Another year of sail, challenge, and hopefully good weather - gearing up for 2016

May 13, 2015

     As I’ve said before, I think I am more of a “blogee” than a blogger - evidence of that is the fact I have not posted ONCE since January.  I think there are many reasons for this but here are my theories:

 #1 -  I read so many absolutely wonderful blogs containing excellent photography, insightful and interesting writing, and obvious technical skills re’ making their site FUN, that I’m afraid my basic skills pale in comparison. 

#2 -   Also, there is the fact that we have just stayed in the Virgin Islands this year, so everything is a little “been there.... .seen that”.   Beautiful clear blue and emerald seas, gorgeous skies,  turtles swimming right by our boat at anchor, white sand beaches - nothing much to write about, right?  

#3 -   Not many people read it.  Actually true.  If you don’t do facebook you’re out of the loop.

   

Anyway,  now I’m wondering - what do we like/ love about our time on the boat? In other words, why are we floating around down here enduring some of the hardships (many) of living on a boat?  Everyone thinks it is paradise, but one thing I am very sure about is that there NO SUCH THING  as paradise.  Doesn’t exist.  Anywhere.  Of course, there are better places and worse places - no argument - but no paradise anywhere.

So, we have decided that we like challenge at this time in our lives.  We feel more alive when we have a challenge, a goal, a dream to pursue.  And living on a boat is definitely a challenge, which granted is a lot more fun in a tropical setting with beauty all around (we’re not dumb!).  Just knowing how to sail is only one little part of our lives.  And frankly, we don’t get enough of that.  We fix things a LOT.  We go here to do laundry, dragging it about a mile in a cart.  We go there to provision, carry large bags full of edibles to the dinghy, dinghy out to the boat which is pitching and rolling, haul it into the cockpit, then down the companionway steps into a sweltering cabin (closed and locked while ashore), stow stuff into various compartments so that it will not fall all over the place when we do move the boat.....ooph, tired, hot, sweaty.....and lets hurry up and motor to the protected anchorage an hour away so we can get a good nights sleep.  

But, when we get there - we do jump in the water for a swim, take a stern shower, then sit in the cockpit to watch another beautiful sunset.  Challenge of the day met.  Other challenges are keeping the boat, which is our home and car, in running order.  This challenge mostly falls on Ray, with my close supervision (kidding)....(a little).  Keeping Megerin running means having all the tools (yes, check) and the needed parts (trip to various stores because we never have the one we need).  This usually involves a lot of discussion with other boaters, an invaluable resource as so many people out there know so much and can’t wait to share their knowledge with you.  Almost always appreciated.  Which reminds me....

   What we also reallly, really love about this lifestyle are the people we meet.  Such fun.  People from different countries - a LOT of Canadians - People with so many experiences to share, such as sailing around the world - and we all instantly have so much in common.  This experience we do not have on land and it is hard to explain to land dwellers what it is like. 

Dec. 18, 2015

Well, I never did publish the above, but as the new year starts soon, I will try to keep up my blog  for 2016.
We have been in Pittsburgh almost 7 months and had a great time traveling to Chicago, the Hudson River Valley, South Carolina, Florida, and Malibu, California.  Since Mac is a freshman at UCLA we all spent Thanksgiving week out there and had a terrific time in the sunshine.We head back to Nanny Cay on Tortola, BVI, on Jan.6 .

Alyza (21), Charlotte (18), Gigi (12), and Jane (14) at the UCLA/USC game.

Mac (19) and Erin

In Chicago we watched the beginning of the Chicago to Mackinac sailing rally while visiting Megan.

Erin, Mark, Hines Ward and his wife, Megan.  Through Megan's good friend Angela they were invited to the opening party of Hines's new restaurant in Cranberry.

The California coastline

What's waiting for us in the Caribbean

                   The BAD news is that time flies.  The GOOD news is that YOU are the Pilot.

Ok, that is not me, but I liked how the picture expressed my thoughts - well, everyone’s, really.  I always hear “where does the time go” and there is no good answer.  And the older you get the faster it seems to fly by!  Sometimes I nearly panic because I think I have not “done enough of this or that”, especially when I read about certain people who seem to do it ALL.  However, as I write this, I’m already thinking this is also wasting time worrying about wasting time !  Geez.

After our return to Pittsburgh, Sewickley actually,  in June, we just concentrated on spending time with family and friends, attending weddings and reunions.  We did travel to Ireland for the first time, thanks to Erin and Megan giving us air miles for Ray’s big birthday.  We flew to Dublin and then traveled by train, bus, and rental car for 12 days to see so many beautiful sights.  Other trips were to Chicago,  Chincoteague Island, and of course to my brother Jim’s place on the Chesapeake Bay.  Plus, Erin, Megan, and I did a girls trip to Napa Valley for Megan's birthday - so much fun (and wine).  We are still living in the apartment so did a little more to make it homey this year - a flat screen TV!  We had been watching an old 19 incher for years but a quick trip to Best Buy and $300 remedied that.  

So right now we are at the hotel at Nanny Cay Marina until the boat goes in the water tomorrow, hopefully.  One of our thru hulls is broken and if we can’t get it fixed may have to delay.  Meanwhile, we are enjoying the pool here plus all the chickens and roosters running around the hotel grounds - NOISY!  And last night we had a uniquely fun time at Capt. Mulligans ringing in the New Year under starry skies and palm trees - no wonder time flies.

Christmas Eve at the Grand Concourse (sorry for the freaky eyes on some of us).
Front row - Charlotte,16, Gigi,11, Me (age unknown)  Middle row-Ray, Megan, Alyza,20, Erin, Jane,14.  top - Mac,18, Mark

Horse drawn carriage rides in Sewickley - no snow for the holidays this year

Beautiful Chesapeake sunset at Jim's

Girls trip to Napa for Megan's birthday

View of walkway along the Ohio River in downtown Pittsburgh last Sunday night.  The Steelers played the Bengals and we met Erin, Mark, Megan, and Jim at Jerome Bettis's restaurant before they went to the game.  We WON.

Cruising buddies Ann and Art traveled from South Carolina to Pgh. for a visit.  We also took them to Falling Water, which is always a treat.

Bridge in Dublin (forget the name)

Dublin and Galway were great but our favorite memories are of the countryside and coastline and the sweet little villages we would find as we drove around on the wrong side of the road.

Yes, it's a cemetery but what amazing stories are told about turbulent and sad events in this ancient land.   

The placement of these rocks actually means something in Celtic times.

Found these guys while walking down the road - some nice cows behind them.

Ireland's land is so rocky that the people had to remove them by hand before they could plant crops.  They had no where to put them so built walls with no mortar between the rocks, which divide all of their fields.

Close up of rock wall.  There are thousands of miles of these walls and the beauty of them is surpassed by the fact that they have lasted for many centuries with nothing to hold them together.  What an art form - all done by hand one by one.  I never thought I would be so interested!

Typical pub - we might have spent a little too much time in them but each one was OLD and interesting.  And served Guinness beer.  And played great traditional Irish music.

An old stone cross   The traditional Celtic cross is designed to combine the sun with the cross, as before they were converted to Christianity the people worshiped the sun.

Castle ruins

Cliffs of Moher - very amazing place.  It can be seen in one of the Harry Potter movies.  The winds were at least 40 mph the day we were there but luckily no fog

View from our room at the B&B in Dingle.  This is why it's called the Emerald Isle.

In Dingle we ran into a wedding and loved these ladies with their fascinator hats.

And this was taken today, January 1, 2015, at the Nanny Cay beach.