The Cha-Cha Maru

After 8 years in the Anime business without a single vacation day, we've learned to make the most of our non-working weekends. We have debated buying a vacation home for a long time, but the problem is that once you stay in one place a few times, it gets a little boring.

One thing we like to do in particular also allows us go to lots of interesting places and take some Anime with us.

Jamie and I love boating, and have been chartering sail yachts on the Chesapeake Bay for years. Boating is an expensive proposition at any level (even if you charter and don't own a boat), but last year we finally took the plunge and bought a boat of our own. We love to sail, but as a weekend getaway, we decided our best option was a power boat - sometimes by Friday evening we are so exhausted after a string of 14 or 16 hour days, we just want to flop down somewhere and do nothing (and sailing is a lot of work).

Anyway, our boat is a 37' SeaRay cruiser that we keep parked down at a Marina near Annapolis, MD. It's only about 2 hours away, and we can slip up there anytime we like (um, have time). It's quiet, and very disconnected from the 'business rat race' we deal with during the week. It also is quite luxurious on the inside (for it's size), and has a big flat screen TV we can watch Anime or regular movies on in the evenings while in port.

Our boats name, the 'Cha-Cha Maru', comes from one of my favorite Satoshi Urushihara guilty pleasures, and we choose it because in the Anime Plastic Little, Tita's ship (submarine ship) is a 'Pet Shop Hunter', which means that Tita and her crew are basically 'privateers' who collect aquatic life for zoos and private collections. That fits us very well, and having sailed a lot in the past, we've discovered that we don't fit into the 'boat person' mold (it's a very 'drinking' and 'partying' orientated past-time), but we enjoy the funny looks people give us when they try to read the name of our boat. It's almost the same look I get whenever I try to explain what I do to someone...

Note 1: Of course, if I ever own another boat it will be named the 'Arcadia'
Note 2: Cha-Cha Maru is also a snack bar in the Maison Ikkoku Anime (actually it's a coffee shop during the day and bar at night) were quite a few things happen, but that's not related to this post.