Time Traveling

I love to travel on our sailboat seeing the world through salt covered eyes. The places and people fascinate me, challenge my beliefs and change my views on what is and what can be. There are so many places to go, but one place that I never imagined being able to visit is the past.

Last Saturday, Ray and I traveled over to Melbourne to get his 90 year old aunt. She had been taken to the hospital with confusion, dizziness and heart palpitations. Aunt Rae could no longer stay at her apartment and had no where to go..... or so she thought! Ray sat down and wanted to talk things over with me and then shed tears of relief when I explained that the only solution was to bring Aunt Rae to live with us. We traveled across the state and ended up at the hospital in Melbourne. It was shocking to see how thin she was and how weak she looked. We packed her suitcases with some clothing and started the three and a half hours back over to Punta Gorda. In the past week we have fed her and talked with her and she has thrived! One night I sat to talk with her and my adventurous spirit was transported farther than I ever could have imagined going.....

"Back in 1953, I was getting ready to go to Korea as a nurse with the United States Navy. I had sold my car and was ready to leave my home in San Diego and go help the troops.

All of us girls were called to the ship for a meeting and there we all met in our starched uniforms. The head nurse said that she had good new and bad news for us. The bad news was that we would not be going to Korea. There was a collective moan throughout the room until she hushed us all with her next words.
"The good news", she proudly spoke, "Our boys are coming home because the war is over!" We all stared in stunned amazement until a small clap started and ended with us all cheering and clapping. It was over, our boys were coming home!! We all were on deck when the troop ships came into the harbor. You could not hear anything other than shouts and the boom of victory shots from the battleships. Some of the boats were shooting water high up into the air. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the ships coming through the harbor. So many lives had been lost, but here were our heroes, here were our protectors and they were back on American soil.  Even now, my eyes water when I recall that day.

There is no way to convey the emotions of everyone waiting, watching and then seeing the ships with all of our military men coming home. All was right in the world again."

I sat and watched Aunt Rae as she told the story as if it had just happened. Tears ran down her cheeks and she apologized for the display of emotion over an event from over 60 years ago. I wiped my own eyes and told her that it was okay. I realized that I had traveled not just over an ocean, but through time itself. Her stories made me feel as if I were there on that ship in San Diego. Sometimes we wait for adventure and seek it through travel across states, countries and oceans. We search for what can be while sometimes overlooking what was. Talking with my aunt, I was transported back to another time when the world was so different than it is now. I stood on a ship and watched men come back from war, I felt relief and elation, I hear the cannons and the cheers. I sat on my couch and yet touched the world not only miles away, but a lifetime ago. Sometimes I think about the older generation and all of the memories that they keep inside. If we never talk to them, never let their experiences touch us, the past will die with them. Not all of us have the time or resources to leave our little piece of existence, but we all have someone that we know who has lived in a time that is now in the history books. I can get on my sailboat and adventure through this beautiful world, but  what a treat to sit in my living room and travel through the stories of my aunt.and all of her wonderful adventures. Sometimes the best stories begin in the past and when we allow ourselves to be captured into the memories of those who walked in that time, we become time travelers and we are forever changed.

We're back... so now what???

Last Friday, we turned NuTrix into the wind and dropped the mainsail for the last time. I found the red and green markers that lined the entrance to our canal system and turned our boat towards home. Ray and I were excited to see our daughter, Hannah and our kitty, Scout as well as feel the air conditioning and other landside extravagances!!

After securing the dock lines, we pretty much jumped off and fell back into the world of landlubbers. We even ordered Chinese food and plopped in front of the TV. We were back...... so now what???  The next morning we rolled out of bed and looked around at the HUGE room. I kept wondering how the bedroom became so massive?? Tons of bags lay on the floor in every room just waiting to be put away. My thoughts drifted back to the summer months of cleaning on the boat. One small bathroom, a berth which was made up of, well, a berth and a living area with a galley that housed a small sink and a three burner stove.

