Table of Contents
Announcement
In this rare occasion where I find myself at the keyboard putting this post together, I’m reminded of the following quote:
We must guard against disrespectful, disparaging, and criticizing thoughts. We must try to practice reverence and devotion in our thinking at all times.
Despite my frequent failure to live by this wisdom, these days I resonate with the singular word: try.
My goal here is to provide an important update for the few of you that read our blog and have been following our journey. For those who know me, my tendencies in writing mirror those of my verbal expression. For the rest, it suffices to say that a tl;dr section is inevitable:
As of this week, we have decided to sell our s/v Rachel J Slocum and take a much needed break to recharge our weary selves. We are looking to enact this decision immediately.
History
For the past two years, we have planned and embarked on a radical life change. In the last three months, our life was entirely focused on the following:
- Getting rid of over 90% of our things
- Deciding on and packing the remaining 10%
- Securing the sailing vessel that was to be our new home
- Moving across the country aboard our sailboat.
Specifically, in the past 5 weeks, while living in an approximate 350 sq ft of space we spent every day:
- Cleaning
- Provisioning
- Fixing broken systems
- Cooking
- Managing the heat
- Managing the bugs
- Learning as much about the main systems on board as possible
In the same timeframe we didn’t do the following:
- Smile much
- Explore our surroundings
- Enjoy fresh meals
- Have fun
- Feel increasingly confident
- Move the boat: day sails, motoring of any kind.
The goal remained simple:
“By mid-december 2020, get the boat ready, haul out for bottom paint, and leave on a 1600 mile journey to the Caribbean”
Our above activities were now nicely contained on a self-imposed deadline and the new goal definition became:
“Live full-time on the boat while preparing it to make way and be ready to go in 8 weeks”
In the abstract, not such a difficult goal to achieve, but we added a few additional challenges for good measure, such as not having a car, cooking every day without the use of a refrigerator, pooping in a bag and avoiding most forms of fun for the fear of not making our deadline.
Reality
Like most endeavors, there is a rhythm to consider that might look something like: plan, execute, observe, learn. I’m also reminded that meaningful endeavors have a higher chance of success when there is a balance between the work and progress made towards achievement. Maybe more simply summarized as: Taking one step at a time
Our reality was far removed from the goal of world travel on a live aboard sailing vessel. We lived on a tiny boat at a dock in Florida tucked away from the dangers of hurricanes. The body of water surrounding us required hydrogen peroxide if it came into contact with bare skin. Due to traffic and heavy currents, our wishes to practice docking and un-docking maneuvers were heavily discouraged. We felt trapped.
If I meet other people and criticize their weaknesses, I rob myself of higher cognitive power. But if I try to enter deeply and lovingly into another person’s good qualities, I gather in that force.
As you’ve read in previous posts, we met some extraordinary people that shared freely their experience and knowledge. We sponged up all they had to say and made dutiful notes. The result, was an ever growing list of things to check, things to replace and items to buy. We felt trapped.
We will not find the inner strength to evolve to a higher level if we do not inwardly develop this profound feeling that there is something higher than ourselves.
Ok, so our living in Fort Lauderdale may not be about spiritual evolution. However, as the quote suggests, perspective is a helpful contributor to success. We didn’t have perspective. Our “cruising life” began and ended at the dock. We felt trapped.
Next Steps
Even for the handful of folks that were aware of our decision, some obvious questions came up. If you made it this far into my ramble, you may formulate questions of your own and I encourage you to share.
The answer to most questions in the category of next steps, is currently: We don’t know. We made one decision: Sell the boat. Feel free to reach out for a great deal. I’m sure you can tell we’re motivated sellers.
What’s certain is that we plan to spend a couple of weeks being nicer to ourselves. Dare I say, even spoiling ourselves. We will then be in full boat sale mode and I’ll have a separate post on that topic.
Writing continues to be a healthy outlet in our lives and, since it’s just a blog, even I qualify to “write.” Stay tuned for updates.
Thanks for reading!
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