A Love Lost!

We have no regrets in life, just lessons learned.

We had some good times, but as much as we hated to admit it .. we needed to end our relationship. We tried to make things work, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We were still holding love in our hearts, but we needed to do what was best for us. Sometimes love isn’t enough. We had to end it.

We had to sell our piece of paradise in Puerto Rico!

A lot has happened since our last post, when we bought our piece of paradise. Instead of dragging things out over a series of posts, I'm gonna try and catch up with ya'll pretty quick. We worked our butts off on the home’s exterior, including a new concrete topping on our roof (we hired folks for this) ...

then sealing & painting our new concrete roof ourselves ... what a view!

We scraped off layers of paint from our concrete home for days, skimmed the scraped areas to make the concrete walls smooth again for days, sanded & painted the bars for days, and brightened up our house with a happy yellow & aqua paint. All of this took a lot more time than expected!

So much better!

 After over 3 months of renovating our house we found ourselves only half-way through with repairs, yet maxed out on our time & money budget. As it turned out, concrete isn't as "easy" as we thought ... nothing like our wood-framed houses back home! Salt air and concrete in older homes don't mix too well. We had a ton of unexpected repairs .. including the roof and ceiling inside. Since concrete repairs were new to us, we didn't want to tackle the roof & ceiling repairs ourselves. We had difficulty hiring professionals due to our inability to speak Spanish, and “island time” was killing us. We couldn't start renovating the interior until the ceilings and roof were complete. When the repairs were finally done, it had cost us a lot of extra time and money.

During this time we met some great folks that we now call friends, and got to know the island of Puerto Rico in a way that can’t be done as tourists. We became part of the neighborhood of Luquillo ... a neighborhood we loved!

We had dreams of fixing up the interior of our house & sharing our love of Puerto Rico with friends & family when not renting it out. However, sometimes dreams don’t work out as planned. Knowing when to walk away can be difficult, but it’s sometimes necessary.

We had things in Louisiana waiting for us .. rentals, family,  a growing lil grandson, and our sailboat that was just waiting to finally be sailed somewhere after years of hard work on her. We had to make a decision to either keep dumping money (which was limited) and time into our Puerto Rican home or cut our losses and follow through with our original dream of sailing & traveling. Either way, we knew we needed a break from sleeping on an air mattress while living in a construction zone with no hot water, a/c, kitchen or furniture. Here was our living situation ... an old door covered with a shower curtain created our kitchen, and an air mattress w/fridge.

We decided to list our house with an agent & fly back home the following week for a break. If the house didn’t sell in a few months, we’d have to put off sailing this Winter, finish the house and rent it out as planned. If it sold, then our decision would be made. As it turned out, we had an accepted offer before we left town! We didn't make a profit on the house, but the offer was something we could live with.

We dreaded telling our new neighbors that we were already selling. We felt like we were betraying them! We hugged, shed a few tears, and promised to keep in touch. We’ve got several places to stay whenever we visit Puerto Rico!

We arrived in Louisiana just in time to spend a week with our daughter, grandson, son-in-law, and his family for 4th of July in Destin, Florida. Our kids were moving to Wyoming the following week! This was also a factor in returning home when we did. We cherished every minute with them.

Since arriving home from Destin, FL we got our boat back in order (including a much needed a/c), spent time helping our daughter have a garage sale & get on the road with her lil family, then were hunkered down a few days with crappy weather from storm "Barry" (all went well). 

Just like that ... our Puerto Rican dream had ended, we were back on our sailboat, and our daughter had moved away. It’s all so surreal, and everything happened so fast!

While we hated to break-up with Puerto Rico, we think it’s for the best. We now have our investment back in the bank, which gives us more options in the future. With our daughter moving away, we’d rather fly to see her than fly to Puerto Rico. It’s strange how our perspective & dreams can change so quickly! Life is full of changes, and we do our best to roll with them.

Our dream of owning a piece of paradise in Puerto Rico didn’t end as planned, but we have no regrets. The people we met, the experiences we had, and the memories we made were priceless. I plan on writing a few posts in the future to share some of our memories with you, and what we loved about Puerto Rico.

Currently we're dealing with a nasty "algea bloom" in our lake and having difficulty finding a diver to clean our boat's prop and bottom. Nobody wants to dive in the nasty water .. can't say I blame them. We're sure the prop is covered in barnacles, which makes motoring difficult. We're anxious to start sailing, but once again we're waiting .. are we still on island time?! In the meantime, we’ll be working a little to make some extra money, getting our boat ready to travel in a few months, and helping our daughter sell her house & move her stuff to her new place (road trip soon)!

Life's an adventure when you leave your comfort zone! It may not always go as planned, but it's much better than the monotony of a "routine" existence.

