Maite and I have been planning this sailing adventure for some time. Now it is upon us. Our boat has gone from two dimensional renderings and endless option lists to pictures of Calypso on the water. Our dreams have gone from romantic fantasies to the stark world of the cruiser. A thousand cases of how do you do this, where do you buy that, how does this work, how do I fix that, etc. This a world of amps, volts, fuel filters, oil filters, SD cards, GRIB files, Vector and Raster Charts, winch grease, clove hitches, snatch blocks, down hauls, boom-vangs, Sailkote, scopolamine patches, sail mail, SSB propagation tables, powers of attorney, Coast Guard documentations, squeeks, whirs, pops, and pounds. It is also a world of swimming with dolphins, sunsets, beautiful islands, sundowners, fresh fish on the grill and thousands of other new experiences.
I must thank the other owners for their support through this process. They have become valued friends, almost family in some cases. Something as simple as telling me it will all work out (thanks Ian), has been amazingly settling. Craig and Laurie have allowed us to make passage with them and learn what living on board is really like. Thank you for putting up with the newbies! Others, including Eric M., Jason and Gail S., Gord and Debbie M. and particularly Mark S.
have been so gracious with their time and hard earned knowledge, filling in the technical gaps in my head. Hopefully, putting that process on the owner's blog will help others along the right path. It has certainly helped me. What a group of smart people! I will forever be grateful for the help and ready to help anyone else that needs a hand. Such is the cruiser's mantra.
Splashing our boat is also about the reality of giving birth to an incredibly complicated machine. So complicated, I am learning, that no one person can understand her completely. This has frustrated some of the owners ahead of us to no end. I have heard horror stories of conflicts where people stop listening and started judging. I think that some conflict is inevitable given the complexity of what we are all doing here, the cultural differences, and the pressure on all parties. Amazingly, some owners have gone through the trials and tribulations of warranty work, failed this, that, and the other, and have come out the other end no worse for wear, stating, the first year is always a bitch then the cruising lifestyle is awesome. I look forward with some anxiety to this process, and hope we are up to the task. Maite and I will strive to keep open minds, open ears, and open hearts through the process and hope everyone else does the same. We have made friendships in Argentina that we intend to keep. As has been true with most owners, we are the least knowledgable, yet the most committed people in the process. It is after all our boat, our dream and our reality.
As is always the case, once in the water, the boat is brought to life, and instead of looking at how pretty she is in the factory, the focus is on function. Engines, genset, sails, winches, air conditioning, refrig/freezer, washer/dryer, inverter, solar panels, V3, water maker, etc. Test, test, calibrate, test again. Trust then verify. We are in the hands of Memo, Santi, their team, and James Power who will go through the boat with us. Our boat was placed in the water on January 14, and we have bought our one-way tickets to Buenos Aires. Our departure is imminent. We have no experience with this process. We are armed with only the well wishing experiences and advice of those that have gone before, and so...
