In which we take a break from sailing and go house-sitting instead.
I am now
writing in April 2023 and realise that we are in danger of losing our memories
of adventures past.
In 2017, I
(more so than Elsie) felt that we were getting into a rut and wanted to know
how we would move on when the time came to stop living on Ruby. To take an extended break using short-term
lets would be very expensive; to stay longer, most places in the U.K. are let
unfurnished and, although we had stuff in a container on Elsie’s brother’s
farm, removal expenses would be high for a, maybe, three month stay.
Elsie was
part of a Facebook group for women who sail.
One of her friends from the group got a summer gig looking after a
lighthouse and associated island in Maine.
We visited them there. In
discussions, it came out that they also occasionally looked after people’s homes
and pets and the thought was lodged. On
our journey back South that year, we were in a peaceful anchorage at the top of
Chesapeake bay and, browsing the internet, we came across Trusted
Housesitters. This was an organisation
that matched home- and pet-owners with travellers who wanted somewhere to
stay. The price for joining was small
and the initial application process fairly easy so, over sundowners, we went
through it and got ourselves registered.
The following evening we talked about how we could experiment with the
concept. A look at available sits
revealed one in Bethesda, just North of Washington D.C. that looked ideal. A
long weekend in a condominium, with easy Metro access, looking after an elderly
retriever. We applied and were stunned
to get an almost instant reply. The
owner ‘knew’ that as we, like her, were sailors we would be practical,
responsible types. A brief chat and the
sit was arranged for a couple of weeks’ time.
We knew of a safe anchorage in Annapolis where we could leave Ruby and
made plans. A few days before the sit,
Susanne contacted us to say that she had changed her mind and that was taking
her dog with her but we could still stay in the condo if we wished. We did.
I was due a
trip to the U.K. to see my cancer specialist, which meant leaving Elsie on
Ruby. She decided to see if there was a
sit where she could stay for some of the time.
There was, in Alexandria, to the South of the City. We arranged to meet up with them while at
Susanne’s and had a great day exploring the Smithsonian Air and Space, where
Fred was a docent (volunteer guide for non-Americans).
We now had a
plan of how to manage a prolonged stay in the U.K., now it was just the
details. While wintering in the Bahamas,
we got fully certified by Trusted Housesitters and started to make detailed
plans. We needed somewhere safe to leave
Ruby. Our insurance required her to be
North of 35 degrees N throughout the hurricane season from June to
November. Chatting with sailing friends
discovered a well recommended yard in Oriental, North Carolina which just
happened to be 2 miles North of that line.
We booked Ruby in for the period of mid-May until early November.
On arrival
at the yard, we found the owners a bit distracted. They, a sailing couple, who had lovingly
built up the business, had sold up to a younger couple from New York who knew a
lot about motor boats but not so much about sailboats. Never mind, most of the staff were staying on
so we were sure that Ruby would be in safe hands.
Oriental is
a wonderful little town that seems to be mostly populated by people who have
washed up on its shores and decided to remain.
Friends from the Ocean Cruising Club allowed us to use their dock for a
couple of days on arrival. Walked to the
local store, where they didn’t have everything we needed. No problem, borrow their bikes and go to the
‘Piggly Wiggly’ supermarket, who will deliver free of charge. We were introduced to Anne and Nev, Port
Captains for the OCC and sailing legends.
Ruby safely
ashore and closed up for the duration, we hired a car and drove up to
Washington D.C. where Susanne allowed us to stay in her Condo again. From there, a bus to NYC and another out to
Newark Airport, to fly to Edinburgh.
Here, we got the first of several good car hire deals. Europcar awarded me a loyalty bonus of 3
extra days free on a weekend hire, which
enabled us to our first U.K. sit at Bridge of Earn in Perthshire,
looking after 4 rescue dogs. We were
also able to catch up family in the area.
Hertz had a surplus of cars in Scotland and charged us £1 for a one-way
trip from Edinburgh to Heathrow with sufficient time and mileage allowance for
us to visit my sister in Yorkshire on the way down. From Heathrow, we got a very cheap deal on a
nice little Mercedes for a couple of weeks, giving us time to buy a car of our
own.
Our first English sit was just South of Alton (and Lasham Gliding Club), looking after a Bernese mountain dog, a couple of cats and several hens. The dog was a gentle giant who padded happily over the local footpaths. One of the hens, who Elsie christened Pricilla, was a right character who would follow us around, even into the flag-stoned kitchen, and comment loudly on our actions.