  Hasta luego ... until then. Mid-Life Cruising!

Struggling to Reach the Dream - An Honest Post

Sometimes we have to look at this quote to remind us not to give up. As anxiety creeps in, we get impatient and the "what-if's" take over. It's easier to be a pessimist than an optimist! But, that's why I'm writing this post. I'm keeping it real, and hoping to inspire others to hang in there with whatever dreams they have. The struggle is real, and you're not alone!

Ken & I have been working on "living the dream" for nine years now (see our refit photo album here .. and that doesn't cover earlier years!), and I'm not gonna lie .. sometimes it's really tough! For starters, we thought we'd be cruising within 3 years of purchasing Nirvana, which would have meant "sailing away" the end of November, 2012. We're about six years behind schedule!

Anyway, we continue to miss our deadlines ... the latest one being this month. We had hoped to have enough done on Nirvana to head towards Florida this month, but after an unintended inspection of our standing rigging we were told it really should be replaced before entering the Gulf. We believe the rigging is original (1987), and it did show signs of damage & age so we reluctantly agreed.

The standing rigging was completed about two weeks ago, except for the forestay. The wire has been ordered and the roller furler will soon be disassembled and removed for the new forestay installation. While we hated to miss our deadline, our safety (and peace of mind) is more important. It is somewhat of a relief to now have new standing rigging. After all, it does hold the mast up!

It seems Nirvana has had everything replaced .. except the engine, rudder and a few other things. Wait, what if after all the recent repairs our engine goes out .. or what if we run aground and have to get a new rudder?! You see what I mean? The anxiety creeps in.

It wasn't just the rigging that held us back, but our barely used Tohatsu has started acting up. Ken has spent four days cleaning, draining and replacing parts with no success .. talk about a downer! He finally decided to take a break from that project for a bit. 

We're also in the process of installing our new Raymarine EV100 autopilot, as well as connecting our Lowrance GPS to our new Lowrance VHF with AIS. This means running a bunch of wires down the cockpit pedestal and into other hard-to-reach places, which also meant a few modifications along the way. The wires have been run down the cockpit pedestal and the four components of the auto-pilot have been mounted, so we're getting close. We just need to run the rest of the wires inside of Nirvana and to the components. 

Oh, and here's a little tip .. grill covers are on sale this time of year, and they make great pedestal covers. We got this "kettle grill" cover for $10 bucks! If fits great, and gathers at the bottom. Now our new GPS & autopilot will be protected, as well as our compass.

All of this will be worth it, as the VHF/AIS allows us to see other boats with AIS and we can contact them (via VHF) if it's on a collision course with us .. or just get outta the way! Other boats won't be able to see us, but that's because we chose the less expensive AIS option. Need I say anything about the auto-pilot? Once we get it going, it will be well worth the investment. Who wants to stand at the helm for hours on end?!

With the current state of things, we weren't ready to "just go". We definitely want our rigging complete, and the comfortable weather of November that we'd been looking forward to didn't come. November in Louisiana is usually in the mid-70's .. perfect for finishing our projects and starting our sailing adventure, but Winter (and rain) arrived instead. We also found ourselves with a vacant rental this month, and we spent a fair amount of time making repairs and finding a new tenant. We finished repairs this past Friday, a new tenant moved in this past weekend .. and we have another vacant rental as of today! More repairs & interviews in December. Ugh!

So anyway, things have been a bit of a bummer for the past month. The weather pretty much sucked, our projects aren't finished, and we're still at the dock. Once we finally admitted to each other that we weren't gonna make our goal, things were pretty somber. We didn't wanna spend another Winter on the boat. We hated last Winter on Nirvana .. the condensation & the cold really sucked! I want to keep this blog as realistic as possible, so I'm not gonna say it's all about the journey. We're ready to sail to some sort of destination after all these years, and we're getting impatient. We wanna start having some fun with Nirvana!

If another person tells us to "just go", I'm gonna scream! I know plenty of folks seem to buy the perfect boat and start cruising a couple of months later, but that's not our reality. We bought a project boat and had no idea what we were doing. We also needed to keep working full-time (until recently) to keep up with the boat expenses .. you know BOAT stands for "Bring Out Another Thousand"!

A reader who meant well told us to "just go" and not worry about having "so much stuff". The thing is, we're not going with all the fancy stuff. We won't have a windlass, a water maker, hot water, radar, or davits. We may leave without solar panels! 

The thing is, we're new to all this sailing & cruising stuff, even though we've been at it for 9 years! We had a lot of projects to make Nirvana safe on the water, and a ton of projects that required hours of research .. everything was new to us and we wanted to do it ourselves. Even with doing everything (except standing rigging) ourselves, the expenses have mounted up.

