20100110 Perspective – These are the best of times…

20100110 Perspective – These are the best of times… Since departing Charleston harbor on November 17th, active times have been plentiful, quiet times abundant. Many activities have been new experiences to remember and share. In contrast, the quiet periods are very personal times of reflection and thought. I cherish the former; however, the later will affect me more, longer and deeper. Cathy and I have challenged ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally during our trip. We have laughed much, slept allot when bored, eaten new foods and gotten nervous over anchoring, docking and overnight passages. Physically, both Cathy and I have lost weight. In Nassau, on a cool evening, we showered and prepared to go to dinner. For the first time in over a month, I put on my jeans, then reached up on a shelf to get my belt. , While extended, my jeans fell to my knees…and they were buttoned! I have used up the extra holes on my belt and punched two more. I feel better at my lower weight and hope I can build on my (inadvertent) success. Cathy has also slimmed down noticeably. After starting our journey, we accepted many things, including but not limited to: few showers, camp stove meals, uncomfortable passages and weather requiring foul weather gear. We also marveled in magnificent sunrises and sunsets, calm seas with warm following winds, enjoyed simple foods in exotic locations and most importantly, new cruising friends in every port or anchorage with great stories and advice. All in all, the scales of fun, laughter and heart-felt emotions hang vastly overloaded with positive experiences. The people that we have met have come from all walks of life and experience. Most interesting are those retirees, who have been coming to the Bahamas for 10+ years. One very distinguished 75 year old lady we met in a marina laundry told us very matter-of-factly of entering a Bahamian anchorage at 2am, “since we had been there so many times and we had a full moon”. Cathy and I were speechless and would never have attempted their feat. Other cruisers are like us, new to the art and science. We laugh and share nervous moments over rum drinks in marina bars and on beautiful beaches. Most are in the middle, with a few cruises under their belt, searching for better anchorages and experiences, tweaking their floating homes for comfort, NOT speed. Discussions are endless over anchors, heads, boat types, repairs, draughts, sails, boat food and drinks. Most cruisers seek good weather windows, quiet & protected anchorages, simple meals, easy repairs and good company in exotic locations. Pushed by the winds and drawn by word-of-mouth descriptions of idyllic anchorages and powder sand beaches, they pursue an unachievable mental image of the perfect island anchorage. They revel in the chase and sing the praises of locations, not quite perfect, but imperfect only in some small detail. This sends them on their way again. We have been exposed to the cruiser lifestyle and community. It remains to be seen if we are infected or will be immunized to further sailing adventures. Until that decision is made: 1) Angel needs a more limited selection and better storage for tools. 2) Angel needs less food on board. 3) Angel needs new wiring for AC circuits 4) Angel needs a single side band radio to receive weather faxes & reports 5) Angel needs better organization for fishing gear and snorkel gear 6) etc. We continue to wait for any winds except NORTH to allow the Gulf Stream to settle down and provide a window for us to do our last overnight passage, the 100 miles from Lucaya back to the good old USA. Then, we only have the 500 miles up the Intercoastal Waterway (ICW) to Charleston Harbor. Cathy and Jim