Cleaning up was fast and so easy! Now looking around at the three bedrooms, a living room, an office and two bathrooms not counting laundry and dishes and sweeping and vacuuming and lawn care and grocery shopping...........I think I want to go back on my boat!! Ray and I take our coffee and sit in the living room where we can be close together. The TV stations are flipped from show to show in hopes of finding something worth the 114.00 a month that Comcast charges. No luck!!! We finally flip the darn thing off and turn on our jazz music and look out at the water. Ray finally deems it necessary to start working to get everything back to normal... whatever that means?? We go our separate ways and the day trudges forward. I keep thinking about the snorkeling and swimming, the hiking and exploring, the planning and the fun that made up each day in the summer as I scrape dishes and throw dirty clothes into the washer. My heart tugs a little and I feel sad. I realize that I miss Ray!! He has been outside most of the afternoon and I have been cleaning and organizing the house. I drop what I am doing and go look for him and we run into each other as he is coming to look for me!! We both agree that we need a break from the tasks at hand so we again sit in our living room looking for entertainment on TV. The adjustment back home is turning into much more than we have ever felt upon returning. It almost feels like we are living in someone else's house. I had just mentioned this to Ray as my cellphone rang with a jingle telling me Hannah was calling. When I answered, she screamed into the phone, "Mom, I was robbed, I was robbed!"..... Dinner was forgotten, some stupid decorating show was forgotten as Ray and I  flew across town to the Subway where Hannah worked. My little girl who is 19, looked like a little six year old as she sat shaking with her hands clutched tightly together. I rushed over and held her..... so glad that the robber only took money and not my daughter. The thought stopped my breath and clenched my heart up into my throat. We stayed with her for two hours as the police dusted for prints and asked Hannah questions about the description of someone who not only took money, but peace of mind!! As I drove home, I couldnt help but think of all of the people who worried about us going on  our sailing adventure. They talked of pirates and storms and wondered if we would be okay. I didn't meet any pirates on our trip, well other than Ray and any storm that we encountered was forecasted way before it hit us. Our boat is strong and her captain competent to handle what nature brings. The people in the Bahamas are friendly and helpful and I have never been afraid there...... tonight, I was so afraid. Tonight, some crazy, horrible person stole my peace when they threatened my daughter.

Then and there, I wanted to take my children and along with my husband, sail away to where I feel safe.

On board our sailboat, we are face challenges together. No one has to go through anything alone. This land life has been the scene of many terrifying experiences for me and my family. In 2009, Rachel was in a horrible car accident that was so awful no one should have walked away. I was mere inches away from losing her! The next month, I was inches away from losing Tanner to a bullet aimed at his heart...... and now my youngest is robbed. There is no safety here!! I would much rather plot courses around storms, swim on reefs where sharks prowl the waters and climb up limestone hills with jagged edge sharp stones, than be at the mercy of people and their bad choices. The policeman who was with us last Saturday night said that all criminals go throughout their day with the intent to do wrong, our circumstances give them the opportunity. So we have to change our circumstances.... walk with other people, never close a store alone, lock windows and doors... live our lives thinking of how to deter a bad person!!!  I do not think I like that kind of life. To make matters worse, we have to be apart from our families all day long. Ray has to go to his rigging jobs and I have to go to my classroom. We say good-by at 6:30 and do not see one another until around five in the afternoon. I miss my husband!! I miss our lazy mornings, I miss our swimming excursions and snorkeling adventures. AND... I miss feeling safe! Life on a sailboat can be challenging with the small spaces, lack of AC and lack of communications with family, but really, those things can be fixed. The so called bad is far outweighed by the good.

I miss being on my boat. I miss the fun and the comfort and I miss Ray. It has been a difficult challenge getting back into our landside routines. Ray comes home each night sore and exhausted and I have yet to get back down to my classroom. We spend our evenings looking at photos of our trip and planning the next one. Ray talks about the improvements that Nu Trix needs and think of ways to make money while living aboard. Do not get me wrong, I feel fortunate to have a great job and this lovely home and our business is growing and takes care of us financially, it is just that the wanderlust gets louder with each year. The summer trips used to satisfy the hunger, but now they just whet the appetite more. There is so much to see and so many places to go and I long to go!!!  It is harder and harder to deal with the day to day problems in this reality. The political crap and the crime is out of control. Since Saturday's robbery, I check the doors and walk through the house each night, making sure someone is not making a choice to do harm. I never once felt scared on the sailboat and we don't even have a latch for the companionway!! As a matter of fact, we normally sleep with all the hatches opened! I love the feeling of watching the stars as I fall asleep and being able to sleep without a care in the world. I do not have that luxury here on land and I miss it.

