New neighbors

The air inside my cabin was stagnant and heavy with the humidity as I awoke this morning.  The Thermometer was hovering in the high 70's while the barometer had dropped slightly overnight indicating a storm on the way.  It was quite a contrast to the weather last night. 
After attending my weekly institute class about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints some friends and I decided to utilize the pool/hot-tub at the marina.  It was a great way to wind down after a long day.  I had gone up north to visit my Grandma who has now blown out both of her knees.  It was emotionally draining for my Mom, and I was just along to help out.  I'm glad I was there though.  I did get to drop off my shrouds at the rigging shop in Manitowoc; they have a nice full service marina, it was good to see.
  As we showed up to go swimming one of my neighbors (a German) came up to harass me about still not having my rig in the vertical position.  He had done this before, but all in good fun.  He complained about how cold it was going to be that night, and then invited us out to a bar with him.  Germans seem to be perpetually in need of alcohol, especially sailing Germans.  I guess that's why there are so many bars in Sheboygan (a city with definite German roots).  We declined and went for our little swim.
After dropping everyone off I went back and listened to the weather broadcast on my waterproof VHF radio.  There were going to be 3-5 foot waves, and intense thunderstorms coming through.  I read a small section of Jessica Watson's book True Spirit and then laid down on the cockpit seats with a cushion propping my head up.  It was relaxing to look up at the stars, to feel the breeze slip gently around my bare feet, and to be rocked slightly by the ever-present wavelets.  I could imagine lying in a similar position looking up at full sails and watching the stars go by as I tick off mile after mile of open ocean.  I hope I'll get to see that become a reality soon.
I slept well enough and awoke to generally muggy conditions.  On the way up to the Harbor Center I chatted with a man who had his Catalina 22 docked directly opposite of Aequitas.  He was from Iowa and usually berthed at Lake City.  He had come this far and was attempting to do a loop around Lake Michigan.  He had no crew with him and had to put into the harbor to escape the storms.  Having sailed on a Catalina 22 before I know they can be the perfect little trailer-sailer for a small family, or a beginner; but they are not particularly suited to riding out storms.  Apart from not having standing headroom in the cabin, the weighted swing keel can prove problematic.  Indeed this man reported that there was a bit of water coming in from around the centerboard trunk.  This had happened while I was out with the Sea Scouts here on our Catalina 22 in some 3-4 foot waves.  The centerboard had not bee lowered and locked in place properly and slammed side-to-side with each wave finally knocking a small hole in the side of the centerboard trunk just under the port settee.  Every time we heeled over to port a little water would slosh in, and there was a deep rhythmic thump.  I kept picturing the 540 pound board ripping free of its bindings and plummeting to the bottom of the lake leaving us with no ballast to counter the wind's force on our sails.  Luckily we made it back to port safely and the boat is someone elses pride and joy.  (It all got fixed and wasn't as bad as I thought it was.)  Anyway, it was good to talk to another guy who was doing some single handed cruising.  And true he wasn't far off shore, but many will tell you that the Great Lakes can be just as treacherous as any ocean; hence the are called "Death's Door" up in Door County.
One thing I love about living on my boat is the camaraderie felt since we all have at least one thing in common, a love of boats and the water; and in most cases where I feel like an idiot they just look on with compassion and the wisdom that can only be gained from having been there and done that.