We have been living on our home in the water for 3 months today, and what an amazing experience this has been! It's not all sunshine, turquoise seas and rum cocktails in the sunset. We use power from the sun and have limited water, often meaning cold showers, rinsing dishes in the ocean and having candlelight dinners on paper plates. Everyday tasks are not easy..... we lug the laundry to town by bicycle and have to hire a car to buy provisions, the availability of groceries is limited and the prices are astronomical! We have squalls, rough seas, rock 'n roll anchorages, and dragging anchors at night.
But I would not change this for the world. I wake up every morning and peer out of the frame of the porthole above my head.....everyday has a new picture, we never know what the new day brings. We have experienced the most beautiful skies at sunset, powdery white beaches, warm, luminous blue oceans and the silence and tranquility of the sea. The air is warm, the sun does shine every day and we celebrate the end of each day with a cocktail in the setting sun.
We have become so at one with the elements, we feel the rain before it comes, we feel the slightest shift in the wind, we read the clouds and are affected by the change in sea conditions and tides. We are surrounded by sea life, we see turtles popping their little heads out of the water, we have 'pet' fish that we feed off the stern, we often have a Baracuda using our hulls for camouflage and we have the huge ungainly pelicans splashing next to the boat for their next meal. We catch fish, we dive, we swim and live off the sea when we can.
What I love about this gypsy lifestyle is that we are not bound by time or place. We sail into a bay, if we like it we stay, if not, we move on. We have discovered the most beautiful places purely by chance. We have found that places can sometimes be deceiving on arrival, only to discover a quaint village, meet friendly locals or discover a magical underwater world to make it special.
The people we have met are interesting and diverse, from all corners of the world. The yachties come and go.... now you see them, now you don't. They are a friendly bunch, always ready to pop over to give advice and have a chat over a few cold beers. We have learnt to distinguish between the know-all's, the bums and the friendly live aboard cruisers. Everyone has their story to tell.
The time spent with our kids has been invaluable. We are influenced by each other's moods, we chat, we argue and laugh a lot! We have learnt so much about each other. We are happy with our own company and have fun together. We are considerate towards each other and have become dependent on one another, this little family is all we have out here.
We're looking forward to the year ahead, we don't know where the wind will take us and what the next bay brings, but we do know that we're so happy being right here, right now and enjoying the simplicity of the beautiful Caribbean.
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Hey De Pinna's!
ReplyDeleteSteve B and Jess here. Hope you're having an awesome time. The photographs look amazing and you really got us wondering what the F we're doing in Joburg.
If you get bored we'll send Richard to do the leeuloop for you.
Cape St. Francis wasn't the same without you.
Jess and Steve B.