Thoughts without pictures.

One of the wonderful parts about the cruising life is definitely the people you meet. These are very often people that we would not have the opportunity to meet in our regular day to day life. Living in the suburbs of Cleveland and both Bob and I working for Jewish organizations, we have in some ways been sheltered. Over the past two years we have been blessed to meet many wonderful new friends. So when we hear that a good friend is leaving the cruising life for one reason or another it is always a bit of a loss for us. It doesn’t mean that we won’t continue to have some sort of relationship (social media has made it easy to keep in touch with a little bit of effort) but it does mean that we won’t be marina or mooring ball neighbors. We won’t explore a new anchorage together or share the aggravation of batteries not properly charging.

The past few weeks we have had this loss numerous times. First when we left Bootkey harbor and said good bye to friends who are selling their boat and starting out on an RV adventure. Then when we heard that a couple that we sailed with extensively last year is putting their boat on the market (could have blown me over with a feather at that one), and again when we heard of a couple that we met in Bootkey who lost their boat off the coast of Cuba. The why and how are not mine to tell. I understand that after an extended time cruising, boat fatigue can set in. Many times after the boat doesn’t sell for a few months, the owner remembers the good times and takes the boat off the market. But sometimes the pull of another adventure is stronger or the hardships that come with the sailing life are too much, due to age, medical issues or financial stress. After all, it i$ a boat.

In any case, it is sad for the ones left behind. We have really enjoyed meeting and traveling with Jocelyn and Dee (Tender) and having Bill and Michael (Aquila) buddy boat with us for part of this year. We know we are blessed and hope to meet many more new cruising friends as the adventure continues. We also know that every day is a gift and we must embrace it as fully as possible.