There have been times we've felt like giving up, moving into one of our rental houses and enjoying the conveniences of mainstream society. A warm shower just steps away, a comfy bed that doesn't require climbing in & out of, no long walks to our car in the cold and/or rain, room to spread out or walk around inside when it's bad weather, a dishwasher .. hot water! But you know what .. we couldn't live with ourselves if we gave up on our dream after so much time and effort. We think the sacrifices will be worth it once we start traveling .. and sailing. Unless something unknown throws us a curve, we're gonna do this! 

It's easy for us to get impatient & depressed, dwelling on the money & time spent and the sacrifices we've made. That's human nature, I think. So, we have our down days but we never forget how lucky we are. We celebrated Thanksgiving with family, and we're looking forward to Christmas with our grandson. It will be his first Christmas, and we're excited about being around at this special time. Our little guy will celebrate his 1st birthday the beginning of February, and we're really glad we won't miss that either. Is he cute or what?!

We spent Thanksgiving in the country .. at my brother & sister-in-law's place in Mississippi. We were lucky to have a break from the crappy weather the days before, and the day after. The weather was perfect! Here's my brother with us, our daughter, son-in-law, grandson, and my mom & step-dad. My dad & step-mom were there too .. wish they were in the photo. My brother and I are thankful that our mom & dad still get along after being divorced since I was an infant. It's nice to spend the holidays with both of them!

Another silver lining ... we're around to repair and rent our properties ourselves instead of hiring someone else to handle it. One more rental to repair, but it should be occupied by the end of the year. We should also complete our auto-pilot & AIS installation, our rigging, and a few other projects (like installing our new Mantus anchor) on Nirvana. I sure hope we get that Tohatsu running! We'll always have projects waiting, but we're focusing on the "must-do's". So, everything always works out as it should.

We've licked our wounds and .. we're escaping to somewhere warm after Christmas! We're headed to a 5-week adventure, and that's what our goals are really about .. making the most out of life. We'll be back on the boat the beginning of February for our grandson's birthday party, then we'll finish up any "must-do's" on Nirvana (shouldn't be much) and leave the dock the end of February/beginning of March. We'll avoid freezing our asses off this January and we'll get to visit a new tropical destination. Yep, things always work out.

When we expose ourselves to so many folks "out there", we sometimes feel vulnerable. We sometimes feel like we need to "just go" this Winter and freeze because ya'll are "watching us" and judging. Not just ya'll, but so many co-workers and friends ask why we're still here. But, I often tell Ken that we're doing what's best for us. Most people who ask what's taking so long don't have a boat and don't have a clue what's involved. We sure didn't! Anyone who judges will be eating their words once we finally do leave. If something tragic happens before then, they'd be cruel to judge us.

If you're reading this and are struggling with turning a dream into reality, know that you're not alone. It may be more difficult than you anticipated, and it may take much longer than anticipated but every baby step forward is progress. As Helen Keller said, a pessimist never "opened a new doorway for the human spirit". Hang in there!

So, we still have our down days but we're looking forward to the holidays with family .. and our getaway after Christmas. More about that later!

Hasta luego .. until then. Mid-Life Cruising!

Perspective ...

As I watch the news and the Louisiana flooding just 30 miles away in the Denham Springs/Baton Rouge areas, the hardships that we've experienced with flooding are still fresh and my heart goes out to those affected.  If you haven't experienced such devastation, you just can't imagine what it's like.

Our first experience with flooding was the May '95 flood, when our very first house that we owned took on about a foot of water after over 19 inches of rain in less than 48 hours.  We were in an area that wasn't supposed to flood and since this was "before Katrina", flood zones weren't a thought back then.  We didn't have flood insurance, nor did any of our neighbors.  I remember sitting in the back of our pick-up truck out front (no where else dry to sit) and chatting with the neighbors while waiting for "The Red Cross" truck to deliver dinner ... better than the ice cream truck! The "Salvation Army" truck also made its stops, providing cleaning supplies, snacks and water.  These two organizations were so generous, and The Red Cross even gave us a new mattress!  I have to say, FEMA was also a blessing and they were the reason we were able to keep our sanity.  FEMA provided us and our neighbors with the funds to restore our home and put our lives back together.  We learned a lot from that flood ... that we could recover and that there are still tons of good people in the world.

One year later we sold that house and built our raised dream home on the bayou ... and we bought flood insurance!  All was good until August 29, 2005.  Long story short ... our house was fine but everything below was destroyed and covered in a thick, stinky mud.  Flood insurance won't cover anything below the living quarters, so we lost quite a bit in lawnmowers, tools, etc.  However, we were grateful that we still had a place to go home to.  We didn't move home right away, as we stayed in an RV at a friend's place for about a week while making trips to the house to clean & remove the mud and trash. That same week also included several trips about 30 miles away (close to the now flooded areas) just to get gas for the generator and a burger.  We found a truck giving out MRE's and water, and we lived off of that for a while.  Once again, the "Red Cross" & "Salvation Army" brought hope to folks and set up stations for the community.  There was no such thing as going to a local grocery story ... it seemed that just about everyone was affected by the storm.  

