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!

Oh! How I Miss Being on S/V Trillium!

Trillium coming into dock in West River, Maryland

I am the first to admit that I am amazed that I like being on the boat as much as I do! When Dennis first brought up the idea of retiring on a sailboat and sailing around the world (just six years ago!), I said, "Ya, you and your next wife!" Then I thought about it and decided he might take that statement too seriously! After all, a boat is a man's mistress!

I recall on my birthday in September of 2006, we were invited to sail on Lake St. Clair with friends, Bill and Deborah. I was so terrified of walking on that skinny finger pier that I could hardly get onto the boat. Then I had the death grip on the gunwales every time we heeled a little! At the same time, I was loving the wind in the face and the quiet gliding through the water.

About to pass under the Mackinaaw Bridge!

We continued to sail with our friends and Bill let me take the wheel. It is like being a passenger in a car on a wild ride v.s. being the driver - you are more comfortable when you are in control. The more I took the wheel, the faster I wanted to sail and more I wanted to heel the boat. The following summer, the four of us started the American Sailing Association series of courses.

Dennis and I continued our sailing courses and the next February I completed my ASA 106 sailing test by sailing around Tortola, BVI with the final part sailing Sir Francis Drake Channel at night down to St. John's Francis Bay. It was here we did the nighttime man-over-board drill in high winds. Dennis had taken his test in Lake Erie in cold and wild windy weather the previous fall, We stayed in the BVI's and chartered for a week with Deborah and Bill joining us.

Why does it feel like the mast is going to hit
the bridge no matter how high it really is?

Then we bought S/V Trillium and the rest is history! Most of which is posted in this blog. Our first long trip was when we sailed with Deborah and Bill from Lake St. Clair to Bay Harbor in Petosky, MI up Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinaw and down to the marina at Bay Harbor. Then we started sailing the various rivers in the Chesapeake Bay area. And finally we took the big step and headed south to Tortola, BVI with the Caribbean 1500 in November 2010! Now that is progress in my book!

As I follow our World Cruising Club Rally communities in the Caribbean 1500 and World ARC, I really miss being on the water and hanging out with other sailors. While I sit here in cold Michigan, I keep up with them on the Fleet Trackers and various blogs. I am envious of the photos of shorts and bathing suits as I am bundled up in fleece and hat and gloves.

At least, we will have a very Merry Christmas with several of our children and grandchildren here and in London, UK this year. Next year we will be down there in the islands, too!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year!