The First 1500 Miles

My favorite movie of all times is Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. And my favorite line from the movie comes at the end when Arvie Singer – Woody Allen’s character – tries to explain his ambivalent relationship with Annie. He tells the story about his brother in law who thinks he’s a chicken. Arvie takes him to a psychiatrist who diagnosis the brother in law’s condition and tells Arvie that he can correct the problem. Arvie thinks about it for a minute and declines the psychiatrists offer. When the psychiatrist asks why, Arvie explains that he needs the eggs. This is how Arvie feels about Annie and I think that this is how Marg and I feel about this trip. It’s almost over. Less than two weeks to go before we get to Fort Pierce. Lots of drama has transpired over the last 3 ½ months. Hurricanes, floods, tropical storms, fog, mechanical delays. If I ever hear the words, “The weather is unusually [cold, hot, windy, rainy] for this time of the year” one more time, I might throttle the person that utters them. But here we are, less than two weeks from our destination and I can’t think of a single instance that didn’t make me feel like I’ve been on the adventure of a lifetime. I don’t want to relive Irene, or the fogs of Sandy Hook, or the scary-ass Jersey coast passage, particularly Manasquan, or being so cold at some anchorage that I would have traded Marg for a three dog night. But, seeing dolphins swimming next to the boat, and meeting cruisers from all over the place who have been living on their boats travelling all over the place, and decimating our entire wine supply sharing sea stories… well it just doesn’t get much better than that. And I feel that even though we are going to go back home to share in the birth of our second grandchild, and be able to see family and friends for the holidays, I am going to yearn for a big fat serving of eggs. I have been bitten. Addicted. Being on our boat, every day a new adventure or challenge, it’s what I’ve been waiting for all my life, and I didn’t even know it until now.  Both Marg and I hope the next 1500 miles are as good as the first.