Storms Rolling Through the Boat Graveyard

Tuesday August 4, 2015

There’s nothing I like more than sitting back and watching a thunderstorm come in.  The sky growing black, clouds that appear like they’ll swallow you whole, and best of all, the bright bursts of lightning zigzagging though the sky. This seems the complete opposite of what someone living on a boat should enjoy, and although I prefer storms not to come anywhere near me while on passage, I do still love watching them roll in even while we’re at anchor.

Being on land right now does happen to give me the added bonus of not having to worry about strong winds or dragging anchor, although anyone will tell you to stay indoors while there is lightning abound, especially if you live on a metal boat that is not grounded at the moment.  But I can’t help myself.  There’s just something about storms and dark skies that I crave and become as giddy as a child once they arrive.

When our afternoon thunderstorm came rolling through just on time today (always between 2 and 3 o’clock), I decided to grab my camera before the rains came pounding down and take a walk through the storage yard here.  Sometimes also known as The Boat Graveyard.  And once in awhile, Where Boats Come to Die.  Kind of like Daze Off when we found her.  During peak storage season there actually are a lot of good cruising boats sardined in there with the others, but when we first arrived the storage area had been turned into the valley of the discarded and unwanted.  The kids that didn’t get picked for dodge ball and were left to sit on the sidelines.

Singling out these boats with the stormy background gave them an extra sense of eerie abandonment.  Thoughts of pirates and stormy seas and all the childhood stories we used to get lost in.  One could sit back at stare at them for hours making up stories of it’s sordid past.

And then just like that you’re on to it’s shiny neighbor. A boat with a loving home and family that will be back to it shortly.  One that is always in included in all of the games and sometimes picked first.

Somehow we have, or are trying to, manage to get ourselves from the first to the latter.  Looking at our boat in the work area you’d think it still belonged in the graveyard.  If I were to walk by it unknowingly I’d say the same thing myself.  We’ll see what we can make of her though.  Sometimes it’s fun to bring the dead back to life.