Thursday, November 29, 2007

the view that started it all

I stayed in a lovely house in St. John, USVI for a week in May of '06. Great view, eh?


Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


I have always loved boats and being on the water, but the thought of cruising on a sailboat never even crossed my mind. I mean, that's something rich people do and not something the middle class can afford, right? 2 years ago I would have thought my only options for a sailing future would be playing on the weekends in a Hobie Cat or Laser. But after a little research I realized it wasn't really an unobtainable goal at all. Plenty of people with less than me are out there doing it right now.


So, here I am a year and a half later, with my own little boat to learn on (which I haven't sailed yet but am fixing up to do just that) and a major plan in the works that will have me slowly getting rid of material things that I don't need, paying off my debt and building savings while slowly acquiring the skills necessary to live and cruise on a boat long-term.


Several seasoned sailors have told me recently that I'm on the right track. I must say, it's truly great to hear that from people you respect and who are living your dream right now. So, here's to being on the right track! :D


As for boat work, had a complete wash-out of a weekend last week. Upper 30's and lower 40's and non-stop rain all weekend...and trapped inside with puppies all wound up with too much nervous energy! This weekend the forecast looks good. The plan is to finish up on prep work for the berth supports and to remove the funky keelson. Am still not quite ready for the gallon or so of epoxy I'll need for all the interior stuff. That stuff is expensive. I wish they had after-Christmas sales on epoxy! :D


I also have a plan to go shoot some this weekend. I just got some much-needed cleaning accessories for my Nikon (well, actually they should arrive tomorrow). My D70s has dust on the sensor and I should be able to clean it safely now. It's a very nice camera (a major investment for me)and it makes me nervous to even think of touching that sensor, but it must be done. And I must learn to do it myself.

Cheers, world! See you on the flip side, yo.

3 comments:

Chris said...

I could live on that back porch
looking at Great Cruz Bay!

St. John was perfect. That was some week. The best birthday present ever if I say so myself.

Margarita Mirasol said...

Absolutely ditto that, Karen.
Since I could wade in water I've been looking out longingly at cruising boats thinking that everybody onboard was stinking rich. Ha! The stinking rich folks just leave their boats in marinas and all the cruisers out there are far from monied and that's when I realised that if I sacrificed knowing what's around the corner, for not knowing what's around the corner, I could buy a boat and try it for myself.
Good on you for doing the same thing.
Ole.

forcetenhurricane said...

That's awesome Maria! Thanks! And so true, too. I think I'm about ready to trade knowing what's around the corner for not knowing.