Boat Yoga And An Exceptional Treat

Beaufort  

A planned day in port gave us the opportunity to get some boat chores done. Barry and I each had big items our our To-Do lists that we either didn't have time for or didn't want to complete before we departed Deltaville. Following breakfast, Barry headed into the lazarette to retrieve materials necessary to change the oil in the engine and transmission. His first task was collecting samples of each oil to send off for analysis. Like us having bloodwork done at a physical, these samples confirm that Crossroads is running well (or identify any red flags that need attention). Meanwhile, I was in the pilothouse giving it a good cleaning. Dusting and washing the windows were quickly done, leaving the rest of the morning to condition and protect the wood with a combination of beeswax and orange oil. Barry was making good progress in the engine room. Although this area appears spacious, there is no headroom and all tasks must be done while kneeling and leaning over the engine. There is no room to turn around, and he must back out while avoiding the trough-hulls on the floor. 

Back in the pilothouse, I had covered all the easy and accessible surfaces and was left with the hard to reach areas above the helm. This yoga practice, which I have coined Havabotoclenz (have a boat to cleanse), targets flexibility and stretching. The morning was clear and warm. We finished our chores and cleaned up in time for a trip into town for lunch. Several restaurants were closed because today was Wednesday, but we found Clawson's 1905 was open and hopping with the noontime rush. We were seated in a booth right below the Bahamian flag. Just a little reminder of our destination.   

We had the use of Town Creek Marina's courtesy car and made a few stops before returning to Crossroads. Most importantly we stopped and picked up some fresher than fresh shrimp from a roadside vendor. Harvested and off the boat this morning and $4.50/lb. made these an exceptional treat. The oil test kits were dropped off at the Post Office and we ran into Food Lion for some fresh asparagus. Back on Crossroads, I got busy deheading, peeling, and deveining the shrimp. The cold front blew through with heavy rain and gusts of 30 knots. By the time our purchases were transformed into dinner, the rain had stopped. Tomorrow morning's weather should be more settled and we'll be off again, heading further south.

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