Below are pics of our dream home on the bayou that we built .. it was the first house Ken had ever built, and the start of his building career.

Once back in the house, we lived without electricity for about a month.  The heat was brutal!  No electricity also meant no water since we had a well.  It wasn't unusual to go a few days in the heat of August without a shower .. good practice for the boat, right?!  But again, we were grateful to have a clean place to stay .. while we fixed our flooded rentals!

We had three rentals that flooded ... two up to the ceiling and one with just enough water to have to gut it 4 feet up.  The clean-up was tough ... again, with thick & stinky mud everywhere and refrigerators full of spoiled food leaving a stench that would almost knock you out!  The two tenants that lived in the houses that flooded to the ceiling left us to remove their ruined items. They seemed to conveniently be "evacuated" until everything was on the street and ready for them to sort through.  The good news was that we had flood insurance this time around.  We needed it since we not only had huge repairs, but also lost rental income on all three of our rentals!

We also had my 80-something year old grandparents, my 70-something year old grandmother, and my mom's house needing help with clean-up and repairs. They all lost everything.  Needless to say, Ken had a lot on his shoulders, as the family looked to him to repair everything.  After all, he was the contractor in the family.  While other contractors got rich from Katrina, we spent our time fixing our rentals and our family's homes.  We were glad to help, but boy was it rough!  

Katrina really put into perspective what's important, but it also wore us out emotionally & physically.  It took us over two years to get back to a normal life, and then we were crazy enough to buy a gutted house on the water in an area we wanted to live in ... and then our little rental that got a few inches in Katrina flooded again!  We endured more repairs for another year.  We rented out our dream home on the bayou and eventually sold it & the house we bought in it's place in 2014.  We thought we were done with flooding until ... that damn lil rental flooded again in 2014 ... and again in 2015!  After just restoring the rental from the 2014 flood, the waters came again.  I tell ya, we wanted to pull our hair out.  Thank goodness for flood insurance, but it sure sucked.  We don't have much of a choice but to keep on renting the place instead of selling ... nobody wants to pay anything for a 1-bedroom house that's flooded several times.

The cursed rental in 2015 ... it's cute, but what a pain!

When storms once again threatened to flood our little rental this past week, we tried not to think about it.  We kept our fingers crossed that we wouldn't get too much rain, and luckily we didn't! We dodged a bullet, and we are so grateful!  We may have to face flooding again (thanks to that 1 rental), but at least it wasn't this time.  Hopefully it won't be for a while.

Anyway, this all started with seeing those poor folks just down the road who are now going through some really tough times.  They will endure some of the same things we did ... the brutal heat, the lack of a/c & ice, the lack of gas and the lack of security that a home brings.  My son-in-law headed towards the devastation with his Air Force Reserve unit to provide assistance at one of the Baton Rouge shelters.  He may be home Friday ... maybe.

Ken & I have become frustrated the past few months with the slow progress on Nirvana.  We'd hoped to be moving aboard by Ken's 50th birthday, which is this Friday but we've got a few more months of boat work before that happens. Work gets in the way, we get tired, and it rains.  Seeing those folks nearby sleeping in shelters and leaving their lifetime possessions really puts things in perspective.  We are once again reminded of how fortunate we are to be sleeping in a warm bed, running our a/c, and living in a dry house.

Those folks will recover thanks to so many generous folks & organizations.  I've never lived anywhere else, but I hear that us Southerners are some of the kindest people in the country ... I have no doubt. I'm hoping we can "pay it back" and get to the Baton Rouge area soon to help out the "Red Cross" or some other organization.   They were such a big help to us, and we'll be forever grateful.

Remember, when things get tough it may not be all that bad compared to others.  It's all about perspective. Nirvana waits, but we're blessed!  

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

A Happy Face!

  

Recently I received a private message on our Facebook page from one of followers.  She asked how I continue to remain so upbeat and positive after such a long struggle towards our cruising plans.  My answer ... we get frustrated and depressed sometimes, but try to keep positive online.  (While misery loves company, we want to inspire folks who are struggling like us ... not cause them to get depressed and throw in the towel).

I told her that we sometimes get downright fed up with everything and feel like we'll never live on our sailboat.  We curse, we lie awake at night, and we constantly run our plans through our head ... wondering if we can do something differently that will allow us to get out there sooner than later.  We always come up with the same conclusion ... we're doing the best we can.

