After an afternoon of sailing and one failed attempt to dock at the very crwoded Cunningham's Creekside (a restaurant off of Harrod's Creek around Prospect, Ky), my wife (Linda) and I decided that it would be a lovely night to grab a pizza, eat on the boat, and spend a night on the water.
This was not done without some preparation. We had to run by Wal-Mart to get a red/green bow light (mine is not currently connected which should be fixed soon), as well as some water for the boat. But soon that was done, we had our pizza (Linda got wings), and we were heading out across the Ohio to a little cove that one of our dock neighbors (really nice older guy with a beard and tattoos who sails a Venture 19 I believe) had recommended. The view was beautiful and the reflection of the full moon on the water was really something else.
We eventually got anchored (my anchor line was too short so we had to anchor close to shore...not a big problem for a light swing keel like a Mac 25) and settled down to dinner. The pizza was a little cold, but we were glad to have it. Linda's wings were pretty warm, and she was generous enough to share a couple with me. All in all, we were both quite pleased: our little cabin made for a cozy little dinner spot.
Then, we settled down in the V-berth for a little late night movie (Forrest Gump). While we passed off the ipad to one another, Linda had a stroke of genius: maybe we could mount the ipad if we opened the forward hatch just right. Sure enough, it worked! It was light having a proper TV!
Eventually, Linda went to sleep and I retired to the cockpit. Even later, I finally gave it up: I lowered the table, converted the sitting area into another berth. I laid down to the gentle (almost nonexistent) rocking of the waves.
What I didn't expect was the constant- constant- CONSTANT buzzing of, you guessed it: mosquitos. Every second one would buzz by. I'd wait for it to land, kill it, then another would come by. It was endless. After a couple hours of this, I heard Linda move. I asked if she was getting any sleep. She mostly wasn't.
I turned on the light. Linda gets up, looks around at the number of mosquitos on the walls (it was not and inconsiderable number), and says "Let's go home." I had no issues with this request. We went back to the dock, tied up, and were in our own beds by 3.
It wasn't a great ending, but it wasn't a wasted night: our dinner was lovely, and it was great to be out on the water in such beautiful conditions. All in all, this was another learning experience.
Overnight Boating Lesson #1: Prepare to keep out mosquitos and other insects
We are campers and are used to this one, but usually you can duck in the tent when it's real bad. But with a boat, that boat is both your campground and your sleeping area. It's already been exposed to the mosquitos and insects, unlike a tent where you just crawl in to finally get some shut eye.
Next time, we will be ready: citronella candles and mosquito netting will be the order of the day.
