Anchoring out

By Mike Jastrzebski

Today we’re moving Rough Draft to a small anchorage about a mile away from where we’re currently docked. We’ve been at the dock since we arrived three weeks ago. While I was working on the overheating problem it was nice to be able to get parts sent to us at a fixed address, and since we were docked across the street for six years we know a lot of people here. That means we had the occassional use of a car and  many offers of rides to wherever we needed to go.

The problem with docks is that your neighbor’s music is your music, no matter how low they turn the dial. I’ve also found that the longer we’re at the dock the harder it is for us to pick up and go. And let’s not forget the high cost of staying at a dock, especially here in Ft. Lauderdale. And so this afternoon we’re moving out.

We actually prefer anchoring out. There’s more privacy. It’s quieter. Sleeping at anchor has a lulling effect and I seem to sleep better. And finally, I’ll have no distractions and I hope that will allow me to get back into the swing of writing every morning.

I do my best writing in the morning. I can usually get 3-5 pages written before lunch, and if you do the math that means theoretically I can write a three hundred page first draft of a novel in two to three months.

You notice I prefaced that estimate with the word theoretically. Living at anchor is harder than living at a dock. Water has to be hauled, trips to the grocery store become all day treks, and we still plan on heading to the Bahamas this month which means writing days lost while moving the boat.

Still, I’m hoping to have a new Wes Darling book written, rewritten, and polished to the point of being ready for publication by the end of the year.

Wish me luck–I’m going to need it.

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