So now what???... I will go back to work and the days and weeks will turn into months with the wanderlust's call getting more and more faint with the loud call of  responsibilities. Ray and I will finally fall into a daily routine of working but in the back of our minds that small pull will keep growing. We have a really great life here with some great friends and the parties and family reunions always bring smiles and happiness, but they do not dull the need for adventure. We have ten months from today before we set sail again. Ten months before we get to spend each day together, exploring and finding life. Christopher Cross really nailed it with his lyrics!! "Oh the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see" and  "just a dream and the wind to carry me, so I will be free"......... It really is a freedom!

A freedom that is hard to explain, but means that when the weather gets bad, you move, when the neighbors are annoying, you move, when you've seen it all, you move...... it is all in the mobility, the freedom!!! It really does just require a dream and the wind......of course, a great captain always helps too!!!!

sailing through the 10,000 islands

I’m not a philosopher or really even a great thinker; I dream mostly, though whether or not I’m awake or asleep at the time has baffled me on occasion. Here, I sail on the lonely waters of the 10,000 islands where civilization is held at bay by brackish water, mangrove swamps, mosquitoes and lack of internet.

The wind blows across the shallows bringing with it the distinctive smell of isolation and makes me long to wander through it all. Nu Trix has all of her sails up and we are banking off a northwest wind, riding the waves and I hang on for dear life!! I absolutely love being on our boat, but when the winds kick up and catch the sails, Nu Trix shows off by heeling WAY over and my panic button starts to pulse a little loud for my comfort.

I have heard so many people’s harsh words about my fear but they just fall off like my boat when we turn her from the wind!! I have a car that can go 120, but I really do not want to drive down I-75 that fast, and I am not going to sell it and get a bicycle because of it!! I have my comfort limits so kindly get off of my boat if you do not understand!! Ray, being a great captain, knows exactly how to adjust the sails and we had such a beautiful run up the coast chasing the wind in, literally, EVERY direction possible!! The NOAA reports said that it would be out of the SE, however, as usual, they were wrong. The crazy wind even blew out of the north today!! Mother Nature did not get the memo about it being summer and all!!! Our sails were on the port side, on the starboard, wing and wing and rolled in and then out again!!

It certainly kept the time passing quickly and never gave us a dull moment. I pushed my fear aside and Ray smiled as we caught a puff and I gripped the starboard lifelines just a little too hard, but smiled right back at him. The water danced a dark brown and kicked up on the hull as we moved through the Everglades doing 6.8 knots. Pushing limits makes me stronger and maybe a little braver too. I probably will never be a great sailor like Ray, but I am happy to settle for being out WITH a great sailor like Ray!! I often wonder how something that captures my imagination so deeply can also bubble up fear into my throat like a hangman’s noose!! Maybe it is the same reason climbers venture up El Capitan or Mount Everest, not because it is there, but because our fears tell us that we cannot do it, but our hearts say, “Just watch me!”

We usually set our anchor off of Indian Key just before the sun dips into the water. My job is to locate the flashing markers that will guide us safely through the shallow spots to where the depths are 7 to 8 feet. As long as there is light, it is an easy job. One year, we came in the dark and what I thought was a tree was in fact the green flashing marker that had been damaged, probably by a boat. I was screaming for Ray to turn hard to starboard because we were going to go aground. He grabbed the spotlight and we realized what was really lurking in the dark. We didn’t run aground or hit a tree, but it now makes for a funny story!! Then it made for a glass of wine and a couple Advil….

When we find the perfect spot off of the channel, Ray drops the anchor and I set it! We are then “home” for the night! The sound of the birds poking along the shore and the dolphins scaring up some dinner, is the only noise that reaches our cockpit. The sky catches fire beckoning us to look on, and we, in awe, give nature what she wants!
The colors dance from a burnt orange to a deep purple playing from the sky down into the darkening water. On the bow, it seems as if the sun dives to the ocean for a quick dip to cool itself off.

