Keeping it Real

It's been brought to my attention that we, and specifically this blog, have (literally) launched several ships and more than a few dreams.  This is incredibly flattering if not a little scary.  To get an email that reads: "We just bought a boat and will start cruising next year - after we learn to sail, of course - all because of your blog, so thank you!" makes me realize that my musings actually have some power and are no longer just me sharing my rose-colored thoughts and experiences.  I keep waiting for the day when I get a hateful message from someone who sold everything, bought a boat and sailed off into the sunset only to curse us every single minute of their dreadful cruising existence.  "You lied!!" they would say, spitting venom though the interwebz, "You made me believe that cruising was magical and it SUCKS!  My crappy boat is small, hot and constantly broken and my wife left me for an incredibly fit twenty-five year old Mexican scuba instructor.  I have nothing and it's all YOUR FAULT!!" Then, in my imagination, they would threaten me with litigation because almost always in this fantasy these folks are American, and what does an American love more than a good old fashioned law suit?

While I do tend to accentuate the positives of this life, I also believe I do a fair job at balancing this out with some brutal honesty as well.  I will continue on this trajectory - but in an effort to "keep it real" I want to share with you two accounts of people who's cruising fantasies didn't quite go as planned.  Realistic expectations, in my opinion, are crucial (mandatory?) to being happy in life, travel, relationships, etc...so reading these two accounts will show you the flip side to the pretty pictures and whimsical Facebook updates.  Brace yourself.  These are brutally honest accounts and one of these stories is tragically heartbreaking.

Here is the account of a couple of cruisers who are throwing in the towel after the harsh realization that they actually didn't enjoy cruising and have decided to "swallow the anchor" as it were and sell their boat. 

And here is the tragic tale of a couple of cruisers who, after a series of unfortunate events coupled with severe mental anguish, decided to abandon their boat - and their dreams of cruising - in the Pacific.

Both of these stories should provide a good dose of "yin" to my "yang", and should be read by anyone who is considering a life afloat because sometimes, it's not all it's cracked up to be, and that's totally okay.

You Might be a Full-Time Cruiser If...

Is this a normal activity in your life?  Then you might be a full-time cruiser!

Scott gave me this idea for a blog post one morning when he was helping me get breakfast supplies and said something to the tune of "I wonder how many people sleep over cookies, granola bars and chips".  It was in that instant that this post was born.  Of course this list is not finite, it could probably go on forever.  However, just for fun today:

You *MIGHT* be a Full-Time Cruiser if...

...you sleep over your "pantry" and literally have to crawl in and out of bed...
...leaving a tap running for anything longer than 2 seconds makes you cringe...
...you don't think twice about a 2 mile walk to the grocery store...
...you're hyper-tuned to out-of-the-ordinary sounds and/or smells...
...you wake up with mysterious bruises you don't recall getting...
...you light your stove with a match and make toast over an open flame...
...you get really excited about a half-way decent, one-pot meal...
...you see a new gadget and your first question is "how many amps does it draw?"...
...your life is dictated by the weather...
...you have more zip lock bags than is normal or necessary...
...you have mastered the art of washing with mere quarts of water...
...laundry done by your own two hands comes out better than the laundromat...
...you pretty much wear the same thing every day, and no one notices or cares...
...ice is a luxury that is always accompanied by a big smile and a high-five...
...cardboard is the enemy and is not allowed on the boat...
...when something breaks, your first instinct is not "who to call?"...
...you use T-9 and WD40 as frequently as others use hairspray...
...you laugh out loud if someone on land complains they "don't have room"...
...you don't mind warm beer, in fact, you sort of like it...
...you have no clue what's on television or in the theaters and don't care...
...you've peed in the sink - not because your drunk -  but because you don't want to fill the tank...
...you use only one quarter of the paper towel at a time...
...you know your boat like most people know their children...
...you long for more solar and/or wind power and ogle other peoples' set-ups...
...you've seen the bare ass of at least one of your boat neighbors before...
...finding a new way to store something more efficiently literally makes your day...
...you get really excited when you look at a balanced battery meter...
...you get a tour of another boat and get jealous of storage space...
...you have more flashlights and head-lamps than a spelunker...
...prepping to cook a meal requires you to get on all fours at any given point...
...you break a sweat just getting out the tools necessary to complete a job...
...you cannot walk into a marine store without buying something...
...you know the wind speed just by the sound and feel of your boat...
...you use oil and vinegar not only for salad, but for your toilet - on a regular basis...

and my personal favorite, you know you're a full-time cruiser if...

