In search of sleep - on vacation?

The problem of getting to sleep plagues me often.  I can’t predict when it will happen.  It’s way beyond the tension at work situation (although I’ve got a lot of that lately).  Take last night for instance.  It’s our second night on our long awaited Chesapeake Bay sailing vacation.  We finished up a vigorous sail coming back from Forked Creek, ate and fell into bed, properly exhausted by 9:30.  My eyes were stinging like I’d pulled an all-nighter, but they determinedly popped wide open and refused to shut when I lay my head down on my pillow.  The husband was not snoring so it was all about me and not him.  I pulled out my iPad and proceeded to read a lengthy New Yorker – surely that would work, but it did not.  I turned to Words with Friends, then Solitaire and then stuck a bud in my ear, hooked into my “bedtime” playlist and still my shoulder did not go cold (my physical alert that I am about to go to sleep).  I sighed, got up, pulled out the ZZZQuil bottle and took a slug, stabbed the bud back into my ear, and hoped for the best.  It worked.  I oozed off into a restless sleep. This morning, after a long talk with myself, I chalk this episode up to battery worry.

The previous night, after we found the creek and ever so cautiously motored it (we motored all day due to a dearth of wind or any semblance of breeze), we had secured Forte Vento two a couple of old pilings that held up a sun dried, sliver filled pier.  As always, we left it to our batteries to keep the fridge and freezer running for night.  We enjoyed the company of two dear old friends over a casual picnic style dinner of hamburgers, potato salad and grilled corn on the cob on their broad screened porch.  It was an old fashioned late night complete with libations and much talk until the wee hours. 

The next morning we returned to Forte Vento to find our batteries had lost 60% of their power.  We expected 10% at most.  So, while sailing down the Bay (we originally planned to anchor out for a day or two), we returned to our slip where the sleepless night greeted me. 

All is not lost.  These are deep cycle marine batteries.  Normally they are good for five years.  However, we’ve determined that they are weak because of the year they spend drained of all “deep cycles” when Forte Vento was on the hard for repairs.  We’ve ordered new batteries (think summer round trip airplane fare for two to Europe for an estimate of the investment) and they should be installed this week.  We will just cut expenses elsewhere for a while.  A boat is a deep pit into which you sink money unless of course it’s your passion so it all seems reasonable. It’s my passion.  (Stop laughing now, please!)

The morning was bright and cool.  I swabbed the deck until it sparkled in the morning sun, then rewarded myself with a two hour nap this afternoon.  It was a dead deep sleep.  I woke see my husband looking at my refreshed state.  I am ready to enjoy the evening.  Why try to get out of the slip when there is a 15 knot wind blowing across your beam?  It’s just too much work.