Does flexibility really equal happiness?
We had a plan. It was good plan. We know plans change, and we knew ours wouldn’t be immune to that change. But we didn’t expect it to happen like this.
Plan – Bahamas from March – May 2021. June 2021 pull into Just Catamarans in Ft. Lauderdale for some repairs before heading to NY. I’ve always wanted to sail into New York Harbor and anchor in front of the Statue of Liberty. My family came through Ellis Island from Russia just after the turn of the century. (That’s 1900 for all you young folks out there.) Anyway, our plan had us hanging out in NY for about a week after a week-long sail from Ft. Lauderdale before putting the boat in a marina for eight weeks so we could head home to be with our new grand baby. That’s a good reason to go home, yes? Yes!
After an 8-week sailing hiatus, and many thousands of dollars in marina fees, we could sail for another week before finding another marina while we attend the Big Blues Bender in Vegas for a week. Can’t wait! Think of all the new music we’ll find! Then we were going to fly back to New England and start sailing south, with a stop in Annapolis for the October Sailboat Show before heading to the Caribbean.
Back up to the end of May where we just happened to stumble upon a sand bar beach party at Sampson Cay in the Exumas. We were hanging out with old friends and new friends, telling them our plans. One man, Richard, who’s been living with his wife on their 78′ Hatteras for the last 20 years, asked, “Why the hell are you going to do that? That’s a long way to go for two weeks of sailing. Why don’t you just go home for hurricane season and go the New York and New England next year?”
Jeff and I looked at each other and asked, “Why are we doing this? Why don’t we just go home for hurricane season and go to New York and New England next year?” We called the Harborage Marina, got our slip back, and went home in June.
We never expected to sail under the Sunshine Skyway again. We never expected to walk the floating docks at the Harborage again. But here we are, and we’re so glad we did. We’ve missed our friends, our families, and Downtown St. Petersburg. And 6-8 weeks isn’t enough time to spend with a brand new granddaughter, who, by the way, already has Jeff wrapped around her little finger. And she’s not even born yet!
So, we’re back at the Harborage Marina, tied to a floating dock with power and water, next to some great friends (Glen, Brenton and Ashley, Nick and Kelly, Wayne and Tanya, and more). And Intelligent Sailing School is using our Wind Therapy again for their ASA 114 Multi-hull Sailing Class. (If anyone is interested, they’re great!)
The moral of the story is: Be flexible. Be willing to roll with the changes. Be ok with the fact that plans change. Enjoy where the winds blow you. And you’ll be happier.
June 2021