...you honestly don't know where the day, week, month, or year will take you...

Beach Boys

Our favorite 'beach boy' - Syricus who toured us around St. Lucia

No, I am not talking about the plucky surfer boys from California who had a penchant for harmonizing...I am referring to boys who work the beach down here.

...And everything else between your boat and land.

When a boat sails or motors into an anchorage - it sticks out like a sore thumb (or, more likely, a big glowing dollar sign on the water).  There is no avoiding these guys - they spot you a mile away and you'll hear their engines revving long before you see them.  As soon as you enter the harbor they pull up alongside you in their pirougues and dive into their well rehearsed spiels.  There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

"Yeah mon.  Welcome to paradise! How is it?  Good?  I have mooring for you.  Local price.  Real cheap.  Follow me..."  all of this is rattled off with nary a word from Scott or I.

"Thanks man, it's okay - we're just going to go ahead and anchor.  We're broke.  We don't need a mooring, but thanks." Scott counters.

We smile, we nod, we wave thanks and goodbye.  It's awkward.  Not because we said no - but because after we say no they stay right alongside the boat, continuing to pitch their "services" with sales skills that would impress even Ari Gold.

It doesn't stop there.  Once we finally do anchor and settle in, they start rowing up from all directions.  Some on old patched-up kayaks, some on derelict surfboards, a few in wooden boats and a lucky one or two in fancy RIB inflatables.  Some come up singing, some whistling, some as silent as Viet Kong whose presence you don't know until they're right there alongside your boat and whistle up at you.  They sell bananas, mangoes, pineapples, vegetables, straw baskets, jewelry, and just about everything in between.

We buy things when we genuinely need them - if we gave in and bought something each time we were pitched by a beach/boat boy, we'd be broke.  Unfortunately, some of these guys get really agressive when you give them a friendly "no thanks".  The other day, when we didn't by one menacing fellow's bananas after a few minutes of fruitless persuasion (like that?), he paddled away mumbling and cussing angrily while glaring back at us with a look that harbored in it so much hate we were uncertain whether to leave the boat for dinner (we did, figuring an old, probably schizophrenic dude on a mangled surfboard was probably not too big a threat).

The majority of these "beach boys", however, are wonderful, kind and just trying to make a buck.  If you chat with them, hold your ground, and be friendly - most will paddle off with a nod and a smile.  Some you might even befriend -  our buddy Syricus - who we met at a karaoke bar* in Rodney Bay, ended up taking us on a guided tour of this beautiful island the next morning.  He and his dreadlocked friend, Future, drove us all around, to waterfalls and mud baths, for a song.  It was authentic and it was awesome.  Check our Facebook page for pics.

Down here it is virtually impossible to avoid these wily salesmen - they are at the dinghy dock ready to grab your line (and take it anyway when you tell them no, after which they tell you they are in 'charge' of the dock and will watch your boat for you), they are on the street ready to take you to the "best" restaurant (where they obviously get a finders fee) and they are always there - waiting, hovering and ready to pounce on your every need (or non-need for that matter).  For the most part - their attitudes and services are genuine and, if you give them a chance, they might even teach you a thing or two.

As someone who previously made a living recruiting and hiring sales people - I am impressed by the consistency and dogged persistence with which these guys work.  If I could have had a dozen of them hitting the phones for my clients, I could have made a killing!  For now, I am learning the art of the tactful no and developing LOTS of "allergies"!

Ah-choo!

Love,

Brittany & Scott

* TOTALLY obsessed with karaoke.  I know most people think it was invented by the devil but I love singing my heart out when you can't flub up the words.  I can't get enough of it.

Container ship crashes...

A container ship collided with another today, spilling it's oil and contents into the Indian Ocean.  Among it's cargo are hundreds of shipping containers.

There's a lot of scuttlebutt about boats hitting these lost containers out in the open ocean.  They supposedly tend to stay afloat for quite some time and tend to lurk just a few feet below the waters surface, so you can't see them with the naked eye.  There is no doubt that hitting one would/could result in loss of the boat.  And fast.

However - most seem agree that the odds of hitting one are very slim.  Still, it is a little unnerving to imagine ramming into a 20 x 10 foot tank submerged ever so slightly below the water's surface.