Our house is for sale at a very fair price and for as little as we can afford to sell it for.  We've left just enough room for a little bit of negotiation, knowing that human nature prevents selling just about anything at full price.  We rarely buy clothes, never go to the spa, have a friend come to our house to cut our hair, have no movie channels on the television, have no car notes, only go out for a drink during "happy hour", bring a cold sandwich to work everyday, only go to the movie theater about once a year ... you get the picture.  As I mentioned in "Everything Is Broken" ... it's tough to balance managing our businesses & our home with preparing for cruising.  A good business needs re-investment and a good home needs maintenance.  We've been putting some things off ... but for how long can we get away with it?  Some of our business stuff is on its last leg, and our refrigerator, washer & dryer at home are too.

I admit that we sometimes look at other cruisers with envy, wondering why their transition was so much easier than ours has been.  There are those that sold their homes almost immediately!  We've been frugal all of our lives, have worked hard since high school, have always been responsible, and have never been frivolous with our money.  We deserve a break, right?!  As I've written over a year ago, there is an emotional toll of reaching a goal.  We have our pity party every now and then, but you know ... it doesn't help matters.

No, we're not perfect.  We don't always keep a smile on our face.  But, we know that a bad attitude can only bring negative, while a good attitude will make things easier.  We know that there are others out there that share our same dream, and have their own struggles.  Hopefully, our posts will help them hang in there with us ... and their own dreams.

So, when we get overwhelmed we try to remind ourselves that we at least have a goal and a light at the end of the tunnel.  We know that with the exception of a tragedy (fingers crossed), our situation isn't permanent and we will be on that damn boat.  Good things don't always come easy ... or quickly!  Plus, our landlubber life isn't all bad.  As I mentioned before, the next few months will bring us Mardi Gras, our daughter's wedding, and her college graduation as well.

Visualizing ourselves sailing through the gorgeous blue waters of the Bahamas keeps us going ... not to mention the supportive comments of our readers.  While I don't get a chance to respond to all of your comments, I love reading them and they lift my spirits.  Please keep them coming, 'cause we really appreciate it.  It's gonna be one helluva Bon Voyage party!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Running On Empty!

Since I wrote a post about "everything is broken", I feel like I'm "running on empty".  Our house hasn't sold yet, the repairs never stop, the bills keep coming in, and I'm working my butt off to keep from acquiring any new debt.  Lately, I've been putting in a lot of hours at the office and I haven't seen a dime.  I had to steal a few minutes to write this post!

As most of you probably know, I'm a real estate agent and it's been too long since I've sat at a closing table.  Now, before you start thinking, "Man, those real estate agents don't have to do anything!  They just show a house and wait for that nice check at the closing" ... let me tell you how it really is.  We deal with many buyers and sellers, and only a small percentage actually bring a closing.  Unless there's a closing, there is no payment for showing house after house in 98 degree weather, those late night phone calls, tough negotiations with other agents, and the mental breakdowns of a frustrated buyer or seller.  In fact, most of us agents have had to learn not to take things personally and deal with rejection, because we've all had those clients that used us up ... only to disappear off the face of the earth!  Get them pre-approved, find them temporary housing, show them countless houses ... and then they're gone.  WTH?!  It happens to the best of us.  I take my job seriously and I know I'm a hard-working, good agent but it's happened to me a couple of times this year ... ugh!

Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the closing I have scheduled in about 10 days goes through.  It would sure ease my mind a bit.  I'm not down, but have I mentioned lately that I can't wait to sell our house and be free from debt and timelines?!  A negative attitude won't make things easier so I focus on the fact that with every day that passes, we owe that much less on our debt.  I know our house will sell eventually.  It's definitely not priced too high and other homes in our waterfront subdivision haven't moved either (a perk of being an agent and able to always check out the market and the competition).  It's just a matter of bad timing and a lot of patience.

I've actually been looking for another job the past 4-5 months, and at 46 years of age that's been a scary experience.  After about 50 job applications from working at the grocery store, to retail stores in the mall, to an administrative assistant at the hospital I previously worked at for over 7 years ... I've only had two responses and interviews.  Needless to say, I didn't get the job.

Sometimes I think I'm going backwards.  We're supposed to be selling everything, ditching the rat race and sailing .. yet I'm out looking for a job?!  I tell myself it's all temporary and just like part-time cruisers ... I'm just doing what I need to do to cruise in the future. 

So, that's what I've been up to lately.  Pretty much the same for Ken.  He's making a living, but construction work ain't easy.  We're both tired and ready for a change.  Keep the good vibes coming our way!   

Gonna end this with a song I've always liked, "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne.  When times get tough, may as well sing!  Here's a few of the lyrics too ... yep, a lot of us are running!

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields
In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-on-one
I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on.

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
Look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too

Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

One Of Those People ...

