We Are On The Count Down Now!

How could I not visit places like this! (St. Barth)

The dream is coming to a reality faster than ever now! In less than six months we sail away! We are on the count down and what we have yet to do is becoming overwhelming!

I finished my last International Leadership session with my favorite group last week. And then I told them I was officially retired. Yes, I used the "R" word that I had been dreading! A few months ago I wasn't ready to say the word out loud. What happened?

Dreaming of the cruising life - but not yet retired!
Soon though!

Everyone says that you will know when the time is right. The time was very right! I am more excited about learning about all the places we will visit than designing another training program. I started my business 23 years ago. At the time, I wasn't even sure it would be viable. I was amazed when I made the five year mark - and again at the 10 year mark! The next 13 years flew by as I was busy doing what I love to do: share what I have learned and watch others grow with it. It has been very rewarding to work with the most interesting and enthusiastic business leaders! And the added benefit is that I learned and grew right along with them.

Now what!? The house is on the market, a lot of stuff has been given away and I am clearing out office files, shelves of resource materials and training programs. Even though it is hard to let all of my work creations go, I know I do not intend to use them again. It is time!

She is teaching Grand D to use an iPad!

Not everyone is excited about our upcoming adventure. Our six year old granddaughter asked: "Grammy, why does Grand D have to take you on his dream trip?" It is hard for her to comprehend that I want to go. She thinks I should be here for her birthday! I guess it is a matter of priorities- and right now our priority is to have a great adventure before time runs out!

As I have always told my training classes: life is full of choices; make some! And we have! So we will be missing her birthday! We will all have to use Skype and our iPads to stay in touch! And when she learns to swim, she can come sail with us.

It Is Spring ... SOMEWHERE!

Who wouldn't want to spend their summer here?
I will greatly miss my garden!

The calendar says it is Spring. But not here in Michigan! The temperatures have been way below normal for this time of year. As we continue to get the house ready for sale, the weather has caused delays on several projects. It will be officially available on April 1st. This is a huge step and I am not sure how I really feel. I suspect Dennis will come home one day and find me in a melt down!

Hopefully it will attract an offer soon after it is listed. The really big task is actually moving everything. Since we are not buying another place right now, I have to really trim down what to store and what's to GO! It is much harder than I ever thought it would be. I am sure other cruisers have had similar challenges when selling their land home to move on board full time. Some rent out their homes, but with our children spread from the west coast of the US to London, UK, we are not sure where we will finally land.

Here is the route. We go west from St. Lucia
to the Panama Canal.

NOW FOR THE FUTURE: We are busy scheduling crew for different legs of our circumnavigation. And planning the move aboard and all of the projects we want to complete before we release the dock lines. We are very happy to have some former crew members sailing with us as we really enjoy their company. Ron, Tom and Stuart are crewing for the Caribbean 1500. Then Ron and Tom are doing later legs as well. Hopefully Stuart and his wife will join us somewhere in the South Pacific. There are still a few legs with open slots.



One of the photos taken by SV Totem crew

Of course, my brain is trying to get a handle on the task of provisioning for the longer legs (15-30) days when there aren't any Costco or super markets. I wonder how much canned tuna and chicken we will consume. Hopefully we will have a lot of fresh (as in really fresh) fish. I can't even picture what provisioning will be like in the islands of the South Pacific.

Soon I will have a chance to see our friend Behan who has been sailing the Pacific Ocean for several years with her husband and three children. The provisioning topic is at the top of my list. You can follow their travels at http://sv-totem.blogspot.com and see their amazing photos. They are getting to know the people on the remote islands not visited by the World ARC Rally. Their children are having a wonderful adventure. Check out the blog to read the interesting stories.



Surfing in the Sonora Desert

Beautiful view of Pinnacle Peak from friends' home!

Here we are: a long way from any ocean! Since winter in Michigan is not as much fun after spending winters cruising the Caribbean, we are visiting friends in the Arizona desert. Instead of sunrises and sunsets on the horizon, we are gazing at Pinnacle Peak and visiting desert botanical gardens. The sun on the granite begins our morning with a red glow. I don't worry about "... red skies in the morning ..." out here. The beautiful glow off the rocks is red every morning.



I actually made it to the Summit!

Our exercise comes from hiking the various trails in the area. I even made it to the Summit of the Pinnacle Peak hiking trail. What a nice change from the cold! It also showed me how out of shape I am! Unfortunately, we were there the week it had snowed and delayed the golf tournament. We just never found warm weather this winter. Oh, how I miss being in the islands!

At the same time, we are catching up reading of sailing magazines and discussing preparation. One set of friends we are visiting are Great Lakes sailors in the summer so we have great discussions about the upcoming circumnavigation. They will probably join us somewhere in the South Pacific.

Watched the Colorado Rockies get a triple play to win!

While I do not feel any rocking and rolling, it is pretty nice in the hot tub and having sun downers by their beautiful infinity pool. It makes me wonder where we will "land" once we finish sailing. Will our winters be in the islands or the desert? I doubt they will be in the cold north.

We also stayed a couple of days with some other Michigan friends and saw a different view of the desert. They gave us a great car tour of the area and an opportunity to get a real "taste" of the desert by visiting some of their favorite dining places. One of the highlights was going to the Colorado Rockies game and seeing a triple play!