Soon the surrounding air is dark and wishes start to blink about one by one until the entire heavens are bursting with twinkling hope. I like to try and find the big dipper and Ray looks for Scorpio, his sign. Lying on the deck, snuggled together with nothing around but ocean and sky, is an intimacy that is unexplainable!! The darkness wraps its arms around the anchorage and thrusts us into a different world of perfect mystery. We try to figure out sounds and shine the flashlight around getting a glimpse of red eyes floating along the edge of the small mangroves. They could be alligators or raccoons but they will stay a mystery because no one is going to go check!! In the quiet stillness, I ponder again on the journey that was this summer. It seemed to go so quickly but each day, we filled it with exploration, swimming, snorkeling, diving and dreams come true!!

We still have four days left on our sailboat and I know that we will find lots of trouble to get into because such is our story!! Even when Nu Trix reaches the dock, the story won’t end, only that chapter. Ray and I will fill as many pages in this love story as possible before we close the book. I enjoy waking up each day for that very reason!! Life is such a wonderful story just waiting to be read……I’m trying to make mine a best seller!!!!

A sailors life for me........

Living on a sailboat can be challenging even during the most adventurous of times. The spaces are small, storage is limited and travel is slow. However, those of us with an ability to adapt to new surroundings are blessed with a lifestyle that most people live only in their dreams. Many new discoveries lie in wait during each new day. I, myself, have found that I am a changed person after just two months at sea. Though the changes are numerous, some of them made it into my “Top Ten List”……. (not in any particular order)

#1: I have become more environmentally conscious……  We all hear the news reports on global changes and how we should take care and recycle, reduce, reuse…….and most of us do our part and, yeah, we think a little highly of ourselves for it!! HOWEVER, living on a sailboat, conservation becomes not just a slogan, but a lifesaver!! I tend to like water….. water to drink, brush my teeth, shower, clean dishes…..lovely, wonderful, refreshing water!!! This summer we carried 125 gallons of water into a different country, a country of small islands where fresh water is scarce! 125 gallons of water is not a lot!! I learned quickly to turn off the tap between brushing my teeth, showering and washing dishes. As a matter of fact, we use saltwater to wash and fresh water to rinse. Running out of water is a reality as we do not have a watermaker unit and rain can be non-existent in the summer months. I also have been reminded daily of how lucky I am to live in a country where all I have to do is turn a faucet on for hot or cold water!!! On my boat this summer, I have become grateful and have a new love for my world!! I reuse cartons to store food, I put drinks into washable cups instead of water bottles…..we conserve because our trash space is limited also and it costs up to 10 dollars to dispose of a bag of garbage at a marina!!! This, at first, cumbersome task, has now become second nature to me. We have limited supplies, limited storage and limited funds, so conserving, recycling, reducing and reusing is not a “motto”, it is an imperative!!

#2: I really love my husband…… Our sailboat is 41 feet long which after two months gets REALLY small!! There is nowhere to storm off to in a heated moment, no car to jump in and drive away…..you cant even slam a stinkin’ door to get a point across!!! We have to work it all out and do it quickly!! I have read that a week on a boat is comparable to a year together on land?? I don’t know if all that is true, but I do know that the relationship will only work if both are willing to talk!! Ray and I laugh together, dream together, play together and boy can we fight together!! I am usually right, but that is beside the point…… We have one captain on the boat, but all other issues are decided together and we have to work out differences because otherwise one of us would be adrift very quickly!! Some people may not understand our relationship, but it works for us! I love my husband and love being with him on the ocean. I love our friendship and our fun and the fact that he stands at the helm in the rain and I can go below…. I mean, he is the captain!!!!

#3: Faster is NOT always better:….. I am sure that there are times when it is important to hurry along, but most of the time when we do anything quickly, we do it sloppily and miss out on doing it right. Our sailboat cruises along at about 6 knots. That is pretty much the speed of a bicycle so we cannot get anywhere in a short amount of time unless we are resetting an anchor!! That being said, Ray and I have found many little islands that the big and fast boats cruise on by at 50 knots. We have set anchor in little harbors and walked trails among the trees and brush, discovering beauty unimaginable, residents of the islands who will sit and chat and reveal a culture that is so foreign to me but at the same time so familiar! We swim in water that is so clear, it will make you cry and find fish and explore reefs and then watch spectacular sunsets that I think can’t ever be outdone, but then the next one comes and I am wrong!! Our days meander through time and though we get to midnight the same as anyone else, we get there with so many more memories and way less stress!!! Life in the slow lane is fast enough for me!

