Seven thousand miles of outstanding cruising since November 2008 means it's time to do a little renovation and more planning for the future. Find out what ...
After some months of lonesome anchorages Georgetown comes as a bit of culture shock. Relatively easily accessible from the U.S. East coast this large, beautiful area has become a terminus, winter hangout and aged baby boomer cruiser holiday camp. There are as many reasons to cruise as there are cruisers and many here do it for the camaraderie and community. Discovering the unknown is not part of the formulae. We have visited a few of these cruiser metropolises: Cartagena, Barra de Navidad and La Cruz and they each offer plenty, but at a price. The radio traffic becomes claustrophobic and despite all resistance, herd mentality creeps in and creates considerable inertia. You need a lot of horsepower to escape the vortex. As a dog's needs are all contained in "Fire, bed and bone," a cruiser's are in anchorage, supplies, water, laundry and e-mail access. Having spent considerable effort to put to sea and escape, as soon as we return to land we go to great length to log on and get connected.
In the less travelled places the cruiser demographic has some variety, at least of age and country of origin. Here we are homogenous: mostly American, fifty-ish, couples, dressed the same in raggedy old tee shirts and silly hats. In the line to refill propane tanks, inexplicably an all male job, Virginia got so confused by the sameness that she feared she might return with the wrong husband, not new but gently soiled!
When it comes to regulation volley ball tournaments, trivial pursuit with ninety players and tree decorating for grandparents day it is time to have cool ale at the Chat and Chill Bar and Grill and plot a course to somewhere way out there.
Having spent 30 years in the racehorse business we felt it was time for a different kind of adventure.
Both originally from England we have sailed for fun for over 30 years. We have owned MANDY for five of those and are planning to head south for Mexico etc. in November 2008 - ready or not. [...]
When we get to Panama we will decide which way to turn; through the canal or across the big puddle. The eventual goal, whether by boat or not, is Galicia in north-west Spain where we have a ruined farm cottage and barn (pictures in the galleries) that we plan to restore.
We love our 3 grown children and our parents but this window of time is reserved just for us. It has been a long time coming. World economy sucks. So what?