Yes, it has been some time since you have heard from us. We are still in St Augustine, FL, sweltering in the heat and humidity. It’s October, a time when our expectations lean towards cooler nights and breezier days. Not so this year. Even locals are getting tired of the heat and wondering where the cooler weather is. In the meantime other parts of the nation are experiencing early snows with temperatures in the, too cold to want to know range. I can’t help but wonder if this will be a year of extremes.
We have put SongBird up for sale, so it’s with a degree of sadness that I write. As you may or may not know Carey has designed and developed two, three wheeled vehicles, the Rocketship (RKTSHP) and the SoLo. Both projects seem to be taking off at the same time, requiring us to return to California. We are quite excited about the possibilities regarding these two projects and will keep you informed of the progress and our plans as they unfold.
As I take a moment to think about the past year and a half I am overwhelmed with memories, fun, hard, happy, and sad times, incredible beauty, and incredible people. Life on SongBird has been a great experience, as well as a great home, as she has so faithfully served us. I can’t believe we are going to have to pass her on to somebody else already. It will be a sad day when the time comes but we are so thankful for all the tremendous experiences and the opportunity to do such a thing.
We are also thankful we took this time out of our lives to pursue a longtime dream, and would not change anything. It is ending sooner than we planned but then when do things work out according to our exact plan? Life is too short not to go for the gusto and adventure when the opportunity arises.
It’s with great fondness we recall all the new friends we made, the places we saw that we could not have seen otherwise, and all the experiences we could have never dreamed of, that will stay with us forever. The ideal of sailing is true. Sitting on the bow of your boat with the one you love, the wind in your hair, the ocean spray in your face, dolphins jumping in the bow wave, counting huge starfish that you can see 20 feet down below. You can’t help but consider the beauty, the peace and the privilege. The autopilot steers the boat while the sails catch the wind, allowing you to relax and soak it all in. The air is warm, fresh and clean, it is hard to imagine anything else other than that one moment in time. These times may be few, or short lived, because the wind may shift requiring you to leave your place of wonder to trim a sail or two… the dolphins will move on to another adventure and more than likely a wave will come up splashing you back to reality, forcing you to face your tasks at hand. But the thing is, it’s all true, the wonder, the adventure, the beauty, the joy, the peace. You can’t escape it, and you sure don’t want to.
The ideal of a simpler life, consuming fewer resources, facing life challenges that do not include traffic and air pollution, awaits those who cruise. You learn how to take care of everything yourself and find innovation in areas you never considered imaginable. You learn to make friends quickly with those who are not always like you, but who would give you the shirt off their backs in a minute, because you all share one thing in common… you live on a very small boat in a very large ocean.
It is cheaper to cruise then to live on land, your lifestyle is much simpler, your footprint much smaller and your needs and desires much different. Laundry is expensive to do but you don’t wear all that many clothes, and when you do, you wear the same item often. Your wardrobe is simple, can easily be washed in a bucket and hung in the rigging. Gas costs more, but you rarely need any when you sail. Food is expensive but the ocean provides many meals and if you eat like a local you keep your costs down. You don’t have a mortgage or rent… anchoring is free. Communication is not as easy, but then, is it worth fast internet speed to be stuck in a cubicle? A doctor’s appointment will cost you less, as will a dentist. You get a lot of exercise, you walk everywhere. When you need a ride somewhere, someone will help you out and you will have made a new friend. You have time to read books, write, visit with new friends, play cards, learn tournament bocce ball, watch old movies, and pray. You have time to snorkel and dive, watch fish, hunt for seashells, and sea glass, make jewelry, design purses. You can let out all and any creative juices you want to explore but never had time for, unless it requires a garage and power tools! You will meet people of all faiths, including those who share your God. You will find yourself encouraged, challenged and stirred. You will have more of a sense of life and how you want to live it.
The reality of sailing is also true. Such things as seasickness, waves dumping gallons of water on top of your head without notice, losing things overboard, broken parts and the inconvenience of the dying engine are only some of things to be contended with. It’s a hassle being on a boat when you need to use crutches, other then the fact that you never have to go far. You may feel damp and cold at times but if you stay south, not often. You will never shovel snow but you may have to bail the dinghy after a rain.
The things we learned while contending will stay with us for a lifetime… some things will remain useful while other things we may never have to deal with again. One thing is for sure, we never knew there were so many uses for beer cans, 5200 (every cruisers glue solution), and wine corks! No cruiser should leave home without being well stocked in these items.
Life is truly good on a boat, but since all things come to an end, we have to say goodbye to the “good life” and move on to a new adventure. I will miss this life, this adventure, this amazing time. I sing as SongBirds sails sing, in perfect wind, and a perfect sea. Life is good on a boat.
For Carey to have his vehicles put into production is quite an accomplishment and blessing and one we look forward to, and we really miss rides on the RKTSHP.
If you know someone who wants to move forward in their dreams towards the cruising life, SongBird is for sale and ready to cruise the world. She is truly the happiest when out on the ocean sailing her heart out. You can feel it in her sails and hulls.
A few bits of news: SongBird and Carey and I are going to be in a movie. Well who knows what will be edited out, but at least SongBird will make the cut. The movie is Grazia based on the book Grace. While our friends Rich and Else were out visiting, Rich and Carey met the guy who was doing the location scouting and discovered he needed a boat. Carey gave him our card and a week later he showed up to check it out. He said they would be back in a week. Sure enough we got a call that they would arrive in an hour. We met everyone, they did the shoot and then we all went to lunch. It was really fun and everyone was so nice!
In Sept. Carey and Jared spent two and a half weeks in Savannah installing Willow’s new engine. In the meantime Ruthie came down to spend some time with me while we waited for our husbands to return. Ruthie had been in New York with her mom for her grandpa’s funeral, at which time they also discovered one of her brothers has lymphoma. Michael is responding well to treatments but of course it’s a long hard road.
My sister, Lani, and Eddie were out visiting Eddie’s parents in Daytona so were able to come to be with us for a day. It was wonderful seeing them! We all ended up stuck on the boat for the day since it rained most of the time, but we managed to humor ourselves. As I mentioned Rich and Else came out for a visit which was really fun and wonderful. We love having friends come! They made us feel like we were on vacation! My youngest son Jeff will be here next month, and then in Dec. we are headed to CO. Jared and Ruthie will be in VA for Nov before heading to CO in Dec. It is going to be great to see friends and family! We will probably be in CA in Jan. so are very excited about seeing Carey’s kids and grandkids. It’s been too long since we have been with our families, we can’t wait!
We still have our same phone numbers, although Carey does not usually have his phone with him, besides he can’t access his voice mail. It’s still best to call us on my phone number. We can’t receive text messages on our phones so if you try we won’t get it. Well, I think that covers it for now on our end. Please let us know how you are and what you are up to and of course if you are ready for a trip to FL!
