I completely empathise with anyone who imagines that living this life means most of my time is spent sitting around with my finger up my arse. If I wasn’t living this life I’d think that too but honestly, it’s not the case!
We have had a ‘quick fire round’ ticking off the destinations up the west coast in order to find ourselves in Stornoway with plenty of time to push on to the Faroe Islands.
It takes practice and a very long time to slow down to the correct pace for this life and I am no where near that pace yet. In fact, I have only just begun to realise that, as cruisers, we are behaving as if we are in a rush. Sailing with Asha means that I am much more sociable now compared to my previous single handed sailing. I am interacting with way more people on this trip than I did on my previous one. The people that we are talking to are fellow cruisers and without exception, when we compare ourselves to them, we are in a big old rush! From time to time we check out the whereabouts of some of the people we have met using the Marine Traffic app and most are either a matter of a few miles away from where we met them or one or two destinations away. We are many miles away and seven, eight or nine destinations further on!
Hopefully our strategy is right for this trip but we are demonstrating the cruising equivalent of the impetuosity of youth. The fact that I have recognised this is the first step to slowing down. Of course, we don’t have to slow down but it is the aim of this game.
After all, this is called cruising. It’s not called racing, rushing, or sailing quickstep! Our pace is much faster than it should be. I’m going to be very brave now and say that, at this pace, it gets stressful!
I truly believe that in order to be proper cruisers we need to slow down and that is something I am going to work towards. I’m not taking the p*ss. I really mean it!
However, the pace for this season has already been set so in order to get this ship ready to go north there are some things to do asap!
1) Take jerry cans to fuel berth on the trolley and fill with diesel
2) Walk to the industrial estate and get two gas bottle refills
3) Update the log
4) Put at least five hours work into editing the next video
5) Fill tanks with water
6) Grease headsail furler
7) Secure dinghy on deck and stow outboard
8) Engine check / service for onward passage
9) Steering check
10) Update electronic chart to include Faroe islands
11) Study paper charts and tide atlas and plan the approach to the Faroe Islands
12) Study the weather for the next few days
13) Try to get my new computer system working so I can share raymarine system information with other devices onboard
14) Apply silicone sealer around galley sink
15) Fit new saltwater tap in the galley
16) Food shopping
17) Go to the launderette
18) Finish writing this, choose photos and upload to sailspace
19) Stick finger up ass (if there’s time)
20) Go sailing!
Lovely walk through the castle grounds on a sunny day!
The closest I have got to a puffin so far!
Feeding time at the zoo!
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