Our Expectations

Rob asked us the last time we spoke if our journey so far is what we were expecting. Well, we can honestly say yes and no.

The weather is holding up to expectations. Because it is winter and the rainy season, it usually rains at least once a day (usually at night). Most of the time the sun is shining and the temperature is in the high 20’s. Even when it rains it is still warm and it dries up so quickly that if you are caught in the rain it really is not a problem. Like Griff said for those on vacation a rainy day means one day less of their holiday, for us it just means a day where we can sit on the boat and read and not feel guilty about doing nothing.

So far our expectations of sailing from secluded beach to secluded beach for lazy days of sun and snorkeling have not happened. (Griff here for a moment – I must admit that, although I knew some of the realities of sailing i.e. daily things to be done, repairs, maintenance – another cruiser we were talking to the other day described it as “ongoing boat maintenance in an exotic climate” – in the back of my secret mind, I think I still envisioned the only problems we would have would be deciding who posed on the foredeck as we left one exotic port on our way to another). The reality is to this point we have mostly been so focused on the boat and trying to get it into good working order that we were beginning to lose focus on enjoying the experience. The previous owner was not as meticulous with his maintenance as his wife implied. He obviously did things on the boat, but he did not leave any documentation on when or what he did. The documentation we do have is from the original owner and this documentation is very good; however, when we use it (e.g. the wiring diagrams) we discover that the previous owner changed things so the documentation does not help. Griff has found it very frustrating and there are days when we wonder if we have made the right decision to buy the boat and sail for the three years.

The sailing itself has been great. We take turns at the helm and at the sheets (ropes for you landlubbers) when the sails need to be moved. However, Griff usually raises the mainsail because I don’t have the strength required to lift it to the top of the mast. We have learned that we can deal with difficulties that may arise. The 10 foot swells we encountered on our way to St. Thomas were terrifying at the time, but we didn’t panic and were able to keep control of the boat, lower the mainsail and put up the genoa with little difficulty. Dealing with broken belts on the engine has almost become second nature for Griff now.

In this neck of the woods – or I guess bay of the cay- there seems to be a LOT of charter boats and other cruisers we have spoken to mention the same. What this means is a difference in agenda between us and them in that most of them bring their own company down and the only way they meet other people is in the bars in the marinas. I guess this holds true of the “snowbird sailors” too (whether from Canada or the US). They come down and mostly stay around one area, usually frequent their “home” marina and again spend a fair amount of time in the bars.
Then there are the cruisers and I guess we should define what we mean by cruisers before going further. There are coastal cruisers and blue water or offshore cruisers. Their similarities are that they don’t stay around one area. In the case of a coastal cruiser in the Caribbean, it would be someone whose agenda is to sail the Caribbean from south of Florida to the north shore of South America and covering it from East to West. Offshore or Bluewater cruisers (which we may end up being – or not) sail further afield and venture into other seas and oceans. There are a lot more extended times away from any land for these cruisers. Both types of cruisers tend to stay away from the marinas as much as possible, using them only for fuel and provisioning and preferring to anchor as much as possible and worst case scenario, mooring at a mooring buoy. That is definitely what we prefer and will be focusing on doing now that most of the kinks have been worked out.

It is still a good way to meet people since most cruisers welcome those who dinghy up to their boat to talk. We have done it a few times and have had people come to us a few times. We even got asked to share a meal on another Canadian boat, an invitation we were forced to decline due to the need to be somewhere in time to – you guessed it – check into customs. Now that we are in a more comfortable place with our boat’s abilities and have no more pressing needs to attend to (except pick up Aleitha and Randy in Martinique, Rob and Jennifer in wherever and whoever else wants to visit) the next time we will prioritize and opt for the people.

Of course something that lived up to/surpassed our expectations is the absolute joy/serenity/excitement we feel when we are actually out there in a 20 knot wind with swells of 5-6 ft and the sun sparkling off the curls of the waves, looking out and seeing the masts of other boats leaning into the wind and feeling Mystic Journey responding to our proper choice of sails and course – hearing the swishing of the waves over the hull and the whistle of the wind in the sails. Then after arriving, anchoring, taking the dinghy into a shore with one small dock and a quaint local restaurant or small store, watching the locals live their customs.
To paraphrase the Army advert – AIN’T NO LIFE LIKE IT!!!!