The dreaded sponge. If only the wolf could wash it for me.

Doing the dishes. Everyone has to do it. Is it so jarringly exciting? The sink is smaller, and there’s no dishwasher. The dishwasher has a name and two hands that get pruney three times a day. It’s ok, though. At times it’s exhausting and other times it’s calming. It’s a routine, after all. Sometimes it’s rushed and other times it’s thorough. Sometimes it’s on the transom releasing chunks into the ocean instead of down the drain- for the lack of that grinding that usually helps out the pipes. Sometimes it’s the many licks of a hungry dog’s tongue that gets the sticky syrup off the plates or the ranch dressing out of a bowl. (Dishes are rinsed with soapy water before being used again.) They sit on a towel to dry before they are inevitably used a few hours later. They are not fancy or special, but useful. Letting them build up dirty may attract unwanted flying creatures. Fortunately, that has not been an issue for us. The dishwater usually works really well. The faucet is on and off and on and off at an attempt to conserve freshwater. Cups become plates when the boat is sailing, and moving and balancing becomes a part of mealtime. Doing the dishes is not just doing the dishes. It’s maintaining this vessel.

Laundry. Turns out it’s as essential as bathing. Sometimes we combine the two. Two birds one stone? Quarters and detergent and long pants weigh heavy when the walking distance is no longer down the stairs, but down the street. Colder climates were harder as clothes weigh more. We attempt to wear little and re-wear as much as possible to save our time and efforts on this. There is no laundry machine on the boat. The washer and dryer have a name and two hands. Sometimes four if we work together. Sometimes four dirty paws come along curiously, checking out the wet items and spreading a bit of love via dog hair. Sometimes it’s a fully clothed shower. If it’s warm and a sunny day, this chore is not so bothersome. Can clothes dry in the cold on a clothesline? A special trip was made for a big orange bucket to help when the building up of clothes occurs.

Meals. It’s not exotic, and that’s ok with us. The best is experimenting with how to make something new with the same old ingredients. It’s been a hobby that we enjoy regardless if the outcome is tasty. Many of our “recipes” surprise us. Measuring and ingredient lists are often made up on the fly as we “compete” in our own episodes of “Chopped”. We try to cook quickly to conserve as much propane as possible. We factor cooking time when we buy things at the store. It’s been pushed to the limit with fewer trips to the grocery store since the pandemic. We by no means have a fancy recipe with organic ingredients and everything made from scratch. Our meals are not always complete or even the healthiest. But it is nourishment, and we experience a variety. Sometimes it’s a simple salad with a slew of chopped veggies. Sometimes that salad gets… raisins? Sometimes it’s figuring out a new way to eat a hotdog. Sometimes it’s pizza dough from scratch but with store-bought sauce. Sometimes it’s beans from a can. Sometimes its beans from a can multiple nights in a row. Sometimes it’s fresh fruit for the first time since…??? The fridge space is limited, but sufficient. Snacks are harder. In some places… a bag of chips $10? A jar of peanuts $12? Triscuits $7? Oranges $5 a lb? What will become of the types of snacks we have should we continue?

Sleep? Do you enjoy movement and constant sound while you’re sleeping? There are few calm anchorages with complete stillness and no clanging lines or squawking birds. For me, personally, it’s easier if there is less sound. Most nights are easy when there’s been a long day of work, or we can limit the clanging of lines. Sometimes the rocking is a bit disturbing as you rollover unwillingly. And I am referring to this “at anchorage”, not even moving the boat.