But you have to wonder - what was in those lost containers?  Gym shoes?  Plastic fan blades?  Lighters?  Doll heads? Hopefully not the new cockpit table we ordered!  ;)

Love,

Brittany & Scott

Marine Superstitions

I have always been somewhat of a superstitious person.  I try not to walk under ladders, I don't put new shoes on the table, black cats crossing my path sort of creep me out and if I break a mirror, I don't like it.  However, superstitions don't rule my life.  If a black cat does cross my path I don't sequester myself in a room saying Hail Mary's or anything - but if I can avoid it by crossing the street or turning around quickly (i.e. changing my path - clever huh?) I will.  In my opinion, if there is even the remotest chance that I actually can control/avoid 'bad luck' - I'll give it a crack.  I don't want to tempt fate.  The universe works in very mysterious ways...

No world is more riddled with superstition than the world of the sea.  I've always known of the true blue sailor superstitions such as "bananas on a boat are bad luck" (you'll slip on the peel and fall overboard), dolphins swimming with your ship is a sign of good luck,  "don't whistle on a boat" (it will raise a gale) and, yes, I've always been aware of the sexist superstition that "a woman on a boat brings bad luck" (apparently, we 'anger' the sea).  I was not aware, however, that a NAKED woman on board will actually "calm the sea" (hence the naked figureheads adorning bows).  Riiiiiigggghhht.  Anyone else see a little discrepancy here?  I've got to hand it to those sailors of yesteryear though, they really knew how to work an angle.  I wonder how many seasick women ran around in their birthday suits when a storm hit or the waves got a little out of hand? Very 'age of Aquarius'.

Turns out - there are some pretty wacky nautical superstitions out there. Here are a few gems:

• Black traveling bags are bad omens for sailors.
• Avoid flat-footed people when beginning a trip BUT the bad luck can be averted if you speak to the flat-footed person before they speak to you.
• Avoid red-headed people when beginning a trip BUT (like the above) the bad luck can be averted if you speak to the red head before they speak to you.
• The caul of a newborn is protection against drowning and will bring the owner good luck (FYI 'caul' is essentially the amniotic sac....ummmmm who OWNS this sort of thing!?!).
• The feather of a wren slain on New Years Day will protect a sailor from dying in a shipwreck.

Really, who comes up with this stuff?!  And to anyone out there who owns any part of the amniotic sac and carries it around for good luck - please seek help.

Sailors were (and are) a very superstitious bunch, and I'm guessing it has everything to do with the fact that once at sea, they had very little control of the world around them and adhering to these little tokens and rituals helped them to feel that they had a hand in their fate.  Superstitions provided a sense of security and confidence.  That, and the fact that sailors liked their women in the buff.  Who can blame 'em?

There is a tremendous amount of power in belief and maybe - just maybe if Scott and I offer Neptune some libations and goodies along our journey (hope he likes Rum!), he'll take good care of us (wink)! It's worth a shot (literally)! 

Fingers crossed.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!

A lot of you (okay, all 3 of you who actually read this) have been asking about how the survey went – waiting with bated breath since I left you hanging with my last post (humor me, will you?). Well – the survey came back EXCELLENT. We are happy to report we are not dealing with a lemon, but a beautiful, wonderful mango (not sure what is on the other side of the fruit spectrum, but since mango is my fave – I’ll go with that).

Let me back up a little and give you the full serendipitous turn of events…So, as it turns out – in all the research we have been doing on the Hallberg-Rassy Rasmus 35 Scott came across an online scuttlebutt where there was a post from a fellow Rasmus owner named “Rourke” from Chicago. Well, Scott actually used to work with a fellow by that name and thought…"Hmmmm, could it be??” So he called his Rourke and sure enough, it was him! Scott’s old friend is also a proud owner of a Rasmus with a ketch rig! Small world right? Oh – it gets smaller...

So when we contacted the gentleman that our broker suggested for the survey, he gave us the trusted name of Marc Nugent who ALSO happens to be yacht club friends with Rourke. This little ship of ours is connecting all sorts of dots!

So Rourke was all excited to see a sister ship to his, and since he knows the boat so well he accompanied Marc on the survey. All day long Rourke was excitedly calling and texting Scott with updates: “She looks like she’s been kept in a time capsule!” “This boat has me all excited for things I want to do with my boat” and all sorts of other “ooooohh’s and aaahhhh’s”. We were very happy.

Then the actual survey came and one of the very first lines reads: “The vessel was found to be in above average to pristine condition with no major damage”. It goes on for twenty-six pages explaining in very nautical and specific terms, why.

So folks – GAME ON!! We are so, so, so excited and I have to say – I am so, so proud of myself for having found such a gem of a boat! But, as I said before – if you want something bad enough, the universe conspires to give it to you. Thank you universe!!

Sea trial in 2 weeks!! Then….it’s OURS!! Closing date: June 21st!!