UTC 1330

It is hard to believe — but the week has past already… Actually, a tiny bit more since we put the lines to the dock. 

In the outside world around me:  

- Brexit has not materialised yet… 

- I got the pictures from Montreal, about the first snow hitting the city… and the ‘first snow chaos’ on the streets and highways… 

- My friend from Toronto sent the photo of the boat,  which is doing the crossing from the New York to Bahamas, in ‘accordance with the dates’, but not the reality of the weather… 

- My new acquaintances from Almerimar, decided to go to Gibraltar — disregarding all advices to wait for a proper weather window — and came back next day…  A bit bitten by wind, but happy and proud…

The last two episodes reminded me my story in the storm near Mallorca…  

- Everyday some new boats arrive, and a few are leaving….  

- One of the friends — resigned from the lucrative contract on the super yacht… and feels good!  The other one — just sold his Swan, and is extremely excited in his preparation to move back to land…   

In short, the sailing life around is going on… ;-)

We — myself and the boat — are on a different path.  The current goal — to put the life on boat into the proper ‘rhythm’ and order.  

The immediate goal — to make some work on the boat everyday, to make learning — by reviewing the passages of the season passed, to analyse mistakes, etc… to plan for the next season. 

The most important and  immediate goal — to made and to finish  a ‘deep cleaning’ of the boat and to compile the list of the improvements/repairs which should be done. That list is a tricky part:

— some tasks are in really ’SHOULD BE DONE’ category.  Like review and made a proper fixes for the engine.  ‘He’ — the engine — has been promised I would do it… ;-)

— some tasks are in ‘GOOD TO IMPROVE’ category.  The adaptation and improvements based on received experience…  The list is really long, and started to ‘interfere’ with available time and ‘budget’  ( whatever the word means in my case… ).

The list is being compiled as I’m progressing with cleaning…  The first pass has been done, and the second pass has started right after — with deep cleaning of the motor compartment, etc…  ( And every time I’m opening the motor compartment — it seems the list of to do / to learn things is doubling right away!  ;-) )

And only time will answer —  how far that path will take me. At the moment — one thing is for sure. I’m finding the process on working on the boat as exciting as sailing itself. Which brings some hope, but it is too early to bet  on the results… ;-)

As settling on ’the earth’ in Almerimar progressing, the thought about Montreal starts to appear… I’m finding it a bit strange but this year I do not have the feeling of rush to go back to Montreal…  Somehow, it has gotten even further and further away… Does it mean that my migration to the boat is going further and deeper ?  No idea… 

A lot of boats are leaving to Caribbean.  Or, at least, are  planning to do so and are constantly adjusting their plans, as the weather — with the strong Westerlies —  bringing corrections… A few has already missed their start in the ARC 2019… and are debating should they go by themselves or not… 

The conversations with those boat crews brought a lot of memories about the Caribbean chapter of the voyage. 

A bit funny moment — they are saying,

 ‘— … Oh… we are tired of the Mediterranean! Have to leave, really have to leave… We are going to Caribbean! That is where the life is! When are you going to Caribbean?

  — I’m not going, I’ve just arrived from there to the Med… 

  — Why ?  

  — Oh… Get tired of the Caribbean… The Med is where the life is…

‘ 

But at the same time, the memory constantly reviewing the last three year of the voyage. I’m very happy that the Mediterranean is big, and there is still a lot of places, which should be visited, which I would really like to see… since the question ‘ Where to go next ? ‘ has started to appear and to form…  And there is no immediate answer to that, even  the ‘wrong/unrealistic ‘ one… 

Though the boats are still going out, and some in the Easterly direction… the weather is taking its turn towards the winter.   The days are getting very noticeably shorter. Even the change  from the ’summer time’  — has not change the situation much…. During the days — if there is no  cold wind — it is nice and warm under the Sun. But… as soon as the Sun down,  or before it is up in the morning — it is getting cooler and cooler every day.  The tops of the Sierra Nevada mountains — become visible covered by snow more often, and for more longer… 

I know, by having written that passage there — I put myself in the corner… What are you complaining, Michael ?  Look around! There palms trees, there are flowers on the trees… They are not going to disappear under the snow… If they are going to survive the local winter — you should too, for sure! 

That is true. We would be definitely fine!  

That is all for now. 

What is next ?   I’m sure that the cleaning of the boat will be finished or stopped at one point. And then the restoration, improvements, and repairs would be started! 

Still looking into that with enthusiasm! ;-) 

Everything is OK and under full control.

Talk to you soon, 

M.