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| Elsie with Priscilla |
We searched for, and found, a suitable car –
a 10 year old Jaguar X-Type estate. It
was based on the Mondeo at a time when Ford owned the marque, but was much more
nicely appointed. From Alton to
Wellington in Somerset, looking after a Dachshund, a cat and several fish in a
medieval mansion in the early stages of restoration. From here, we were able to visit some of my
cousins and also made trips out to Cheddar Gorge, Glastonbury Tor and the
Helicopter museum at Weston-Super-Mare.
South to Axminster, Devon, looking after a retriever and a few
hens. We enjoyed walks along the coast;
not so much the narrow Devon lanes. West
to Penzance. First to a rural barn
conversion with a Newfoundland dog. From
here we explored Penzance, Mousehole and Lands End, with obligatory Cream teas
at each stop. A few miles East to a more
suburban sit, with Highland Terrier and cat, from where we were able to catch
the bus into St Ives and spend a happy afternoon browsing galleries and
choosing artwork for our forever home, whenever we might find one.
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| Cream tea |
North next,
to Glossop in the peak district of Derbyshire, looking after 2 dogs and 2
cats. For a change, my relatives came to
see us. My sister and family came over
from Holmfirth, and my Brother, sister-in-law and niece, Katrina, stayed with
us for a couple of days. We took a day out
to Chatsworth and had a good look round the house and gardens. Katrina stayed
with us a few more days and we led her astray by taking her out to a
Wetherspoons on a Friday evening, and a pub with upstairs venue where we were
entertained by a local rock band the following night.
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| Chatsworth |
Back South to Bentworth, near Lasham, staying in another medieval property, this one very much restored. Two of everything: Two Welsh Terriers; two lawns: one for tennis and one for croquet; and even a choice of dinner service, Spode or Wedgewood. I was invited to crew on a classic yacht on a day race from Cowes and leapt at the chance. A couple of weeks later, I crewed on her taking her back to her home near Ipswich. A wonderful experience.
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| Sailing up the Channel on a classic yacht. |
From here I was able to indulge in a little
gliding. A little further South to a
glorious barn conversion with two equally glorious pointers, one smooth, one
rough haired. They required lots of
exercise and we gave the two walks per day; six miles in the morning, four in
the afternoon. And that was just us. The dogs must have at least doubled that
amount running all round us and occasionally further. The family we were sitting for were cricket
fanatics, with a library lined with Wisdens going back to year dot, an 80 inch
TV and sports subscriptions. I had managed
to get tickets for a test match at the oval later in the year and was pleased to be able to
introduce Elsie to the game. We hadn’t
taken to baseball much the previous year with our 4th July visit to
Yankee stadium and I was a little concerned that she might find it boring. Not at all.
There was a test series on and, between walks, we watched and I
introduced her to the differences between a sill mid on and a gully; a yorker
and a ‘wrong un’ and a deep square leg and a third man. By the end of the third day, she was
criticizing field placements and encouraging the bowler to bowl a proper
length. We went down to Southampton to
cheer on Hampshire in a Twenty20 match.
Away from the South coast, we headed up to the other St Ives, in Cambridgeshire to look after a small dog. This sit had been chosen for its proximity to another gliding club, Saltby, where the National Glider Aerobatics Championships was taking place. We had a day to spare before it started so had a nice stroll round Cambridge.
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| Cambridge |
Fred
and Starla, our hosts at our first proper sit in Alexandria were over and drove
down from Edinburgh. We spent a couple
of days at the airfield together, where I was invited to judge part of the
competition. They returned to Scotland and,
a couple of days later, we followed, staying for a night with Elsie’s brother
and sister-in-law in Fife then on to a sit in Crieff. Fred and Starla joined us again here and then
over the hills to the Dee Valley, staying in a charming country Airbnb. We were
joined by Jill, an old friend from
Lasham, who stayed in her campervan.
On Saturday,
we all went to the Braemar Highland Gathering to watch the games in the
presence of The Queen and Prince of Wales, among others. There was lots of music, dancing and games
including the traditional ‘Heavies’. There was a lad from Aboyne competing in
this class, so we started cheering for him.
So loudly, that the commentator noticed and gave us a few mentions. The following day, we found ourselves within
walking distance of Crathie and attended the morning service. Elsie and I went in; Fred and Starla elected to wait outside and
actually see the Royals arrive. We
dropped Fred and Starla off in Edinburgh and headed South.
