Sail to Oxford

by Cash

Waking up...

We just went to Oxford for a night, and it was fun, but hot.   It has been in the high 90s and humid, and the level of heat made me sluggish.  I hate having to go through the day feeling tired and not getting anything productive done.  Also, the bed is not as soft as I’m used to, so I'm sore in the mornings.  The soreness quickly leaves, though.

We are living in an "in-between state", as my mom says.  Half of our stuff is on the boat, and half is at home, and half is at the storage space.  (Math teacher edit needed).  We keep finding out things we need at home are on the boat, and vice versa.  The things I like to do (computer programming and playing instruments) are at home, so there wasn't much to do in the down-time when at anchor in Oxford.  When we actually start cruising, I'll have all my stuff and will be able to get things done.  

The sailing itself is very fun, feeling the breeze and raising the sails.  Every time so far this summer, though, the sun takes it out of me and I fall asleep.  When I wake up, I feel like I could get more sleep.  It’s fun lying in the cockpit when we sail, talking to anyone who is there at the time;  It's very peaceful.  

We got to Oxford around dinner-time, so the first thing we did after stowing things away was have dinner.  The next morning, we decided to go into Oxford to look around.  We had already set up the small dinghy and put the motor on,
when we realized that we had no fuel.  We had to row.  Dad took Nicole first, and I hung out on the boat, until they finally came back.  I rowed Mom in, and I was fighting the current.  It was hard.  An friendly couple in a motorboat came by and offered to tow us in.  We happily accepted.  We walked down to the local restaurant and bought ice cream and 16 bottles of water, as the water tank was empty.  The lady who took our order was slightly taken aback when we asked for so many waters.  I still remember loving that restaurant from when we visited Oxford when we were much younger.

We rowed back to the boat, and finally left.  We got back to the marina in Deal with no problems. I think it's going to be much more fun once we sail north and get out of the heat.  I think every once and a while, we should go see someone and sleep at their house, because being so close to everyone might drive me just a little insane after a while.  This trip will be really fun, especially when we get out of the heat. Seeing new places and exploring is going to great.