Gill's thoughts.....
Starcharger
Sat 6 Feb 2016 14:28
When you set off on a new adventure you are always tempted to reflect on the past...
3 years ago we set off on a voyage. Since then a voyage has been described to me as a journey which brings you home again. I didn't know what to expect. All I knew was that I was on a boat I loved, with the man that I loved and we were about to live "his" dream.....
My first few experiences were, let's say, interesting.... Rescued by the RNLI, the Bay of Biscay in 60 knots of wind, my first night watch when I sailed into a Portuguese fishing fleet, to name but a few!
We spent our first summer in the South of France sharing our home with family and our closest friends. Fabulous! But as my best friend Lucy reminds me I spent most of it trying to come up with reasons why we didn't have to go across the Atlantic. I was nervous and very apprehensive of the unknown.
So I focused on what I do best - feeding people! And on January 19th 2014 four of us made landfall in Barbados having eaten roast dinners and apple crumble most of the way! It was an almost perfect crossing. We got on the conveyor belt known as the Trade Winds and it took us 20 days. I'm not embarrassed to say I kissed the sand on the beach in Port St Charles when we arrived!!
We have now spent 2 years in the Caribbean. Exploring new islands and reacquainting ourselves with the ones we knew. The people, the food, the islands have been amazing. We have made so many memories and so many friends - both cruisers and local islanders. Alasdair has a saying that friends fall into 3 categories. The Rose Garden - those that you see and hear from on a regular basis, the Orchard - occasional contact, and finally the Meadow - friends you don't see for years but can call on for a beer anytime. We are exceptionally lucky that we have made so many rose garden friends....
As I write this we are sailing to Panama from Antigua with two of those friends Brad and Karen. They wanted the experience of a long passage before doing it on their own boat. How privileged do we feel that they chose to do it with us 😊
In a few weeks we will head through the canal and into the Pacific then on to the Galápagos Islands. Again we will be accompanied by friends. Some we have known for years others we met only two years ago in Barbados. The boat is almost fully provisioned thanks to the help of yet another friend we met whilst here.
Am I feeling nervous? Yes a little, but more than that I am feeling excited. I am looking forward to the next adventure. Because I am on a boat that I love, with the husband I love so very much and we are off living "our" dream.....
Sent from my iPad