It's quiet... So I'm contemplative.

The things I crave are changing. 

Before, sitting on a  tin covered porch during the rain would have been my desire.  Now... Well, now a good book in the cockpit after dark is home.  It is comfort. It is what drives me. 

As I have gotten older,  the simple life has come more naturally to me.

 Once I shed the bonds of expectation (or realized that I could)~ the truth of who I am came out. 

I live for sunsets. 

I love good red wine. 

I don't see the necessity of struggle just for the sake of 'measuring up'. 

I want more than that. But less. 

I want time with my little family in beautiful places with excellent food.  And I want it while the water laps against the hulls. 

I don't want the constraints of 'stuff'. Rather,  I yearn for experience and culture and a different view. 

Some of these desires translate easily to shore. But there is just something different about living them afloat. The elements effect you more acutely. You are more vulnerable, but also more alive and aware. 

Everything is intensified~ the joys and the sorrows,  the mellow and the drama. I, after only a few months, will take the extreme highs and lows of emotion this life lends over a "comfortable" existence on land. 

I wouldn't mind (a little) bigger boat though...

Decommissioning... For a little while

We have a little over a week before we head home. It's very bittersweet. 

Right now Hubs is in decommission mode. We are hauling out next Tuesday and since she is going to be on the hard (far away from her crew) we have to get her ready. 

There is an ever growing list of things that need to be done. 

All sails have to be taken down, the bimini disassembled (of course its part of Hurricane season we will be gone) holding tank emptied and sanitized, water tank flushed... And that's just the beginning. 

We are headed north in a tiny car that has to fit 3 people, a dog, a bike, our clothing, everyday electronics etc... There just isn't enough room for everything. 

And we aren't going to be home for very long. So deciding what is necessary combined with what can't stay aboard is the challenge of the moment. 

All food stuffs HAS to be removed. We absolutely do not want to come back to a critter infested boat. Currently we are working our way through the stores and will hopefully only have to deal with a small basket of food, spices, etc.. 

The things we can't  or dont want to take home have to be dealt with (books, bedding).  Mold is a problem... Especially when it goes unchecked for months at a time. That's another present we don't want waiting for us upon our return~ a fuzzy boat. 

I've learned to really love the simplicity this life afloat offers.  This isn't the simple part. This is the work. And bonus~ we get to put it back together in a few months. THAT I'm actually looking forward to because it means we will be on our way again. 

Focus

This lifestyle is an adjustment.  I've said it before, but it's not all sunsets and rum.  It is hard work and planning~ both to get here and to sustain it.  Living on  a boat has many challenges.  Living on an old boat has more.  But we have done it.  This very first adventure has taught us so much about what we are capable of and what we really aren't.

We know now what type of cruising family we are.  A lot of the illusions have been shattered.  Some of them have been tempered, and a select few have been illuminated.  I personally, am grateful for all the ways in which this life has presented itself (some more so in retrospect). 

Now that we have finally, four months later, worked out the kinks... it's time to head back to our home port and take the next steps.

We have decided to haul out Airabess here in the Keys.  For a few reasons.  She needs it.  It has been almost 3 years and she needs a new bottom job.  We could take her back up north... but that just does not appeal to anyone in the crew.  The ICW, while a good way to get our feet wet, is  not the way we want to travel.  It's at times very narrow and the opportunity for actual sailing is very small.  Plus, the bridges.  I NEVER want to do that again.  EVER.  We all agree on that point as well.

Another reason to go on the hard here is that Airabess won't be a distraction to our planning.  We have tons to do when we get home.  And we have done the 'work on the boat on the weekend' thing for too many years.  We need to focus on getting our family and financial repsonsiblities in order there~ so we can get back here.  We already have a list of projects and purchases that we need to get through.  But this time, Airabess will get our undivided attention... it's just going to be a few months from now. 

We will be in work mode for awhile.  And that feels good too, because we have a clear objective and timeline. 

That is what is going to get us back down here more quickly I think.  We don't want to leave her on the hard for longer than necessary.  And that is just long enough to take care of things back home.  If we took her home... we might not be as focused or in as much of a hurry to get anywhere.  Plus we would have to do the ICW AGAIN.  I did say that wasn't going to happen.  Bonus, we will be super close for the hop to the Bahamas when we are ready to go. 

So, this crew is in transition mode again.  I feel like it will be a very different this time around.  We know what to expect.  We know what we need.  We know what we want out of this thing.  So, we are headed back to make it happen.  A few months of landlubbing for an indefinite adventure... I'll take it! 

I sure am going to miss the sunsets though.