“Moving the boat sleeping” is another thing. I’ve yet to find a real rhythm to sleep at sea between shifts with my partner. He seems to fare better than me at this. Alarms are set for a few hours rest as waves punch the hull and you lock yourself into a space so you don’t unwillingly rollover. You experience cold and hot regardless of the temperature and feel hunger and thirst at odd times, IF you’ve been able to overcome seasickness. The grinding of sails or the rubbing of sheets on rigging echo throughout the vessel. Earplugs are nice if you can decipher your name being called for help or an emergency. When you awake from each shift you stumble to use the bathroom so you don’t need to do it on watch, regardless if you need to go. You inevitably hit your head and nearly fall over putting your foul weather gear on. Moments of calm and stars make it feel worthwhile until your heart races to make sure the wind hasn’t changed. The sails need to be adjusted while also looking at the radar to make sure you don’t hit anything while looking for buoys or looking at the screen to make sure you’re on course. Your brain wanders if your partner is getting their much-needed sleep. You see them still up after an hour off shift to get a snack and sigh to yourself. You feel sleepy yourself and wish they’d close their eyes to get reenergized. When the sun rises a sense of success washes over you and you feel energized for just a moment before you think a nap is already in order. Let’s recheck the weather and run some more routes. This could and will probably be a blog post in it’s own right someday soon.

Vinegar and H2O

Cleaning. A shop vac replaces a standard vacuum. Pipes are sensitive to chemicals as well as windows, and sensitive cleaners become the sanitation of choice. A broom mops up sand, dog hair, and crumbs. Toilets and showers request more attention for some reason. Green grass grows upside down on the hull instead of right side up in the yard. Earplugs are worn to make sure no critters make themselves a new home while the “mowing” takes place. Stainless steel and aluminum polishing become the new leaf raking or gutter cleaning or window spraying of this new home. Wood. We glance around us and wonder when we will decide to refinish the wood.

Waking up. Where am I? Oh, I’m on a boat. It’s calm. It’s noisy from the birds. It’s loud from the boat neighbors. It’s hot. It’s raining. It’s cool. Check the batteries. Is the fridge running? Will we get enough solar to balance out what we used? Check the weather. Look outside. Is it windy? Is it sunny? Did we move? Check the anchor alarm. I’m hungry. What’s for breakfast? Eggs again. Toast. Save the bread for lunch sandwiches. Just eggs. Eggs and bacon on pancakes? Do I have the energy? Do I have internet? Do the worm to crawl off the end of the bed. Don’t trip on the dog. Start a pot of water for the captain to get some coffee.

Going to sleep. Check the batteries. What are the amps? Remember where the batteries are when the sun goes down to see how much energy we burn. Check the anchor alarm. Look outside. Stars? New boat neighbors? Do we need fans tonight? Will it rain, and will we need to close the windows? Does the dog have water? Lock the dinghy. Recheck the batteries. Does the computer have enough battery for a movie? Check the anchor alarm. Is it rolly? Should we adjust the anchor? Am I hungry again? Charge the phones. Oh crap we need to run the water maker. Make water for an hour and prolong sleep. Eat a snack. Fall asleep.

Showering. Turn the water on and get wet. Turn the water off. Soap up. Turn the water on and rinse. End of shower. *Warm climate- Jump off the back of the boat. Climb out onto the boat. Soap up. Jump back in the water. Use the hose at the back of the yacht for a freshwater rinse. (Yes, salt builds up in the hair!)

There are more categories to add and much more about life that is difficult to portray in text or video! I hope this piqued your interest and shared a tiny wee bit about boat life.

The post A Little Bit of Boat Life appeared first on Sailing Sweet Ruca.

This is our official boat logo. Even though the homeport says Newport, RI for logistics reasons, our true home is the Great Lakes!

In short, the name “Sweet Ruca” roughly translates to “wonderful girlfriend.” Why would we name the boat that, you ask? Why not “Why Knot” or “Knot 2 Fast” or “Windwalker” or wind or knot cliche something? Well, we wanted to be unique. So unique that if you dig deep and check with the USCG, we are the only vessel ever with that name. We like to be a one-off. 

The fact that we aren’t following anyone else is a big part of our choice; we like to go a different way than most. The new name also plays off of our last boat, “Gnarly Ruca.” The original “Ruca” was a Melges 24 one-design racing boat. We met on her; we went for our first sail together on her. I launched Kate’s cell phone and car keys overboard with the spinnaker, and I met her mom because of it. So there is some history with the “Ruca.” 

