These are the Voyages…(Not Quite Yet)

When are you heading out to exotic new lands you ask? Cruising the islands? Navigating the seas? Experiencing new cultures?

 

Well, we’d be up for taking off this afternoon! But it seems life has a timetable that we don’t quite get to dictate. When we used to charter sail we often grew frustrated by “island time”. Now that we live on a boat, even island time can seem hurried. We’ve been in our new marina home for ten months, and it’s been a whirlwind of activity that often makes it seem more like ten weeks.

 

So, what the heck have we been doing? First and foremost, Todd’s been working. Since I have managed to stretch my spell of temporary unemployment into full-fledged retirement, it’s been up to Todd to keep us afloat (so to speak). We knew that would be the case when we embarked on this journey and we are more than grateful for the miracle of electronic communications that allow Todd to practice his trade from a boat slip. Secondly, we have made frequent trips back to Indiana, Missouri, and Texas to see family and friends. It’s difficult pulling up long established roots, and we don’t really want to. Those ties are the most important to us and always will be. And now, with a nephew graduating next May, and twin grandbabies growing up way too fast, we know it may be another year before we take off for more than a week, or a weekend, at a time.

 

There has also been a boat learning curve to navigate. Upgraded systems to install, maintenance routines to learn, minor repairs to be made (see prior post on our AC frustration). A few boat kinks to work out and some user errors to correct. It seems that for each two items we check off the list we add one more.

 

Then of course, there is the weather. Hurricane season? ‘Nuf said.

 

So, for now we enjoy any opportunity to sail a short overnight or long weekend. It is beautiful here on the Manatee River and Tampa Bay.  There are many lovely spots to anchor, parks to explore, and seaside bars and restaurants to eat and drink our way through. Honestly, a day spent on a water floatie, followed by steaks on the cockpit grill, a glass of wine, and the lullaby of a rocking surf is paradise, no matter what waters we are anchored in.

 

So for now, we sail our marina area backyard and highly anticipate our soon to be time “to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before”.