Stuck on a Sailboat with Robin!

It's been a busy few weeks for me here in Dallas. So, this weekend we decided to take a last minute vacation back to Irvington, VA to visit Robin Leach's Valkyrie. Apparently it had been beautiful the last few weeks on the Chesapeake, with clear skies and temperatures in the 80s. But, it was just our luck to arrive during one of the biggest storms of the fall season.

Upon arrival, we tended to the usual boat cleaning that occupies the first few hours of every stay. This included a trip for me to the local laundromat to do some clothes washing. After spending at least $5.00 for every lead of laundry and a few dollars for drying and talking with the regulars who knew just which machines to use, I am perplexed why more people don't own their own washers and dryers. Anyway, this also included throwing away all of the old Turkish and Tunisian food that was rotting in Robin's pantry. He apparently had not restocked his provisions since leaving the Mediterranean! After a few hours, the skies darkened and the threat of a storm was on the horizon. The temperature also started dropping drastically. We opted for some Chinese take-out and closed the hatches on the boat as the storm moved in. While watching one of our numerous DVDs of the weekend, the winds picked up, the rain came pouring down, and the boat started rocking. The masts howled in the wind throughout the night while the rain beat down, allowing for a quite peaceful sleep on the boat.

It wasn't until the next morning that I realized what happens at the marina when a storm such as this blows in....the water comes with it and the marina floods! When we awoke, the dock was visible. As we continued to be lazy and hang out on the boat, the dock slowly went under water, as did the marina bathrooms and store. At high tide around noon, you had to wade in knee deep cold water in cold weather and gusting winds to get off the boat. Not to mention Robin's wading boots only went to about my mid-calves. I opted to stay aboard, as he ventured out for food, boat supplies, and movies. He did return with a bouquet of flowers for me, to cheer me up since I was stuck on the boat.

The remainder of the weekend was the same. We kept missing low tide by sleeping in, and thus I kept missing my shower opportunities until the low tide came in again. We did make our way into town a few times, looked at real estate, and ate at the local haunts. I still find the town to be quite charming, an unusual mix of "old money" inhabitants and "locals". There are places that cater to the rich or to the poor, and really nothing in between.

By our departure day on Sunday, the storm blew out and the sun peered from behind the clouds. It was supposed to be the weekend of the Turkey Shoot Regatta on the Rappahannock River which we were eagerly going to watch from the boat. The regatta was held only on Sunday, just as we were packing to leave.

Though the weather pretty much sucked all weekend, there is something quite romantic about being caught in a storm on a sailboat with your significant other. Let's just say the time was well spent!