Sunday, June 21, 2015

Life Is Short...

Yes, Life is short. It may not seem that way when the normal 9 to 5 seems to never end. When the children's needs never seem to stop. Or even when work demands or everyday stresses seem to take all day and then some, to squeeze into the always busy schedule. Why in the world do we always seem so tired, I swear we seem to squeeze every last drop of time out of every single day and we are always so damn busy and... then something happens, and we realize that we almost missed the important part of life. That part that makes us whole, and compassionate and well, human I guess. We feel this part of life when we relax, and when we let go of the stresses that we and society have placed upon us. When we are free and able to let go of all those things that "normal people" take for granted. Cell phones and gym memberships and car insurance and union dues. Sometimes it takes a lot to rattle that cage, to get your attention, to snap out of it. Sometimes it only takes a single moment in time. A sentinal moment that makes it all suddenly crystal clear, so obvious that you wonder, what was the thought process that kept it from you all this time. For us, being free from the norm meant exploring by boat, taking on the unknown and embracing the sea to find new shores and new experiences. It has become a way of embracing something new, and yet fearful at the same time, and also something that most people find out of the ordinary. We have spent time on the oceans, fishing and traveling, but not at a great distance, and we wanted more. We did not want to find ourselves old and incapable of doing these things, and so we set our selves upon making this happen while we are relatively young. What a life we would have had if we had realized this much younger in our lives. What adventures we would have had, with the gift of youth and the spirit of adventure and energy the young have! While we are not old at all, we are not young either, we know this for sure, and we envy the young people that have decided to embrace the sea, the challenges and hardships, the rewards that a life on a sailboat exploring can become. Don't wait until the perfect moment to go, to have kids, to move to a better place, to go back to school, to anything. Make your decision and go for it. For us, we should have gone along time ago, in a smaller boat and on the cheap would have been just fine. Go now, just go. The things that you want in life, go find them and make that happen. Do not let life go by, and find that you cannot do things, because you are too old, too poor, or too sick. Go now, go now... go now. We love you John. Hang in there.
We've got your back, we love you...

Hurricane Seasoning

Hurricane seasoning is not a spice, although it sounds like it would be a good one. Hurricane season is the dreaded time of year that sends boaters flying, sometimes quite literally. It is that six months or so during the summer months that the intense heat lends favorable conditions to the formation of afternoon thunderstorms, and occasionally, a tropical storm or hurricane. It only makes sense that these things are to be avoided, and most prudent boaters keep a close watch on the weather during the summer months. Some, like us, spend the summer hurricane seasoning somewhere "safe", at a marina or a dock. It is really hot in the tropics too, and we choose to refresh the pot-o-gold this time of year by, well, by... working. There. I said it. Nothing better than a paycheck to put a smile on your face, and nothing worse than a Monday morning on your way to earn the thing. So, we continued our Reverse, Reverse.. Take it Back Now , Ya'll theme and headed for Miami again.

We lifted the anchor at Mackey Shoal, on the Bahama Bank, and pointed the boat due west, toward Florida. It was a nice morning, but by 10:30 the wind had almost stopped, and so did we. So we motored our way the last 20 miles to Bimini, and pulled up to the dock. This was the first time we had been in a marina since we left the same spot a couple months before! We almost felt guilty plugging the power cord into the power pedestal and turning on the A/C! Almost. Guincha was in climate controlled canine heaven.

It was just a few hours later that the anvil shaped clouds started circling the boat, like angry Indians with huge bolts of lightening instead of arrows. The rain that came was amazing, and if it were not for the gajillion volt lightening bolts, it would have been good to scrub a bit with the deck brush. The salt was all gone from the boat by the next morning, and we had plans to go by ferry to South Bimini, and check out Ponce DeLeon's fountain of youth. It is supposedly located there, and we wanted to see it and bring back some water for our friend Lisa who told us about it.

However, by 09:00 in the morning, the clouds were again circling us, and the war-cries of angry thunderclaps were getting close already. We decided to stay inside the covered wagon, and guard the air conditioning. We were actually pretty tuckered out, and the thunder and rain was a bit too much for us. Sorry Lisa, next time. You look great anyhow.