"Where have you been?" asks a friend. “There has been nothing on the blog for ages." Sorry about that, we've been rather hectic ... I went back to England to celebrate my stepmother's 80th birthday, and take my father on a trip to old friends and old haunts, and Anthony sailed on without me, in the company of his brother, Richard and wife Suzanne, and a new friend, Arthur. Arthur is "sort of family" - the sort of loose connection (his grandfather is the uncle of Anthony's daughter's husband's father) that means, when we were put in touch with each other in New York, we could both have said “thank you that was lovely” and gone our separate ways, or, as has turned out, been delighted to spend plenty of time together having fun.
Arthur and Richard / Suzanne have both written guest blogs about their time on Tomia – here is Arthur’s.
After following the adventures of Tomia for the past 2 years and living vicariously many of the great accounts of cruising in the Caribbean I finally had my chance to sail on her. Sadly, Celia could not make a planned cruise from Boston up to Boothbay Harbor, but Anthony’s brother Richard and his wife Suzanne seized the opportunity and flew over from England to join. And I was invited as well, having met Anthony and Celia a few weeks prior when they anchored at the 79th street Boat Basin in the Hudson River off Manhattan and Patty (my wife) and I shared a few NYC land-based adventures together, including an evening game at Yankee Stadium (Yankees lost).
And now I am just back from 5 days living with 3 virtual strangers in a 43 foot space. So what was it like?
Great time. Anthony, the Captain was amazing. In constant motion, moving effortlessly and unobtrusively (always barefoot) like a cat, gracefully and sure footed across the decks (even in 25 knot winds with boat heeling)--hoisting and trimming sails, furling and unfurling the head sails, setting lines (including some fishing lines), rigging and trimming a cruising chute while manipulating a heavy “spinnaker” pole , moving up and down the companionway unobtrusively to manage navigation, replace filters, replenish water supplies from the excellent Tomia watermaker and even prepare coffees for the crew. Just a normal day in the office I suppose, for someone living on board for two years. And he willingly and patiently shared his extensive knowledge of the sea, sailing and all mechanical aspects of his home, a well equipped 43 foot sailboat that felt more like 50 feet for some reason- maybe a result of the feeling of security from the center cockpit design, as well as the vessel weight and obvious stability.
The watermaker was the best bit of kit on board. An advanced filtration system allows you to draw in seawater (except in really funky harbors) and converts to fresh drinking water. At first I held onto my Poland Springs stash but after a couple of days could not resist the luxury of drinking fresh water right from the tap on board- in the heads or in the galley. Ok it’s not Evian but a fantastic convenience for cruising. As is the wind generator which can be flipped over into the water when there is no wind and magically (to me) function as a propeller, generating power underway as it turns with the rush of water.
Richard was a solid number 1 mate for his brother and a great guy as well. Also a highly experienced sailor, he and Anthony owned a 32 foot sailboat together prior to Tomia and speak the same language. Half the time I needed a translation. But it was engaging and I kept learning, as knowledge was imparted generously and patiently. Especially the anchoring. As a weekend sailor for too many years I still always opt for a mooring. Given a choice Anthony anchors. This makes perfect sense as they are free of charge and he and Richard have the skill levels to size up an unfamiliar harbor quickly and set an anchor relatively effortlessly. No sea dramas for this pair. The anchor has an all chain rode and a meter to keep track of the amount of scope let out. Very secure and convenient - no fear of dragging loose during the night!
Suzanne is also a very competent sailor with deceptively “keen” perceptions …for someone living in NYC for 40 years it came as I surprise that I (and my habits) were apparently not invisible to others. Then again it was only a 43 foot space……but who is complaining? Not I. Suzanne and Richard (and Anthony) were all easy going, great fun and we had lots of laughs and mini adventures as you might expect from a 5 day July cruise off the New England coast, from navigating through an unexpected fog off the coast of northern Mass to a more structured whale and dolphin watching tour off Boothbay Harbor (the watch boat did circles to allow the large schools of dolphins to swim, jump and surf the wake!) to the usual fresh lobster fests and even an impromptu dinner at Kittery harbor with friends of a friend of Anthony’s.
But it is the experience of cruising that I am left with ...essentially living out of doors 16 hours a day, sleeping under the stars albeit through the lens of an open hatch cover above, and slowing down as the official Tomia crew T-shirt advises, "sail fast and live slow". The exhilaration of moving along on a magic carpet over the sea, under the vast blue sky … it takes a few days to let go of habits- addictions,—the NY Times and constant background music … mainly in the head but also on the radio, on CDs, an iPod ..after a while all the noise melts away and one experiences the music and food for the soul—the harmony and routines established in living in close quarters with people of good will and equally committed to maintaining harmony by sublimating their own needs and neurosis to as minimal a level as possible … the feeling of perfect harmony when the mind finally stops rushing around for stimulus and the oft-talked about feeling of oneness with nature and the elements slowly and subtly but unmistakably sets in … the open sky, the perfect air temperature and gentle breezes, the rush of water along the hull and the vast blue ocean all around cast their spell … deep quiet … one tends to see oneself and one’s habits in a mirror as the calm and peace move in … thanks to Anthony and Celia for making this possible.
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