Laundry day

After a couple of attempts, we've refined the process a bit, doing laundry on a boat isn't quite the same as on land. There are no washing machines (well, nautical versions do exist, but take way too much space for No Ka Oi.)  Take a collapsible bucket, with a line attached (everything you don't want to lose needs to be tied down, there are little strings, sail ties, tethers and convenient places to latch things down everywhere)  Fill the bucket with sea water and detergent, then give the clothes a good washing.  Now to rinse, you can go down to the swim step -- the lowest point off the back of the boat, it's just above water level.  Like everything you don't want to lose, you must have a tether attached to yourself.  Then grab a piece of clothing, hold on to one end, and simply plunge it into the ocean.  Let it drag through the water, twisting and writhing like a flickering flame in the eddying wake of the boat.  Look down,  the water is darker and much colder now, but still has that amzing look of deep blue infinity. The depth is unfathomable, the way it fades slowly into nothingness is captivating.  A small lens cleaning cloth I stuck in the bucket falls out into the water as I pull another piece out.  I wondered if that would happen, and when it does there's no lunge to retrieve it just a slight sigh as it slips away over the waves.  It's gone, but such small mishaps must be taken in stride.  So next is to improvise a clothes line, string them up on a sail tie or lifeline, and let them dry in the wind.  Daily routine is a little different here, and it's intriguing the way that our situation makes even mundane tasks more difficult, there's a sense of triumph even in doing laundry.  You just do it on a tether here.

-Gavin