We are going on week two in the harbor of Cascais, (pronounced cashk-eyes) Portugal. This was supposed to be a day or two stop, clearly illustrating the nebulous nature of any plans we make. Four years ago, when we sold our home and moved aboard our boat, my expectations for this sailing lifestyle were obviously high. Whey else would we undertake this adventure?

I knew some of the cons of moving aboard a boat and sailing around the world. First and most important was missing my children, and now my grandchildren. Those who have gone before have said that with recent technology you can do video calls, stay in touch, and even visit often as there are airports everywhere. This is pretty much true. While I can’t be there in person, we do chat often.

I watched our granddaughter yesterday, pulling herself to stand, yanking food from her daddy’s hand, and taking ownership of mobility. I got to see my grandson sit in a high chair for the first time as mom contemplates introducing real food into his diet. Technology is great for getting to see landmark moments in our kids’ and grandkids’ lives, but I can’t reach out and kiss those chubby little cheeks, or smell the sweet aroma of baby shampoo. The babies do recognize our faces and voices and we get big smiles when we call.

I knew in advance some of the hardships of sailing, but I knew they wouldn’t be forever and the journey would be worth the price. My family was in total support, well, except for Derek, he wants me to live with him and cook for him, and babysit.  However, little did I know that the world was about to turn upside down.

Is this a bad time to be sailing or are we really the lucky ones? I will let you decide.

 

Covid, Orcas, and Broken Parts Oh My!

 

Meanwhile, it seems our nation and world are falling apart. Many countries over here in Europe are staging riots and protests. Our own country is derisive and divided over politics and mandates. The news seems to get worse daily. Sometimes I feel fortunate we are encapsulated from all of that. No one tells us what to do, where to go, or how to live. We have time constraints about how long we can stay in some countries, but other than that we are free. For that, we are thankful.

Given that the world pandemic is going to impact our travel somewhat, it hasn’t been much of a factor in the places we’ve been, but life had to throw in Orcas because things weren’t crazy enough? What are the chances of living through two major global anomalies?

The Orcas seem to be stalking us. This is port number two where no attacks were close, then all of a sudden, boats have been disabled mere miles from where we are anchored. A boat was towed into Cascais yesterday with a broken rudder.  Suddenly, several attacks have occurred within a few miles of this harbor. None had been recorded when we arrived.

We are delaying in Cascais for several reasons, but having our boat disabled by Orcas would probably end our journey. More than just the cost, I think mentally, that would be the final card placed on the tenuous house that would make our world crumble.

To recap, we have a world gone crazy, Orcas disabling boats, and parts continually breaking (more on this later)… is there an upside to this?

I tend to wake up just before sunrise. Sitting in my cozy cockpit with a steaming cup of tea, I get to watch the sunrise. Some mornings are more spectacular than others. But as I look at the peaceful setting of the boats anchored in harbor, anchor lights blinking in the predawn darkness, there is a sense of peace and tranquility that I never found on land. It is the reminder; I am living our dream.

There is something about living on an ocean that revitalizes the spirit. When the sun crests over the horizon and that first ray of light beams across the water, no matter how many times you have seen it, it’s still magical. It’s a reminder that every sunrise signals a new beginning. No matter what happened the day before, what trauma or sadness was felt, the dawn of a new day brings hope.

Granted, there may be more chaos, but maybe there won’t be either. Maybe good things will happen, joy will be abundant, and there will be cause for happiness. In our world, we always have the power to find that happiness. When repairs or Orcas get overwhelming, we only need to take a holiday by getting in our dinghy, going to shore, and enjoying the beauty around us.
Since we don’t have the same time restraints as life on land, we can take a mini holiday any time we feel the need. We can hop on a train, a bus, get out our bikes, or take a hike. We can pack a picnic and find a beautiful place to enjoy the view. We can find a secluded stretch of beach, pack dinner and have a beach barbeque. Being in a new country, there are always fascinating things to see and do, to distract ourselves from the crisis de jour.

Think about your favorite vacation to someplace you’d always dreamed about visiting. You wake up that first morning and have to pinch yourself because you are so excited. We get to feel that every day. While things may be falling apart on our boat, the constant reminder is that we are present in the moment, in an amazing new country, and have the world before us waiting to be explored. It’s work getting here and staying here, but our environment remains thrilling – every single day.

If we need a reminder, we sit in our cockpit and enjoy the view. There is a bustling world outside our front door. Our backyard is filled with amazing sights and constant change. We can entertain ourselves by just sitting and watching the world around us.

