Our First Sleepover!

We'd been told that D-dock, the dock we selected for Julianne, was the "best" dock at the marina. It's certainly got the best location - directly in front of the clubhouse. D-dock wins the marina's award for "best decorations" for the annual Channel Islands Harbor Christmas Lights Parade more than any of the other docks (as evidenced by all the award plaques in the marina office). There are always people on their boats, working or hanging out, or just sitting on chairs set up on the dock and socializing. We'd been told that July 4th is a pretty big night on D-dock, with a fireworks show right over the harbor. So we chose July 4th to be our first night sleeping onboard Julianne, at the slip.

What a party!
The entire dock was lined with boat owners and their guests, many of whom had set up canopies and tables covered with lavish spreads of food. Some boats were decorated, there were guitars playing, and everyone seemed to be in a festive mood. While there were a few people on other docks, none of them had nearly as many as D-dock, and certainly none had the same party atmosphere.

I wanted to try out my new galley, so we fired up the stove for the first time, and I cooked up a traditional July 4th meal of hot dogs, home-made Boston baked beans, and corn-on-the-cob. Everything worked great! It's a bit tight in there, and the sink is small, but I'm a pretty resourceful cook (years of gourmet camp cooking) so I think I'll be able to produce some fabulous meals when we take her over to the islands.

We met many of our dock neighbors, and had some great conversations as the sun set over the channel. Everyone seemed to have brought their dogs - there must have been a dozen pups running around that dock! We'd brought Max, so he made quite a few new friends. Then at 9pm the fireworks started. It was a great display, and VERY close! (Max didn't like the noise very much, so Charlie kept him in the boat, comforting him during the show.)

We settled in to sleep at about midnight - Charlie and I in the v-berth, and Dean on one of the cabin seats. (Julia was away camping, celebrating her 18th birthday.) The v-berth is surprisingly comfortable! I was stunned how roomy it felt - especially with Charlie being 6'4". But it wasn't a tight fit at all! With our feet at the narrow end and our heads at the wide end, there was more than enough room to stretch out. And the cushions are perfectly comfy, even with my bad back. Dean fit fine on the seat in the cabin.

All in all it was a great first night on our new boat, and now I'm really looking forward to taking her over to the islands for a weekend. The Marina is sponsoring an overnight trip to Prisoner's Cove at Santa Cruz on July 19th, with a pot-luck bbq on the beach, so we're planning on that for our first overnighter. Next weekend we'll take her over to Anacapa for a day sail and practice anchoring in preparation.