Photo courtesy of www.diananyad.com

When I heard that one of my heroes, Diana Nyad was once again attempting to swim from Cuba to Key West, I was impressed beyond words.  Although she had never completed her attempts, her accomplishments were still amazing and incredibly demanding.  In fact, when her last attempt didn't go as planned I wrote about her, still inspired by her endurance and determination ... stopping isn't failing.

Although I already thought she was a success for chasing her dreams, I was thrilled to watch Diana Nyad reach her dream and swim to the shores of Key West.  She is now the only person that has ever swam from Cuba to Key West ... on her 5th attempt and decades after her first attempt.  As the map on her site says ... "She freakin' made it"!

At 64 years of age, Diana Nyad is one of those people that inspires.  After completing her nearly 53 hour swim and walking onto dry sand, Diana spoke with a swollen tongue from jellyfish stings.  She had three things to say ... #1:  Never, ever give up.  #2: You're never too old to chase your dreams.  #3:  Never a solitary sport, it's a team.  If those three things don't reflect the great character of this woman ... she made sure to give credit to those who helped her dream become a reality.  Of course, she did the hard part! 

Diana's words and determination will stay with me, and I'll remind myself of them when working towards our own dreams.  On her blog, she says, "The journey was thrilling but the destination has brought tremendous internal satisfaction".  Our journey has been tough, and sometimes we feel down but we won't give up.  Some folks say it's all about the journey, but really ... who are we kidding?!  Our "journey" into becoming cruisers sucks more than not.  We're looking forward to our destination of leaving the dock ... with no destination.  That will bring our own share of internal satisfaction, probably because of the journey.  Okay, I get it.  Kinda reminds me of the Buddhist teachings that I try to follow.

Her statement about never being too old ... doesn't she look great?!  I swear I hate it when I hear someone who is physically capable of doing whatever they want say, "Oh, I'm too old to do that".  What a lame excuse.  Anyway, since I'm into fitness ... Diana Nyad is also an inspiration in staying fit and looking great at any age.  She is a true athlete.

Photo courtesy of www.boomerturnons.com/

Diana Nyad is one of those people ... a true role model.  We need more like her don't you think?

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Love With A Chance of Drowning - Worth the Read?

When I found a copy of  "Love with a Chance of Drowning" in our mailbox to read and review, it felt like Christmas!  I'd heard about this book from the author, Torre DeRoche, in a Facebook group that we're both a part of, Women Who Sail.  It's a group for women that are sailing or learning to sail, and it's a place to share our experiences, our questions, and our fears.  When Torre mentioned that she had written her true story about falling in love with a man who wanted to sail across the Pacific ocean, I was intrigued.  I've never been a fan of romance novels, but this sounded like much more.  Not only was this about cruising on a sailboat (that was good enough for me), but it was also about Torre's fear of the water and having to make a tough decision.  Torre could either face her fears and head into the ocean on a sailboat with her man (and surely die!) or watch him sail away without her.  I knew from the description of the book that Torre had chosen love over fear, but I wondered how things turned out.  Would she regret her decision, or would it be one of the best experiences of her life?

I immediately started enjoying the book, and Torre's style of writing made me feel like I knew her.  She has a great sense of humor, and her book was honest.  One of the first challenges Torre faced when taking a risk and living a lifestyle that is foreign to others happened before she ever left the dock!  Torre not only had to fend off her own negative thoughts about cruising ... but those of others.  I could totally relate to her experience.  In fact, I'm bracing myself for more of this as our departure date gets closer.  I guess it's just yet another of the challenges that we face when choosing an alternative way of life.  

Facing her fears and living on a sailboat wasn't always easy for Torre, and she wrote about the difficulties that came with her decision.  Sometimes she loved cruising, and sometimes she didn't.  She also wrote about her clumsy boyfriend, and some of their embarrassing stories that made me laugh out loud (literally).  I'm sure we'll have our own share of embarrassing stories once we start cruising, and it was refreshing to read about such things.  Life shouldn't be taken so seriously.  That's what was so great about this book.

The book didn't end quite the way I thought it would, but that's because this is real life!  Without giving away too much, let me just say that I highly recommend this book.  Whether or not you're into sailing, you're sure to enjoy it.  I think Torre's story is not only a good read, but a source of inspiration. We all have fears, and sometimes they get in the way of our dreams.  Torre wasn't going to let her dream of a future with her new love be crushed by her fears.  Facing her fears changed Torre ... and her life.  

Heck, Torre's life changed when she left her home in Australia (yep, I hear she's got one of those awesome Australian accents) to experience the United States (San Francisco).  She didn't really know anyone and didn't have a job when she first arrived.  That in itself takes guts!  It was in San Francisco that she met her new love.  That chance meeting led to sailing and this book.  I hear there's already a movie deal!  Just goes to show what's possible when we step outside of our safety net.

