Work Day Number Two, Safe Harbor Marina at Harpswell, Maine

It has been another beautiful day to be living on the water, surrounded by tall trees reaching their highest limbs to a blue sky. A flock of sea gulls had come in, and the bright white birds were floating on the water, diving for fish and soaring in the air off the southeast end of Snow Island, near where we were anchored.

Sea gulls on Quahog Bay by Snow Island

After breakfast, we raised the anchor and headed into the Safe Harbor Marina on Sebascodegan Island, also known as Great Island because it it the largest of the islands in Casco Bay. The wind was from the southwest and our bow was going to be pointing south on a face dock, so Peter decided to reverse in to the dock. I drove the boat in reverse until we were close, and the Peter took the wheel and Shalako and I threw lines to the dock hands. 

We got striaght to work. I have spent most of the day doing laundry. The washing machine and dryer are available at no cost, so I used this opportunity to not only clean our clothes but to wash and dry all the sheets and pillow cases and pillow covers on the boat. Having noticed the filthy state of the pillows inside their zippered covers, I decided to wash those also. The machine is large enough to accommodate four pillows at a time, and the second load is ready to go in the dryer and then I will be finished. Then it will be time to make dinner.

Meanwhile, back on the boat, Shalako has been swabbing the deck and cleaning out bilges and assisting Peter as needed. Peter has been down in the lazarette for hours, working on the quadrant, the pistons, the bearings and other things that control the rudder. It has been frustrating work, and Shalako told me that he has heard words that are usually not spoken by Peter.