Thoughts on Being a Landlubber Again

[carstenb]

Just to give you all an update.

After many evenings discussing our future over a glass of wine, we have finally reached a decision.

We simply aren't finished with blue water cruising and despite being landlubber for almost 8 months now, we miss our boat more than ever.

We both feel there is something not right with our lives - Today the winds are blowing 20-25 knots and I don't care because I'm indoors in our apartment.

How the hell can I not care when the wind blows up? Should I be thinking about our anchor? Maybe I should dig out our 2nd anchor and get it ready.

If the worst happens - can we weigh anchor and bug out?


We are both vaccinated now and will try to get into the US. The Presidential Proclamation denying entry for those from Schengen is still in effect so we will try flying to BVI, spending two weeks there and then entering via ferry to USVI.

That route should work - we can only hope we don't run into problems..


Regarding our weight loss(gain). Well, we have managed to lose some of the gluttonist pounds - but not all. I guess the last couple of pounds will just have to wait until we get back to our normal lives aboard.

We're tired of this landlubber existence - we borrowed a boat this past week from some friends and sailed.

My god how wonderful. I simply do not have words that can express how happy we were. Our smiles stretched from ear to ear when we cast off. Despite cramped quarters, it was grand to be sleeping in a bunk that rocked and rolled.

[wolfgal]

Thanks so much for the update, carstenb!!!! it is curious how it matters, but, somehow, it does.

and thank you for such good news! Capri is going to be thrilled silly!!!!

more seriously, i congratulate you for having found that clarity you both needed. finding clarity, acting upon it, moving forward: all positive, constructive things! i am happy for you both.

i suspect that getting the vaccine may have helped you feel more free, more able to imagine stepping out of the space that has 'contained' you during this long slog of a pandemic (at least in france it is!)

i am wishing you all the best in getting tickets and out the door and to that plane on time!

it is time to get living again!


wolfie

[carstenb]

I can only reiterate - we haven't been as happy as we were when we went sailing this past week in a long time.

Nothing will please us more than to get back aboard Capri

[gonesail]

there is something to be said for a floor that doesn't move when you are grabbing that first cup of coffee in the morning.

[Mike OReilly]

Reading your post here carstenb makes me realize how deeply I miss life on board. Like you, we've been a landlocked refugee since the beginning of the pandemic. My boat has been unreachable for going on a year and half now, so we've been landlubbers.

And funny you mention the wind forecast. I've gone through exactly the same thought. I was just looking at the marine forecasts for the Atlantic provinces. It's all "Strong Wind Warning" range. But here in my little apartment, it doesn't affect me at all ... how bizarre .

I would love to get back to an undulating floor while reaching for my morning coffee .

[CruiseN]

Thank you muchly.
A beautiful read of a lifestyle I believe I'd enjoy .

Inspirational.

I walked away from sailing to attempt healing of our planet.
She's like a slow thought machine. Many years sometimes occur as her systems build around her halo of our forever horizon ocean fetch; Southern.
She decides her thoughts, occasionally we are blessed with beauty of dangerous concentration as thoughts front Australia.
Admiring you guys girls of Cape Horn. Must be amazingly beautiful; much higher than I.

Bought a house, engineered such to be a free livestyle. Became habit of bicycle to work, Sundays were put battery in van and tow dinghy to ramp. Small sail cat.

Recently, plan to semi-retire upon a vessel is flowing well yet government deemed me crazy and took my licence to work away.
I politely argued that systems were crazy, I was just flowing with such.

Asked why such an old man (me) was living with my parents bought me a smile.
No sir.. I went to Chernobyl on a tour. I promised my girlfriend that if she held my hand, shed create lightning. Her girlfriend held my hand in the radioactive city. We had walked an hour in a radioactive city with a thunder and lightning display under clear cloudless summer sky. Truely amazing.

On return to Adelaide, 2 weeks later my house burnt out. A further 2 weeks later Australian bush fires were large, covid chased that followed by Chernobyls large bushfires. The offer of $100 a week accommodation including being fed like a well grown man wasn't crazy. Would've been crazy not too.

Physc gave me a letter to take to government. They didn't accept letter stating GPs are not qualified to diagnose symptoms of mental.
I laughed," so you're telling me your system took my licence away because of an opinion of an idiot yet won't accept whom you just told me is qualified to diagnose mental from a 17 year service of practice. Maybe your office is still confused? Please hurry up."

Special requirements were for me to attend neuro testing later on after licence was returned. I suggested being neuro, they'd be better off balancing harmony and rather than test like a bunch of idiots, maybe visit a Dojo with me or simply come out sailing and encourage a better feel of response ability. They decided to cancel neuro testing. LoL

Living the dream. My friends 40footer costed $1800 per annum to keep bottom clean. Live on marina berth is about$50 per week. Close to work. Close to shopping. Close to mum and dads. I ride bicycles easily. I'm figuring cost of living will be monetary low yet high quality.

Thank you and thanks to others too equally for information obtained.
Probably just be a house boat for a few years. Maybe run down to fill freezers with food once monthly and weekly out the harbour fun. But basically a house boat.
Sorting budget as I type.
Even said to the doctor. Why would I move back into my house? Insurance gave me the repair receipt, as long as I use house as a rental and earn less than about$100000 yearly, I won't be paying direct tax. I ain't arguing. Simply like sailing or we'd all point higher.

Plus Ultra (ever higher: Latin)

Something that does 5 knots with lower tensions lower would be ideal. Something nice and easy on acceleration is where I seek.

Hopefully find Grand Banks one day. On way to Wales.

[redhead]

I'm glad to hear your news. It sounds like work to get back to your boat, but the plan sounds workable.

And here I've been complaining about being stuck on the boat all through the pandemic - isolating aboard at the end of a dock through a long Pacific Northwest winter.

The fact is that we have boats on either side with liveaboards and we've formed a community. We take care of each other and each other's boats, we search each other out when someone "disappears" and isolates. We can't sail around the world, but in normal times people come from all over the world to sail our waters and visit our islands. I won't complain "Oh, I guess we'll go to Sucia Is. again (sigh)". My glass is definitely half full now.

So thanks Carsten for bringing home what we have, not what we're missing. I hope to see you on the Salish sea - I'll recognize you by those silly grins!

[JPA Cate]

Good luck with it, Carsten, sorry it sounds so dodgy with the immigration issues; and I hope you can get it sorted quickly.

Home is where the boat is.

Ann