And so we turn the page over to think of starting. This is all there is. ~JOHN ASHBERY, "Frontispiece"
The Womack Crew has been in a process of increasing galvanization over the past few weeks as we began to put into action the plan we have been dreaming about for over a decade. Our daily focus dramatically shifted from the details of landlubber life to becoming cruising sailors as Elizabeth graduated, school ended, Leslie tendered her resignation, and the hunt for our next home, a boat, began in earnest. Years of research paid off when we found exactly the boat we wanted a week and a half before school got out and our final offer was accepted days before Elizabeth's graduation!
Texas Two Step (T2S), a Robertson and Caine Leopard 38, is currently located in Clear Lake, TX. She is a beautiful 38' catamaran that has been lovingly cared for by her live-aboard owners as they have cruised the Bahamas and Virgin Islands.
Today, Dave and Leslie have returned from a quick trip to Houston, TX where a survey, haul-out, bottom-clean, and sea trial were performed. The surveyor we hired to inspect and appraise the boat told David that, as he charged a hefty hourly fee, if he ever said, "We can quit anytime," it meant that he had found something that he considered a substantial deal-breaker for us. On the contrary, he seemed to become progressively excited as we moved from the initial inspection, to the haul-out, and on-to the sea-trial. He was practically acting as a salesman toward the end of the survey! When we sat down to happy hour and sushi with our surveyor, ostensibly to discuss the condition of the boat away from the current owners/sellers, Leslie asked him how much the owners were paying him!
In true sailing-world fashion, we enjoyed beers and sushi with the surveyor, exchanged promises of future sailing and beer drinking dates with our two families and then had beers aboard T2S with the owners as we discussed closing details.
Aside from our shared suitcase taking off to Vegas without us and arriving at our hotel only hours before we got back on the plane to Portland, our trip was devoid of drama. Our friend Tiffany wondered if it eloped and we hoped it hit a big jack-pot, but no such luck; at least it didn’t lose our shirts permanently! We’ll never know the fun it had; like Tiff said, “What happens in Vegas…!”
What will the future hold for us?
Swabbie 1, aka Elizabeth, is moving into a landlubber apartment with friends in July and is enrolled for the Fall session in the College for Animal Sciences at Oregon State University. The rest of the crew will come to visit her and hopes she will come to visit us!
Swabbie 2, aka Michelle, is enrolling as a homeschooler and beginning online courses. While she takes some long visits with friends to say good-bye she is working on picking which berth she will occupy and which will be left for guests. There is already a sailor her age looking forward to her arrival in Houston. After hurricane season passes, and we begin to sail in bluer water, she will be snorkeling and SCUBA diving off the stern of the boat.
First Mate Leslie has formally resigned from Philomath School District and continues to say fond farewells to friends she found over the past six years. She is looking forward to managing a household aboard T2S, diving off the stern steps for evening swims, having time to read other people’s ideas and writing her own.
Captain Dave continues to enjoy work as a jack-of-all-helicopter-trades; he’ll just have a different airport to fly out of once we move aboard T2S. He is shopping for a dive compressor and looking forward to safely logging many dives and sharing many happy hour beverages with the people we meet as we travel.
For now, we sort, pack, and jettison the quantities of detritus we have accumulated as landlubbers and turn the page to think of starting.
~Womack Crew
