I'm not a writer of humor. My posts are the one with the gorgeous beaches, regal palms, underwater gardens and interesting culture. Yet to be fair the cruising lifestyle is not all travel glamor. So today I'm dedicating this post to - the "Dark Side" of cruising.

Here's a story we now both laugh at. Once we were pulling up anchor in a crowded cove. I put the engine in gear to leave. As I revved her hard in forward, she sprung to life hard, in REVERSE! Anchored behind us, our friends Rick and Caroline in their gorgeous eggshell blue, nearly new, 42' Valiant, also sprang to life. We came within seconds of sinking them.

Turns out our transmission cable broke and got stuck in reverse. Centime did veer off at the very last moment. All ended well. It's now a funny memory and a constant reminder to us to have a bit of humor in cruising, as in life, to ride the ups and downs, the forwards and backwards.

After about five weeks of boat maintenance in Bocas del Toro in Western Panama, we set sail towards the San Blas in Eastern Panama. On route while I was on watch we got slapped by a wave. Now I'm not typically clumsy or accident prone but I didn't handle this one gracefully. I've got a bit of a sore back and as I climb ladders, pump the head, even sit down, I am challenged to find the irony and laughter in this situation.

We're now in a marina only halfway to our destination because our engine isn't working. There isn't much space on a 39' boat so every hold and cupboard is filled with tools and boat necessities. Then, when something breaks we have to take the whole boat apart, first to get to the issue and second to get the tools and spares to fix her. So here I am hobbling along with a sore back and there is no longer a floor (because we pulled up the floor boards to expose the guts of the boat) or seats (the salon seats hold tools) or even a ladder to leave. It's hot, humid and stuffy. I'm STUCK.

No, the cruising life isn't always easy, or as glamorous as it appears in the blog photos. Cruising boats are complex machines under harsh, salty conditions, and their parts need constant maintenance as they break - often. Sometimes bodies and emotions break too.

As I sit here with my sore back, propped up on pillows, I remember: Rick and Caroline and how we nearly sunk their beautiful boat; my sailing friends Eileen and Mark with her book of jokes and their hilarious Wisconsin cheese Santa that she humorously let me hold last Christmas; my sailing friends Danielle and Michel and how I smile when they call Heidi Ho, Heidi Ho; the turtle sisters joyfully jumping off the boat together and the laughter I shared with Debbie (pictured above) with Irene and Theo's music and dancing antics; the myriad of cruisers who have literally been on our boat, in our situation, and have come with wisdom and an extra pair of hands to share; and Dennis who is always there to offers massages, stiff drinks and kind words.

So when I head out to the public bath house to cool down in the shower and find that it's broken - only serving up boiling hot water on my naked back - first I curse loudly, cry, take a deep breath and then just let out a big laugh at the irony of this so called "glamorous" cruising life.

PS Jokes, wisdom, smiles and hugs are most appreciated - especially today!