Just what keeps them up there?!?

Their subdivision has many unique rock  formations which give it an interesting landscape. Somehow I feel more comfortable in high swells of the sea than having things like this balancing above my bedroom!

Since it looks like March is coming in like a lion, we may be seeing spring soon in Michigan. Then it's back to getting the house sold and the boat ready. Never a dull moment with us! But this was a welcome escape from it all!

So Much Planning To Do!

It is freezing cold here in Michigan. I mean zero degrees with a -15 degree windchill! I don't think I will be running any errands today! So that means it is a great day to dig into some of the many books we have for planning our around-the-world cruise. (Thankfully, it is too cold to work in the attic.)

Get this at Amazon:
http://amzn.to/W0akay

One of my biggest challenges is planning for provisioning of food and menus to keep a happy crew. I also have to consider the amount of stock to store for the various lengths of passages. We understand that once we reach Australia, they will take most of our food off the boat! So I want to have enough to get there, but not too much that I would lose. It is a roll of the dice: how much will we all eat in the number of days from place to place. And who wants to spend time provisioning at each stop when I could be enjoying the sights and people on the islands.

The Boat Galley just arrived from Amazon yesterday and I found myself reading until midnight. Even though it is a cookbook, it is full of helpful information on planning, provisioning, stowing food and galley equipment. I also have Amanda Swan Neal's The Essential Galley Companion and have used it on board in the past. Actually, I would love to talk with her as she has the sister boat to ours and I can't figure out where she stores everything she lists as having on board!

Also at Amazon:
http://amzn.to/Tm0sZy

I have looked through Cruising Cuisine, but I don't think it is for me: too many kitchen items to stow. The recipes also appear to use a lot of ingredients that we won't have access to offshore and the recipes call for long cooking times which consumes too much propane. It is probably a great one for large yachts with more power and bigger galleies.  I think I will return it.


See at Amazon:
http://amzn.to/YnqlcU

I have debated with myself as whether or not to get a pressure cooker. They use less fuel to cook items that need longer times in an oven; and because they have a secure lid, it can be safer.They do take up a lot of storage space so I would have to give up a thing or two. I have been told that the modern pressure cookers are much safer than the one I recall from childhood. I have always been afraid of them because I got burned by the steam - or something. I don't remember the details - just that it was an awful experience! I have also been told you need to practice with them before you get on board. So I will have to make that decision soon so I can cook up a storm at home!

In the meantime, I have a lot of good reading in front of the fire. And I can cook to my heart's content in a full kitchen while trying to picture myself in a tiny boat galley. Oh, ya! I will also have to practice doing it at a 15 degree angle and pretend that I am being thrown around! So I am off with my books, a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate and a biscotti ...

Too Much Stuff!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

I am busy trying to simplify life. That really means getting rid of much of what we (especially ME) have accumulated over the past 20 years. Actually, I came into this partnership of marriage with a lot of stuff. The Captain's favorite song is called "Too Much Stuff" and he plays it every now and then just to remind me of how much STUFF with which I need to deal to get ready for the next great sailing adventure! He often references the "hoarder's show" as if to suggest ... I am not that bad! But I do have a lot of "treasures" from parents, grandparents and kids. Just why do we save all of that stuff?

My lovely garden

Being a person of many interests and some talents, I have more than dabbled in a number of hobbies and businesses: Fiber Arts, Jewelry, Water Color Painting, Knitting, Sewing, Cooking, Gardening, Entertaining, Internet Marketing, Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, Writing and Editing, and  a variety of sports, just to name a few! As a result, I have acquired a lot of stuff!

I have come to terms with (and am actually excited about) selling our home to move on board S/V Trillium for a few years! It took my a while to let go as our home is a wonderful place. Many of my friends think I am nuts! But I am actually excited. I am looking forward to a simplified life style - that is not the same as saying stress-free! But my biggest issue at hand is the STUFF! And that is causing me stress.

In front of a Leadership Development session

I have a full library of business and human resource materials that I use in my coaching and training business. (By the way, I am not retiring - just reducing my resources! Although the "R" word is feeling more comfortable with each passing month!) I have a full fiber arts studio that I haven't been able to find time to use in the most recent years. And I have a house full of beautiful things for decorating and entertaining. While I will retain things I can use and do in the future and don't require much storage space, I will have to let a lot of it go. That is the challenge: sorting it all out.


Some of my watercolor paintings at an art show

Not only is it difficult to part with the things I have enjoyed and appreciate for their beauty, it is overwhelming! Many of the items hold cherished memories of family, friends, holidays and the like. Many items represent much success - and some less successful ventures. A lot of beautiful clothes just won't look right on a boat! And after a few weeks of going barefoot and wearing unstructured clothing, it is really difficult to return to what is in my closet here.

And so, instead of sailing in the islands this winter, I will be slugging it out in the attic, the basement and my office. I think I know why people have moving sales! Charities have been coming once a month to pick up a load, but it is only a small dent. And then what about the antiques and fine things we have. What and where do we store them? So much to handle that it wakes me up regularly. I may need someone to throw me a life ring from time to time so I don't drown in the STUFF!