#4: America is not the only country…….. Yeah, yeah we all know this, but do we really GET it?? I do!! Traveling to another country is a big eye opener. No one there cares how you do it in America, because they aren’t there!! Our religion, our culture, our first world problems do not amount to a hill of beans outside the U.S.  I have been blessed to be a part of another world even for such a short time and it shades my eyes to color, race and religion. We are simply people……all a part of this big, beautiful world. Though some of us have crazy accents!!!

#5: We have SOOOO much in America:…….I could write an entire novel about how much we are blessed with in our country!! For heaven sakes we have the choice of 50 different kinds of grape jelly….not just jelly but GRAPE jelly!! We have reliable communication, (I still hate Comcast).. and can call our parents, children and friends at the touch of a button!! We have trash service and flushing toilets with unlimited water (or so we think)… we have pizza delivery and Dunkin Donuts coffee. We can open the refrigerator at any time of the day, and there is usually something in there though it is the same 20 things that we looked at five minutes ago!! All this makes us complacent and it also gives us the idea that we “do without”….. really???? The poorest in our country are  still way better off than most of the millions of people that call our world home. No one tries to sneak out of the United States!!

#6: Flushing toilets are heavenly…….before you laugh, get a manual toilet and pump up and down 40 times each visit to the bathroom!!! I won’t even go into the smell of a holding tank as that will be saved Fellow boaters can become really great friends for its own blog!!
 

#7: VHF radios can provide hours of entertainment!!........channel 16 is supposed to be a hailing and emergency calling channel, but not everyone got the memo! The snide remarks and call outs are rather funny. If you click over to channel 68 or 72, you pretty much have a party line to a plethora of conversations.  It is kind of like FB without the pictures and random recipes!!

#8: Fellow boater can become really great friends:………Ray and I always get excited when we see a sailboat come into an anchorage and for good reason! In the 8 years that we have been cruising together, some of the best relationships we have formed have been with other boaters. We met Duke and Donna back in 2010 in Staniel Cay and enjoy “running” into them each summer down in the Exumas. We made some new friends this summer as well and I have been following their travels via FB. The common bond that we share is a love for the water, cruising around, fishing for dinner and basically enjoying life while we have the opportunity!

#9: No matter how hot it is, a small breeze can cool you down rather quickly………. The hatches on our boat funnel down the lovely ocean air into the cabin. The same wind that grabs a hold of our sails taking us where we want to go, also brings refreshing coolness to an otherwise sticky situation. NuTrix also has fans that can move around the air, but ohhhh those wonderful salty winds!! When we get home, I keep notching the AC up and up….I become accustomed to the heat and the artificial air takes some getting used to!!!

#10: Freedom is more than a word……….Being tied down to material things means that the freedom to go and travel, explore and learn is also tied down. While there is nothing wrong with homes and cars, wardrobes, bank accounts and other tangible objects, sometimes they start to own us instead of the other way around. I always start our trips thinking of the things that I will do without and end up realizing how little I truly need to be happy!! Star gazing is an addictive activity and absolutely free!! Snorkeling the reefs and spearfishing a grouper for dinner also costs nothing more than know how and a little luck!  Talking with new friends, listening to a different language and deciphering the words with hand gestures, trying food that I have never seen, exploring worlds that I have only read about, wandering through the ocean pretending to have a plan…… this is freedom to me!!!

I know that there are countless numbered paragraphs that I left out, but really I cannot explain the changes in me or the epiphanies that have come my way this summer anyway. We sit today anchored off of Key Largo in Jewfish Creek and though we have many miles to go, it is all so short! I wish for June when my journey started but time only goes forward. I am so very lucky!!! I have memories and experiences that most people can only read about and for that, I am eternally grateful…….I have a wonderful captain who takes me to faraway places, introduces me to different cultures and lifestyles and most of all loves me!! We have this amazing sailboat, NuTrix, who has time and time again proved her seaworthiness!!! She loves the waves, the wind and the adventure too!! She is named because of our love for adventure….. In every life, you need some new tricks!!! So glad I have mine!!!