Hat's Off To Libby

Vero Beach
N 27 39.627 W 080 22.257

When I wrote the other day about fatigue, I should have given Libby more credit. The hardships of living at sea are hard on me. I’m no spring chicken and I’m not getting any younger. What about Libby? She isn’t as strong as me. She doesn’t have the same endurance. Nevertheless, she stands her watches. She insists on equal time on watch, especially in the hours of darkness and bad weather.

Libby stands watch without hesitation and never with a word of complaint. She goes to bed exhausted and drops into deep sleep. Still no matter how deep her sleep, when I wake her at the proper time, she leaps right up to relieve me.

She even does a better job as helmsman than I do. She holds a straighter course, and she keeps a better eagle eye out for traffic than I do. She has learned to deal with the tiller and with the Monitor self-steering. She’s (very gradually) learning about sail trim. She’s alert for all kinds of off-nominal conditions that should be investigated.

Besides being a wonderful wife, mother, lover, and companion, Libby is a great sailing cruiser and I’m very lucky to have her with me. Hats off to Libby.