Need more info?  Here's the trailer for the book ...

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

The Pessimist ... Blind & Deaf!

St. Thomas, USVI

As I read the above quote I knew I liked it, and then I noticed who said it ... Helen Keller!  I'd assume that everyone knows who Helen Keller is, but I also forget my age so ... Helen Keller was born in 1880 and just two years later was left blind, deaf and mute due to an illness.  Imagine it ... you can't see and you can't hear so how are you going to learn how to speak or communicate with people?!  This dark and quiet life was starting to get to Helen Keller, and she became rebellious and hard to handle.  A pessimist would say that this little girl had no future.  Most folks thought she needed to be institutionalized.  However, Helen Keller was lucky to have optimist parents who were determined to find someone to help their daughter.  Their persistence lead them to Anne Sullivan, who was committed to teaching Helen Keller sign language through touch.  Ms. Sullivan was finally able to break through with the tormented child at an outdoor water faucet, where she taught her the sign for water.

Helen Keller not only learned to communicate, but she also graduated from college, performed in local theater, wrote several books, and became a world-famous speaker ... advocating her support for people with disabilities, women's rights, and birth control.  Even with all of her obstacles and challenges, she kept a positive attitude, lived a full life and made a difference.

If you've never seen the old movie, "The Miracle Worker", you should check it out.  Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan was the "miracle worker" and it's about her struggles and accomplishments with Helen Keller as a child.  I remember seeing this movie when I was a child and it has stayed with me all these years.  Even as a kid I was amazed at the little girl's incredible challenges and her teacher's undying commitment.

As Helen Keller said ... the pessimists never discovered the secrets of the stars or sailed an uncharted land.  If you're cruising or plan on cruising like us, you've endured your share of pessimists.  They tell you that you don't have enough experience, that you'll encounter pirates, that you'll get bored or go crazy living on a sailboat.  The pessimists are the blind and the deaf!  They spend so much time on negative thoughts and what "can't" be done, that they fail to see the potential in life.  We'll choose the optimistic path ... and like Helen Keller, we'll open our eyes!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Earth Day ... A Reminder!

View from trail between Soggy Dollar Bar and Ivan's Stress Free Bar ... Jost Van Dyke, BVIs

Do you know what today is?  It's "Earth Day", a day on which events are held world wide to demonstrate support for environmental protection.  The first "Earth Day" was in 1970, and now more than one billion people participate in this event.  As the world's population continues to explode, becoming aware of our planet Earth and taking steps to protect become even more important.  We don't get second chances here!

While I can't claim to be doing everything possible to protect our environment, I do look forward to living a more simplified, self-sufficient lifestyle on our sailboat.  Like a drop in the ocean, it may seem that one person can't make a difference.  But, if we all do our part we can become the "ocean" of change.

Our planet Earth has given us so much to enjoy, and we all need to give it the respect it deserves.  When I read about all the pollution in our waters, killing the reefs and causing jellyfish and squid to reach epidemic portions ... it's a warning that we'd better listen to!  Wouldn't it be sad to have to tell our descendants about the good ole days when one could snorkel and fish?

Our waters are just one example of many environmental issues.  In my opinion, our relations with others are yet another issue that our Earth faces.  It may just be what destroys it someday.  I figured I'd take this opportunity to acknowledge the terrible tragedy of the Boston Marathon bombings.  Our hearts go out to all those affected one way or another by this event.  I fear that we already talk of the "good ole days" when one could go to a movie, an athletic event, or a school without fear of danger.  While I'm not going to alter my activities, I will be aware of my surroundings and will be thinking of such tragedies ... it's the world we now live in.

There are many reasons that Ken and I have chosen a future of living in remote areas on our sailboat ... adventure, new experiences, new people, and even less stress and less bills.  Distancing ourselves from  the media and today's violent society wasn't really in our thoughts, but over the past couple of years that may now be another reason.  Some folks think we're crazy for planning such a "dangerous" retirement, and I wonder how our future lifestyle could be any more dangerous than walking out of our house every day, getting in a car, and being a part of society.  

It may sound sappy, but it really is such a shame that we can't just all get along!  We all share the same Earth, yet the blessings it provides us are over-shadowed with crime, greed, materialism and hatred.  Ken and I choose to respect this Earth, and live each day enjoying the simple things in life while respecting others.  We couldn't care less what our neighbors are driving, what they wear, or how much they make.  We're much more concerned about their character.  A person with "good character" is much more attractive .. and real!

We look forward to sharing our days of cruising with our daughter and her fiancee, and we hope to also instill our values with grand-kids someday ... opening their eyes to just what this world has to offer, and teaching them to look at it with a different set of eyes.  We hope to teach them of what's really important in life, and hope they'll have the same appreciation for a sunset, a green pasture, a trail through the woods, the ocean.  If we all took the time to do this ...