Our next sit
was in Brixton, South London. We dropped
our car off at Jill’s house, near Lasham, and headed off, by taxi and train to
London. Our first night was at a convent
(yes, really) just round the corner from the sit as it was in a one-bedroomed
flat and the owners were leaving early the next morning. Our companion for the week was a characterful
house cat, Tigger. He had a favourite
perch, on the windowsill at the rear of the property, watching the goings-on in
the car park behind. We joined him from
time to time and could probably have passed useful information to the police,
had they but asked. We ate out the first
evening at a local pub. It being
mid-week, we were amazed at busy everywhere was until we realised that we were
opposite the music venue, Brixton Academy, and there was a concert about to
start. Fortunately, some kind young
people offered up their seats for us to eat.
Looking after a cat means being able to leave the home for long periods
and we took advantage of this to visit several galleries including Dulwich and
Tates Modern and Britain. We even went
to an evening concert at St Martins in the Field accompanied by a favourite
cousin. The big thing, though was the Test
match. Our tickets were for the 4th day of the last test at The
Oval. I had warned Elsie that it might
be a bit flat as 4th days are frequently characterised by one side
trying to stave off defeat by defensive batting while the other sides bowlers
suffer from exhaustion. However, it was
a novel experience and we were determined to enjoy it. A week before the day, I was informed that an
operation that I had been waiting for could finally be done. On a specific date. The day of our test match tickets. Jill nobly stepped into the breach and
offered to accompany Elsie while I flew off to Scotland.
It was, of
course, the best day of cricket for years.
The popular English captain, Alistair Cook was retiring, so this was his
last ever test and he only had to wipe his brow to earn a round of
applause. England were in the ascendency
and won the final test and the series.
Jill and Elsie both had little radios so could follow Test Match Special
and were conveniently seated close to a bar serving Pimms. Meanwhile, I was in an Aberdeen hospital bed,
following the match by text.
Ruby was
safely above the insurer’s definition of the hurricane belt. Unfortunately, no-one told the weather gods.
We had been following hurricane tracks for years, ever since we first
contemplate crossing the Atlantic. Now,
we could see a nasty one predicted to coast in somewhere in the Carolinas. We watched more closely. The prediction got worse. Florence was increasing in strength and
forecast to make a direct hit on Oriental.
The outer banks would protect it from large swells but, as well as the
direct action of strong winds, they would be blowing from the North East down
Pamlico Sound and creating a storm surge.
The boatyard stood about 4 feet above normal water level. We guessed that Ruby, on her stands could
take about 4 feet of water before it lapped against the bottom of her
hull. All we could do was watch and
wait. The storm hit on the evening of September 13th. The area was evacuated, so we had no-one to
talk to. The town’s website showed
webcam pictures of rising water and storm damage. Then it went off the air. All we had left was the automatic water level
gauge. By late evening, it passed the 8
ft mark and was still rising. It finally
peaked at over 9 ft around midnight. It
was another 48 hours before we heard from the marina. Ruby was safe. Although they had suffered a lot of damage to
fittings and equipment, the only boat that suffered was from its stands being
knocked away by rogue telegraph pole which had washed away from a storage area
the other side of the river.
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| Water level |
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| Approaching storm with Oriental arrowed |
From London
to Cornwall, looking after 2 small dogs in a house high on a hill in West
Looe. To access it, we had to negotiate
3 hairpin bends, one of which required a 3 point turn. It was worth it for the views. We were also able to do some sight-seeing,
with trips to the Eden project and the North coast to visit the village where
Doc Martin was filmed.
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| Eden Project |
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| Doc Martin's surgery |
Also, we
caught up with West country cousins. One
at a ploughing match, where he was officiating,
and others who came to visit us.
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| Ploughing match |
A last visit
to Scotland, for me to visit my surgeon and my children. Elsie took a day out to catch up with an old
school friend. We were staying in
Inverbervie, on the Angus coast, looking after 2 miniature schnauzers who
enjoyed coastal walks.
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| Children |
Our last sit
of the year was in Sussex, handy for Gatwick airport and our plane back to the
States. One small dog to look after. I
advertised our car for the same price we had paid and, within an hour had 3
replies. Daftly, the day before I had
topped off the fuel tank so, at the agreed price, the new owner had £70 of diesel thrown in. We had hired a car from the airport and, on
November 6th, we flew back to the States and Ruby.