Our Forced Vacation

 

Now I will digress to an event that this wonderful Covid pandemic altered, almost two years ago. Our goal has always been to sail the Mediterranean. Dan has mapped out the proposed route. Note the “proposed” as we have yet to follow any preconceived path we have chosen. Venice is a city on my bucket list that I need to see. Unfortunately, because of its location, it would not be practical to try to sail our boat there. Two years ago, I devised a plan to rent a motor boat and take a vacation in Venice in the early spring since we would be in the Baltics with our sailboat and the sailing season starts later there. We could use this time to explore a place not on our path, or so I naively thought.

The plan included our daughter Katie and her husband Sean flying in to join us, as well as our boat buddies from s/v Whatever She Wants. We thought it would be fun to explore the Venice area by boat, see the sights, and have a little reunion with friends and family. What do they say about the best laid plans of men? Boat was rented, plane tickets purchased. Then, Italy became the first country to shut down because of Covid.

What a mess. Flights had to be cancelled, the charter boat would not give us a refund. Our only option was to reschedule. The next year came and things were no better. We finally decided that October of this year, 2021, we would try again. Since then, Katie had a baby, and we and our boat buddies have been separated because of Covid.

When we first arrived in Cascais, our thought was to get as far south as possible in order to make our trip to Venice easier. After our arrival, the supposed northerlies that prevail this time of year strangely stopped. Wind was from the south or nonexistent. Orca attacks blossomed. Our sailing route around Gibraltar was totally shut down. Talk about throwing a few wrenches into the works. We had to make some important decisions.

Our main consideration when we leave Equus is to find a marina to leave her in that is safe and not too expensive. We still had a month until our Venice trip on October 2nd and things were looking bleak to get south. The number of harbors we could reach in Portugal or Spain were limited. With the wind being unhelpful, Orcas dismantling rudders daily, we finally decided to take the stress out of the decision and decided to remain in Cascais.

There is a marina just up the river near Lisbon that has very reasonable rates. We can safely sail there, leave our boat, and be at the Lisbon airport with a short train or bus ride. It feels good to have a plan that we don’t have to rush to achieve and travel will be simple to Venice and back. Our boat buddies will meet us there, as well as a few of their friends, as Katie and Sean won’t be joining us with the new baby.

While we wait, we have a couple of weeks to work on our video blogs, I can do some sewing. We love Portugal and this city and will do some more exploring. Most importantly, Dan can work out what we are going to do about our latest mechanical failure, the inverter.

This is the device we use to convert our battery power to alternating current. We need this to be able to charge devices like our phones, computers, camera batteries, power tool batteries and to run my sewing machine. Take away my sewing machine and there might be a mutiny!

We use our phones to stay in touch with the world and talk to family. Dan uses the internet daily to check on weather and research how to fix things. Could we exist without phones and computers? Absolutely. Life would be a lot more difficult than it already is.

New inverters are extremely expensive. We were trying to figure out how to afford fixing our water maker (which has been broken for a while) when this expensive part number two decided to give up on life. I keep calculating how many bags I need to sew to afford $6 grand of new equipment.

I’m gonna need more sails…

Sailing Forward

 

So that’s the good, bad, and ugly of our current situation. We have a plan, we are sticking to it, and broken parts be damned. Dan will find a way, he always does.

We do have a game plan for when we return from Venice. I will be sure to write a post about that trip, it should be very interesting. Getting Dan and boat buddy Gary together is always entertaining. They revert to 4^th grade humor and antics. I will take lots of pictures and report all about what we find, the places we get to explore, and the adventures we have that I’m quite sure will not go entirely smoothly. They never do, but if you can’t accept that and look at those experiences as humorous, the glass will always be half empty.

We have a rough itinerary when we return to the boat. If it still exists by the time we pull up anchor, I will share our route and future plans.

Sometimes, I look at my life and think we are both crazy for undertaking this life choice. Somedays I cry. Other day, I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I don’t ever know what tomorrow will bring. I do know there is never a dull moment in our lives. As long as I have my sunrises to bring me hope, and the dawn of a new day to renew my spirit, I feel that despite the hardships, this is the adventure of a lifetime – one that I don’t regret.

Writing about this has helped me sort through my feelings and has reminded me of all I have to be thankful for, including the breathtaking beauty around me. Thank you to all those who have encouraged and supported us, and for reading my blog posts.

I usually begin my posts with a quote. Today I’m ending with this thought.

An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming. (Educated Minds)

So, after reading this, what is your conclusion? Leave a “worth it” or “not worth it” in the comments because I am always curious to know your thoughts.

 

Some winds,

Alison and Dan
s/v Equus