Earth Day ... a reminder to respect it and everything on it!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Settling ...

Virgin Islands, 2012

I love the above quote by Nelson Mandela.  Settling for a ho-hum life and not embracing change or adventure is just ... settling!  As Mr. Mandela said ... there's no passion in that.

I was talking to my Dad the other day and venting about our struggles to get cruising.  We spoke about dreams and reaching them.  Even though he and I don't share the same dreams, he understood my passion for sailing away.  As we discussed ... once you find a passion for something, you have to go for it!  Since Ken and I have decided we wanted to cruise (and would), there's no turning back.  We couldn't be happy living life knowing that we didn't do everything in our power to achieve our dream.  That would settling, and we wouldn't be able to feel good about ourselves.  We couldn't bear to be in our 70's and wondering what our lives would have been like if only we'd have had the guts to go cruising.  To us, regrets about doing nothing are far worse than whatever consequences come from living our dream.

Today, we lowered the price on our house once again.  We wanna get out there!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

NKOTB - Changing Course

NKOTB (New Kids On The Boat) ... A Weekly Series Sharing Our Thoughts and Questions as Beginner Sailors and Future Cruisers.  NKOTB or Experienced Cruiser ... Tell Us Your Thoughts!

While many of today's cruisers are fortunate enough to have a "home base" to return to for a break, there are another set of cruisers that have to give up everything they've worked for to fulfill their dreams.  We're part of the latter group.  For us, a key part of entering the cruising world is having to "change course".  No longer will we be following the path of keeping and maintaining automobiles, a house,and all that stuff that goes with it. 

Choosing a new course down that big, blue watery road means going "against the flow".  (This was almost the name of our sailboat).  It means changing the way we've been raised to think by society.  After all, aren't we all pretty much raised to dream of that cute house with the white picket fence, the dog, and shiny vehicles in the driveway?  We're taught that success and happiness is measured by how many material items we've claimed ... it's our validation! 

Changing course will not be a breeze (pun intended)!  While we're excited about a new chapter in our lives, we're trying to prepare ourselves for those "What Are We Doing?!" days.  However, we know that these feelings are normal.  I love psychology and analyzing things, so I figure that these feelings are to be expected because getting rid of everything for a new course means taking a risk ... the risk of failure or disappointment.  After all, what if we don't like cruising (highly doubt it), or something terrible happens?  If so, then we'll be faced with the fact that we've given it all up for nothing! 

But, it won't be for nothing.  No matter what, we'll have "gone for it", and that's so much better than always wondering "what if".  So many people dream of things but never achieve those dreams because turning a dream into reality is often not easy!  It takes planning, patience, risk, and sacrifice.  It also takes the right attitude,  a "can do" attitude.  I read a quote the other day by Henry Ford that I love ... "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right."  

Many cruisers speak of the freedom that comes with their lifestyle, and that is a big perk for us.  With so many things weighing us down right now, we look forward to the opportunities that we'll have while cruising and afterwards.  We'll be able to go and do whatever we choose.  Stories of low-cost living in Ecuador or Mexico sound interesting.   Our decisions on where we live and what we do won't have to be based on selling a house first, as we're currently facing.  Limiting possessions prevents limiting options!

So, what have you given up to reach your cruising dream (or any other)?  Did you ever have those moments where you thought you'd lost your mind going for such a thing?  We'd love to hear the sacrifices you've taken, and the feelings that went with them.

BTW  ... cheers to those cruisers that choose to bring their children along with them!  We think these kids are truly lucky to be exposed to such a wonderful and different course in life.  While we did not raise our daughter on a boat, it's our hope that we'll still be able to "wow" her, as well as our future grandkids and son-in-law (she's only 19 and in college right now).  There is more than one course in life, but most just don't realize it!

Hasta luego ... until then.  Mid-Life Cruising!

Note:  Here are the previous posts from this series.  Check them out and feel free to give us your advice.  We've really enjoyed reading your comments!

• NKOTB - Bad Weather!                                               NKOTB- The Anchor!
• NKOTB - Sailing Experience Required?!             NKOTB - The Right Boat!
• NKOTB - How Much Will Cruising Cost?             NKOTB - Cruising ... The Guilt Trip
• NKOTB - Private Space                                               NKOTB - Overnight Passages
• NKOTB - Hygiene!                                                         NKOTB - "Down Under"!
• NKOTB - Sea Creatures!                                              NKOTB - Comfort!
• NKOTB - Memories n Melodies!                               NKOTB - Storage On A Boat
• NKOTB - Power!                                                              NKOTB - Pirates and Crime