forward a few months and we replaced the original couch on Positive Latitude with a pair of recliners we found on marketplace. But the recliners weren’t very comfortable and after 18 months we ditched them and began our search for a replacement. Our deck chairs served as temporary furniture in the salon as the search continued for months longer than expected. A suitable replacement was finally located 400 miles to the south near our new home in Southwest Florida. Certainly a bit outside our initial search radius. But driving the distance with our new-to-us coach in tow was certainly easier than the last 1/4 mile on foot.
The weight and awkward size of the couch certainly added aches and pains as we walked it across the concrete pier. But we pushed forward determined to finish the Couch Project of 2021 before we had to add a second year to the project title. Perhaps we should have waited for the tide to rise. Now at low tide, the ramp connecting the pier to the floating dock seemed near vertical. Baby steps. The one in front calling out to the one in back who couldn’t see anything with their face smashed up against the armrest. Despite not having the headsets we use to communicate while docking the boat, which might have been helpful, we managed to get down the ramp without falling into the drink. But we needed a break so carefully dropped the coach on the dock and took a seat.
Marinas are historically known for an abundance of one thing: advice. Fellow boaters are always willing to give advice on the best fishing, the best time to leave, the best time to stay put, the best anchors, etc… And of course advice on moving a couch across a dock. We should note that there were also several offers to take over - at least for the prettier one of us. However, the prettier one is also strong and agile so she wasn’t quick to give up her role in the process. And either despite or because we were in the south, there weren’t any offers to take over for the other one of us.
But we did take a bit of advice we received from a well-intentioned fellow boater and decided to try and use a dock cart. For those not familiar, dock carts are kinda like wheelbarrows that are available for boaters to haul their ice chests (full of more stuff than they can eat) back and forth between their car and their boat. While useful, they aren’t really designed for moving couches. So our break ended and we managed to lift the couch and get the dock cart positioned underneath it. Sorta. It was a bit of a balancing act and took several hands to maintain its position on the cart.
If we thought our load was well balanced, we learned otherwise when we started to move. The solid, stable, wide concrete dock suddenly seemed inadequate as we struggled to keep our over-loaded cart moving in a straight line. The hose running across the dock and the electrical pedestals reaching out for us soon became hazards that threatened our project’s success. But we managed to get to the side of the boat and ditched the dock cart for our traditional carry the last 50 feet on the even narrower dock finger. For those not familiar, the dock finger is the narrower dock found between boats in the maze of docks in a marina. The narrow finger rocked with each step forcing us to a snail’s pace as we neared the finish line.
Once at the stern (back) of the boat, we managed to balance the couch on the gunwale and push, pull, lift, and shove the couch onto the boat deck. We never appreciated the double doors to the salon more than that particular moment as carried the couch into its new home. The project was complete and we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset. A couch never felt so comfortable.
Life is good (and comfortable again) on Positive Latitude!