I HATE SHOES

I've done more thinking since my last post (a LOT more), and came to a conclusion as to what is really most important to me: getting another sailboat and to keep the journey going. I'll admit I didn't know much of anything about sailboats when I purchased Winchelsea, and I lucked out that she was very seaworthy and in great shape. However, she was far from my ideal boat. I'd like something a little smaller, in the 28' to 30' range with an outboard instead of a cramped inboard. Not only will that be ultra convienent if the engine decides to die (pull it off, put a newer one on) but the space saved below is significant. Anywho, the only thing standing between me and getting a new boat is a bit of cold, hard cash. I'll definitely have to work a bit to save up enough for her, as well as some buffer money when I set sail again. I'm thinking something in the order of a year or so. With day work on boats being relatively scarce, I went to some businesses that...

Ever since I crash landed in Fort Lauderdale, I've felt a little lost. I spent the weekend with some new friends I'd made in the hostel from New Zealand. Everyone in this place is looking to get on a boat in some way. Most are looking for positions as deckhands, engineers or, if you're a girl, a stewardess on a big motor yacht. You know the kind I'm talking about, the ones that look like mini cruise ships but are privately owned by someone with more money than God. The crew are always fantastically gorgeous and they spend the winters somewhere in the Caribbean and the summers up in New England. You also get your room and board for absolutely nothing since you live on the boat and your "board" is actually cooked by a professional chef who makes the meals for the owners. Sounds perfect right? Well, I'd like to think so too. The trouble, for me at least, comes from the fact that there isn't a mast coupled with the fact that those two trips north and sou...

My six days in Orlando were needed and very well spent. Seeing my brother after the emotional spin cycle Beaufort put me through was very necessary. On Tuesday, my brother and I spent all day (and his day off, mind you) looking for a cheap car to get me down and around Fort Lauderdale. We went down to the Orange Blossom Trail area of Orlando where they have a cornucopia of used car lots, mainly owned and run by Hispanics. Honestly, I wouldn't trust my car to anyone else. Boy, can they fix cars. Hours were spent wandering the dusty back streets of the light industrial area in the shadow of the 528 highway, test driving half a dozen or so. It finally came down to two choices, a 1995 Pathfinder or a 1994 Ford Escort wagon. The Escort was in better shape, I'll admit, but there was just something emasculating about driving a wagon I'd picture my grandmother driving to church in. I chose the Pathfinder, which was also $300 cheaper, and for a little over a grand I was back on the ...

I'll admit it, losing Winchelsea  was tough. She was my home for nearly a year and for all intents and purposes got me into this world of boats and yachting. At the end of the day though, she was just a boat. Fiberglass and metal with some dacron for sails. Yes, those elements together in the right configuration could do some amazing things and change lives but, in essence, that's all she was. Thanks to modern technology, I've been keeping up with some old friends and its amazing the changes we're all going through. There are a couple that stick out in my mind though. One of my good friends from back home recently gave birth to a pair of twins prematurely. Very unfortunately, they ended up losing one of them, however her sister was brought home for the first time just last week, a miracle! Another friend from Boston lost her mother very suddenly in the past couple of months. Of course, I'm not comparing joys and losses. I know the past few posts have been pretty...

I had originally planned on taking a train down to Orlando. There was just something that didn't feel right about planes, not on this trip anyway. I didn't much care that it was going to take me 20 something hours to get there by train, either. I'd have time to read and stuff, and just think. But, the way it worked out with my brothers schedule, the train was a poor option and I flew instead. When I got to the airport, I plopped myself down by the gate and took out The Catcher in the Rye.  I had only brought two books with me, that one and Nine Stories , I guess I knew I'd be in a Salinger kind of mood. I've had this same copy since my mother gave it to me when I was like 12. It's pretty beat up and the original cover price was $0.95, to give you an idea of the age. I think she used to teach with it because some places are highlighted and underlined. This book has followed me everywhere: from high school to college to Boston and then to Winchelsea.  I've o...

I left Beaufort this morning, with Winchelsea  in the hands of her new owners. They say that the two happiest days you have as a boat owner are the day you buy her and the day you sell her. It's not true though. I'm sad as hell. "Girl From the North Country" - Bob Dylan If you're traveling in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Remember me to one who lives there For she was once a true love of mine. Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm When the rivers freeze and summer ends Please see for me if she's wearing a coat so warm To keep her from the howlin' winds. Please see from me if her hair hanging down If it curls and flows all down her breast Please see from me if her hair hanging down That's the way I remember her best. Well, if you're traveling in the north country fair Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline Please say hello to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine...

Although that small coastal town along the ICW in rural North Carolina changed my life forever with a smattering of decidedly painful events, aside from those, this place is actually pretty terrific. The scenery is gorgeous. The general anchorage area is right between a quaint row of restaurants, bars, hotels and marinas and an island with a troop of wild horses that come to the water to drink daily, 25 yards from my boat. The inlet is right around the corner from this island, and every few days dolphins make their way into the anchorage area to feed. Not to mention the weather has been great, just fantastic. It's been nice to have some time to myself to write, reflect and line things up to get my life back in order. The people here are also amazing. Its a pretty small down, so in my 10 or so days that I spent here I got to know a few people around town, and they are all interesting characters. A couple of people who stick out in my mind are this guy Todd, pretty much the only ca...