All we really want is a life of simplicity

The gentle slapping of water against the hull woke me up this morning way before the sun rose.

It was beautiful! The anchor alarm never went off and I slept 6 solid hours, only woken up here and there by my aching bones.
Kristin was already in the galley and I heard the whistle of the kettle boiling the water for the French press; soon after a familiar aroma was in the boat. This is the best time of day, Kristin snuggling with Yoda next to me as we drink coffee in silence. I am soon fighting the urge to check the news and the stock market, and commence with my to-do list, and as I am resisting that thought, Kristin is already posting to social media and responding to comments.
In my previous life we often talked about the balance between what society calls a productive life and the growing phenomenon of “burn-out”, jobs with an insatiable thirst for our energy, a system with an insurmountable complexity only made worse by bells, whistles, and alarms. Where is the balance between progress and sanity?
In today’s world we save time by calling UberEats and don’t have to worry about catching, cleaning and cooking our food, but what do we do with all that saved time? Are we troubleshooting technology that is supposed to optimize performance? Or possibly dealing with a half baked product which was released prior to fixing all bugs just to meet some self-imposed deadlines.
How do we continue to produce amazingly complex discoveries that save lives, replace our joints, diagnose and cure cancer and give us new organs when needed. Can we simplify demands on our organizations and society by conducting a healthier life, by lubricating our joints with exercise, decrease cancers by healthy diet of delicious food, and reduce organ failure by combating alcoholism and toxic substances.
Can we simplify our lives to reduce stress and improve mental health? Can we streamline our organizations and society by the way we communicate with each other, and by reducing the enormous amount of unnecessary inputs, newsletters, emails and meetings. 
Then I remember that I have to fix the toilet (“head” in nautical terms) and that’s as much complexity as I can handle at this time, but before getting my hands dirty, I send my love and admiration to those who are battling real daily challenges, saving lives and solving problems. Thank you for allowing me to live a more simple life.

Red Frog

Wanderlust is tucked in a peaceful cove, a marina protected on all sides buy a lush tropical forest, cheerful neighbors wave from their cockpits nursing sundowners, waiting for the “green flash”, or duly tinkering on boat chores in the cooling late afternoons.

A walk in a well groomed jungle path leads to a beach bar where surfers and backpackers wrap up their days doing what beautiful people do. Salt encrusted long hair dangles over back rests of wooden benches, moonlight shines through baggy tank tops and faded prints of sharks, turtles and surf boards, summer dresses wave sinuously over tanned and toned figures; reggae vibes. A breeze, chilled by the ocean, keeps my beer cool and I take time remembering how to feel young. 

Colorful birds, sloths, capuchin monkeys and tiny red frogs decorate the luscious leafy canopy this holiday season, star lights are shining and twinkling through the foliage. The gifts, at the base of the tree, cannot be wrapped, they can only be enjoyed, felt and loved. 

I am overwhelmed by emotions of abundance but my impatient toes keep curling nervously in the wet sand drizzled by the ocean mist. I feel a battle ensuing; the struggle between the forces of comfort and curiosity. I feel the drag of well worn routines, chill a little longer, indulge a little more, wake up a little later. My soul, hardened by ocean miles, roughed up by weather and exposure is getting softer. Come on, relax! Tis the season to be jolly after all. But the fire of curiosity still burns hot, Wanderlust’s hulls were shaped for churning waves not for growing barnacles at the dock. Like a poisonous tiny red frogs of innocuous appearance too much comfort can spoil your lust for wander.

Happy Holidays, I’ve got to keep moving.

Sailing Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini, Bahamas

Log Book - Saturday April 17th

We left our friend Sal + Chris’s house after a 5 week stay where we were able to get an enormous amount of work done to prepare the boat for cruising. Previously we were at our friend Mark’s dock for an extended period of time. We cannot thank all of them enough for their generosity and friendship. Truly salt of the earth people. 

While there we installed a laundry list of key items to make our cruising life more comfortable (or so we think).

• An additional chart plotter on the port helm and inside nav station.

• A Pepwave Router that will use either wifi or LTE to capture internet with corresponding Wifi and LTE antenna.

• A regular router to create a network inside the boat.

• A NAS to store all of our video files. 

• Anchor remote so we can deploy the anchor from anywhere on the boat and a chain counter so we actually know how much chain we’re letting out.

We left the dock at 8am, hit the fuel dock and made last minute checks on the boat. We then caught the 9am 17th Causeway bridge and headed south east for Bimini.

There was very little wind from the south so we motor sailed the 50 miles across the Gulf Stream to Bimini on a beautiful sunny day. We were both beat from the push to get going so this was the perfect crossing for us. We took naps and relaxed.

Thankfully we are able to travel to the Bahamas but between COVID testing requirements and traveling with a dog there are time constraints. You need to have a negative COVID test within 5 days of arrival in the Bahamas. The day you take the test is day 0 so it’s actually six days. Once you receive the negative test results, you apply for a Bahamas Travel Permit ($60 per person) which we received via email in less than 24 hours. Yoda was up to date on all of the vaccines needed and I had applied and received the Bahamas Pet Import Permit from Wellington at Bahamas Pet Permit https://www.bahamaspetpermit.com/. It was $50 for his service and well worth it. We received the pet permit in 2 days after submitting the application. The final documentation for Yoda was the health certificate ($75) which needs to be dated within 48 hours of arrival in the Bahamas. Hence the time crunch. 

Once we were on our way we set up our new fishing rod and lure and trolled on our way over. But there was not one bite. We clearly have a lot to learn about fishing. The Bahamian customs officer asked about our ride over and we said it was good but not one fish bite. He asked what kind of bait we used and when we told him lures, he shook his head and said our Bahamas fish are HUNGRY. You gotta use bait and laughed. Noted.

We arrived at the Bimini channel at about 4:30 so it took us 7.5 hours to cruise from Ft. Lauderdale. Navigating the channel takes careful attention because the water is shallow but overall it’s not bad. We ended up at Bimini Bay Marina through a friend’s recommendation.

Since it was after hours, separate customs and immigration officers came by the boat to check us in. The after hours charge for immigration was $75 and the Bahamas boating permit is $300. The permit does give you another free entry within 90 days for up to 3 people. We won’t be taking advantage of the free re-entry this time but it’s good to know. 

After customs and immigration were settled, we made a quick pasta and hit the sack. We are so looking forward to some R&R and exploration of these beautiful islands.