Sailing the original “Gnarly Ruca” USA 55 in the Bayview One Design Regatta in 2013. Photo Credit BYC.

The Ruca name goes way back, to a time I refer to as BK, before Kate. In 2011, on a whim, I drove from Toledo, Ohio to Tampa, Florida, to buy my first keelboat, a 1993 Melges 24. Before that, I had only owned small sailing dinghies and sailed on other people’s larger racing boats. I wanted to take the helm though, and since I was a child, I had always envied the performance and pedigree of the Melges 24s while turning pages in the sailing magazines. 

Curtis sailing a JY15 dinghy on an inland lake near Reading, Michigan.

The boat I purchased was hull #55 and was named “Narley Melgeson,” an obvious play on words of Harley Davidson . I liked the name because ironically, I owned a small motorcycle shop at the time. But Harley’s were not my thing; I raced a Yamaha R6 so I couldn’t have a boat named after a slow motorcycle. (I am sure I am going to hear it for this, but check lap times people, it’s a fact.) 

Before sailing, and before Kate (BK) Curtis was racing motorcycles as well as sailboats.

I wanted to keep some of the old and blend it with something new. My mom thought that I shouldn’t be messing about with boats and told me I should find a girlfriend. That is how the “Ruca” portion of the name came along. I told my mom, “for now; the boat is my girlfriend.”

It also fit that the Melges 24 was a handful to sail. It had a big learning curve and could wipe out hard if you made a mistake, just like a relationship. In a sense, the boat in itself was a bit crazy as well. You are supposed to name your boat after a woman anyway, so it came together, the name “Gnarly Ruca” short for crazy girlfriend stuck. The yacht club guys and I had a fun naming ceremony and stuck a racy graphic on the side. 

Preparing for the 2013 Melges 24 World Championships in San Francisco, California.

There were actually two “Gnarly Ruca’s.” A 1993 version #55 and a 2005 version #618. Kate sailed on both with me. Our first sail together though was on #55 in Muskegon, MI. We officially started dating a few months later after the Bayview One Design regatta. Since then we raced almost every Melges 24 event that we could together. We went PHRF racing together, crewed and doublehanded, had tons of fun and cleaned house. Kate also started sailing with me in long-distance races, including the Chicago and Port Huron to Mac races. 

Photo Credit BYC. Kate dousing the spinnaker at a mark rounding at the 2014 Bayview Yacht Club One Design Regatta in Detroit, Michigan.

We had been dating/engaged for seven years. We had some of the best life experiences during that time. We loved every minute of our time on boats together. We searched for a long time for the perfect boat to for us. We wanted something fast enough to excite us, something lots of cruisers would think we were crazy to circumnavigate on, but a little nicer and prettier and less gnarly than a Class 40.

Launching the J Boats J/46 “Sweet Ruca” before sailing to the Bahamas from Annapolis Maryland in November 2019.

The J/46 was that kind of boat, and it fit perfectly to keep the Ruca brand alive. When we found her we immediately saw her beautiful lines and thought “that’s a sweet ride.” Ruca is a kind of Mexicali slang for “lover,” originally coined in the Sublime song Waiting for My Ruca. So, in short, the name “Sweet Ruca” means to us: “your one and only beautiful true love.”  

As a bonus, our plan to sail around the world via Cape Horn would take us to Chile, and Kate was a World Language and Culture teacher before she left to go sailing. It turns out, we learned the word Ruca in the ancient Yagan (a tribe of people that lived near Cape Horn before Chile existed) language means House. We think this is pretty cool, and maybe even meant to be!

So the name may be a little bit racy, and it very unique, but so is the yacht. If it fits, it ships! 

Want to see more of our travels? Follow along and sail with us on our YouTube channel, Sailing Sweet Ruca, and other social media @rucasailing.

The post What’s in the Name? appeared first on Sailing Sweet Ruca.