My Nautical 'Comfort Food'

What I seek on the water is the exact opposite of my everyday existence. It’s like a dinner of meatloaf and mashed potatoes versus roasted Cornish game hens with cumin and lemon. I want simplicity, quiet, calmness, no stress…I want to hear myself think, or not think, for that matter. Some of my nautical pleasures include;

 

The day’s first cup of coffee, wrapped in a blanket in the cockpit watching the day get started.

Just cleaning the boat. I rarely wash any of my cars, but I wash the boat everyday. I just like to wash the boat; makes me feel good.

Tinkering around on the boat. Tightening stuff, fixing stuff, checking fluids, re-arranging stuff. Just doing things on the boat.

Reading on the boat.

Driving the boat at speed. Not at maximum rpm ….. just at a good clip. Wind in your hair and eyes-start-to-tear speed. A glance back at my wake.

That first swallow of beer after a sunny day on the water. That first tsunami-wave taste sensation that washes all over your mouth. I usually empty it in three gulps. Not very couth.

Exploring. Just poking my boat into unfamiliar waters. So far I’ve traveled to places on the water I never dreamed I’d get to; Little Current, Baie Fine, Straits of Mackinw, Welland Canal, Toronto, Big Chute, Chesapeake Bay in all it’s glories …. I find that everyplace looks better from the water.

Hearing the lilting song of the loon, at dusk, on the Trent-Severn.

Just watching a sunset on Alum Creek Reservoir. It’s not quite up to the cocktail fueled dock gathering at Key West, but still a great way to say ‘Thank You’ to old Sol for another great day on the water.

Doing absolutely nothing while being on the water.

Simple pleasures are like comfort food. Macaroni & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly and Meatloaf & Mashed… my boating pleasures are my nautical ‘comfort food.’