Lists and Lights: Stepping away from the computer

The many lists
Some of the many lists

It’s been a week of list making (using FreePlane mindmapping): research to do, equipment to buy, boat jobs to plan, admin to complete before leaving town, things around the house that Sara needs to know about (she has, to my knowledge, never watered the plants, for example, and has little idea of my elaborate schemes to encourage maximum light and growth)…  and my favourite lists: places to revisit and people to hang out with before I leave.

After days of computer work (mainly related to insurance, equipment purchases and scheduling boat work) the more personal, Vancouver-based lists were calling. They also fit in nicely with our current ‘Operation Love Vancouver’ mission: an attempt to make the most of this stunning place and stop complaining about the weather, traffic/transit, and how outrageously expensive it is. It definitely worked this weekend.  Despite grey skies and rain, we had some fun adventures – a good reminder that acting like you’re on holiday when at home helps you see a place with different eyes.  Here’s some of what we saw: Continue reading “Lists and Lights: Stepping away from the computer”

“Fancy a sail?”: a bit of background

Illusion in New ZealandReading Doug’s post about cruising safety reminded me of our endless Skype conversations when we first got together. Telling me about some of the people he’d met sailing, on more than one occasion the seemingly happy little anecdote ended with ‘and the boat sunk’, or ‘and he died’. An explanation would follow of how, with a little more care, the disaster could have been avoided. I think this was meant to help me feel better about the idea of going on his boat sometime, but it got to the point where I made him tell me the ending first, so I could be prepared. Most stories, though, are better told from the beginning. For example, how does an English girl based in Spain end up in Canada, about to wave her American husband off on a six month (or maybe seven, every time I ask it gets a little longer) sailing trip? And aren’t you worried about being apart that long? Well, it happened pretty much like this… Continue reading ““Fancy a sail?”: a bit of background”

Cruising concerns: being safer at sea

Yellow boat with hole in CantabriaWhile reading through the CruisersForum recently, I found a post by someone concerned about the major threats while cruising and asking for advice. There were a few replies and comments about how “normal” life is statistically much more dangerous.  It got me thinking about some of the dangerous situations I’ve seen out on the ocean… Continue reading “Cruising concerns: being safer at sea”

New Year, old dreams

So here we are, already a few days into 2013 – which means this is the year I finally get back to Illusion and sail again. It’s now seven years since I left New Zealand, leaving the boat moored just off Auckland – I never planned to be away from the sailing life for this long. Life has a funny way, though, of turning things around and changing things up when you keep the possibilities open, and I’ve had all sorts of adventures in the meantime. But not a whole load of sailing, and no long-distance voyages. Continue reading “New Year, old dreams”