2 months into crusining life and my feelings
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Thu 4 Mar 2010 22:49
a while ago, and a distance but also the time has gone fast, I am now
sitting in La Cruz next to PV mid way down the Mexican coast. We have
covered 2000 miles, our engine has just past 300 hours, yes we have used it
80% of the time, it is a myth that cruising is sailing, you would not get
anywhere without an engine. We like travelling at 6 to 6.5 knots and we
calculate the passages at this, we have had conditions that we sailed alone
and got good speed, but one area I had underestimated was the fluky weather.
This does put you on a schedule, (yes everyone says when cruising you are
not on a schedule but that is not true) the weather is your time table this
year with El Nino it has caused very strange weather patterns which has sent
strong winds and rain through. The schedule comes from the point that you
must decide where you will be in the off season, in our case we looking at
central America below the Hurricane belt, which means we have to be there by
May 15th, (if that is accurate) and that is 1100 miles away, which means a
steady moving down then you throw in that you loose a week waiting for a
window in the weather, we have done this 3 times so far. Tracy and I have
policy we will not go until we are happy with the weather, and if that
means we stay then we will, this has worked well with us, avoiding bad trips
unlike many other boats we have seen. We met a couple a few years ago who
had sailed for 10 years no storms, by waiting, but that took patience. That
is something I have started to learn, and even getting comfortable with (do
not fall off your chairs). I am certainly much more relaxed than when I
left, am I full unwound No certainly not, I am not clear of things, and I
suspect that is due to getting the family settled in. Remember cruising is
not a holiday it is a change of life style, but you still have
responsibility and a job to do, especially with 2 kids, we seem to be always
busy. I try to do 10 hours a week maintenance on the boat, there is a list
of check items I run every 50 hours of engine time, and then we move a lot
more so things are not on time but on use, I have been very happy with the
systems, but I am using those 10 hours, and I do some minor improvements
when I can. This plus entertaining the kids, do Spanish, violin lessons, and
craft lessons, plus then exploring you have a full day. There is no doubt
our relationship has changed it is more like when we went to Catalina for 2
weeks, we fall into roles, and help a lot more, but it takes work getting
comfortable with the lifestyle, just getting on and off the boat like at
Catalina takes planning each day.
We have met another 2 families with young kids and many of the figuring out
items we are seeing they are going through as well. I think we further ahead
in many ways due to having lived on the boat for years with the kids and
designing the boat for them, they need their play spaces that you can use
when under way. You need a huge amount of books, and games, which you rotate
and get them, but how they work on passages and the attention is different,
after a 6 weeks with the family we are all a lot more relaxed now than we
were in La Paz, now that Tracy is happy with night crossings is a sign. Like
all kid boats it's about the destination vs the passage.
I had a chat with a couple from Canada this morning who have come from
Toronto via the Panama Canal, they spent last hurricane season in N and have
been to many of the spots we intend to go, they loved central America both
on the boat and land travelling, and have recommended we stop in El Salvador
vs Costa Rica for the long period as it better set up and cheaper, this nice
to hear, and we can take the boat out fly out for a couple of months before
coming back to tour Costa Rica. We will see but it nice to get first hand
experience. They are also in software, and have found it took them 6 months
to unwind, due to sorting out of the boat and life style.
Now we have a basic plan that we will go to Central America, then we more
relaxed, we have run into many kid boats which is nice., and keeps the boys
happy.
So the biggest thing I am walking away from after 2 months is while you
shift a gear and change a lifestyle when you lift the lines and sail out, it
takes you 4 to 6 months to fit into the lifestyle and become comfortable
with all the aspects from the formalities, communications, weather, and the
boat etc. We were lucky as the boat was well prepared and I know the boat
and Tracy knows the boat, many people have coming aboard issues as they buy
the boat and go within 3 months, so they still getting issues sorted as they
adjust to the lifestyle. Do not expect to get spare parts down here, you can
get them but they take some time, and cost, if you have jobs to do after you
leave have the parts first, things like canvas etc are easy but mechanical
take time.
But am I enjoying it the family is enjoying and we are settling in, are we
comfortable with the life style no yet, we working it, but this is not a
holiday it is profession and a job, I look forward to the comments in 2
months.