Reflections: 5 months of Changing Courses.

Anchored in Cala Teulera, near Mahon, Minorca; Spain---Since several people thought I would only “make it” for 3 months on this voyage, I thought I would wait for my next update of “Reflections” with more time under my belt…or “harness”, as it would apply to sailing!

I started by meeting the family I’m sailing with in Italy, where we were land locked for 5 weeks. Then set sail through the Ionian Sea and its many islands and through the Corinth Canal to the Aegean Sea. We spent three months in the Cycladic Greek Islands including Crete. From the Peloponnese, we sailed to Sicily and its’ Islands Vulcano, Lipari, Stromboli. Then Sardinia, another Italian island. Now, at my five month mark, we are at the Mediterranean Island of Minorca (290 km x 48 km/divide these by 1.6 for miles!).

In short, I miss my dog. I miss my friends. The bad dreams about my old job stopped after about 4 months. Its been the very best and the very worst of times. During this trip my Dad died, my Aunt died, I ruined my computer, camera, and cell phone by falling off the dinghy. Recently, my new replacement computer was stolen from the luggage shipped to us. Looking back so far, I wish I was as naive as I was when I left, I wish I was a lot of things I'm not. But mostly, I'm where I should be right now, that I'm certain of.

I also have amazing places and things to look forward to, like more of Spain, a return to Gibraltar after 16 years, the coast of Africa, crossing the Atlantic and the Caribbean.

A longer version is; life has settled into a routine of no routine. Every day is different and even during the times we are at anchor for a longer amount of time, there is still no set pattern. Several reasons contribute to this: Weather, electricity, things that need fixing/boat projects and proximity to civilization…er, I mean a town of any size.

I am much more frustrated with unexpected things, things I could not have forseen.  Things that I took for granted back home. I understood that NOT having a flushing toilet or NOT taking a long shower were things that I would live with. But little access to the daily news, limited electricity for computer time, difficult access to the internet and loneliness are things I did not expect.

When I say loneliness, I do not mean I am alone. The family I’m traveling with can fill my time very well. The children are fun and the captain always has something to teach me, if only for my asking.

This loneliness is something I’m familiar with from living alone for 25 years. Sometimes I call it boredom, that’s the kinder, gentler word. But in THIS context, how on earth could I say that I’m bored when I am seeing so many wonderful ports and villages, museums and archaeological sites all over the Mediterranean! I think it’s something most people feel to some degree at times in their life. For me, the remedy is keeping busy, finding ways to feel fulfilled and accomplished, and interaction with a variety of people.

But this is hard on a boat with someone’s husband and kids.

What has been VERY hard is time management. Every day that I THINK I have a schedule or plan, something throws it off. Expect the unexpected, my motto I am taking with stride.

I thought I had discipline being self employed for 26 years, but there was always a deadline associated with the things I did. This is a whole different kind of discipline and much harder.

I announced when the kids started in August, that I would do the same. But it is not usually a quiet environment in the main cabin, so I struggle. My subjects are Sailing, Religious Studies, writing, study or research on the area we are, Spanish and finance (my own upkeep of bills, budget and my continued responsibilities back home).

For sailing studies right now, I am reading “Seamanship; Annapolis book of sailing” a text book I am finding fascinating. I am currently on the weather chapter that is so in-depth, it makes me wonder why our weather reports aren’t correct all the time!

I have enjoyed getting back to reading on a regular basis and have finished about seven books. My current read is blink by Malcolm Gladwell (The Power of Thinking Without Thinking) something Jen, our past crew left behind for me. I’m grateful and loving it. But even reading must end when the sun sets unless I use my flashlight due to saving boat electricity.

My ideal day is up at 6am, coffee at 6:30 (coffee is made with an on stove percolator and it takes at least 30 minutes to process!), swim at 7am: learned the butterfly but it needs work, 2nd cup of coffee and breakfast, into town for errands, boat projects (early morning when it’s cooler), Lunch, start my studies, 5pm—prep salads, Dinner at 7, reading or movies (rare due to electric) or more internet (maybe if power) or sitting outside staring at the scenery or crazy charter boats trying to anchor in ridiculous ways, and bed at 9:30 or 10. Obviously, when we are making a passage, the schedule is: be on watch, sleep, eat, be on watch, sleep, eat…

Now it would be remiss for me not to mention July. Those actually following my story know that July was a really hard month on me and there were days I had decided to leave the boat. As I look back at it all, I am shown again that having no expectations of someone else is a better rule to live by. I realize how frail all relationships can be and how everything can change and change quickly. It makes planning for the future very hard but I feel like I am playing dodge ball in life right now and anything…seriously anything, can happen unexpectedly and change the way I think and feel. I also realize how much tougher emotionally I need to learn to become. All these things I would have never learned in my office…and here I thought I would only be learning about new countries, islands, and places and people in the world.

And so, five months later I am trying hard to take a sail’s line in one hand, the helm in the other as I watch my compass go round and round. I am “changing courses” alright; I just don’t know what direction the wind will blow me.