The South Pacific beckons..
We have dreamed up another adventure and have less than five months before it begins. I re-read my last blog from our Irish trip with some amusement, and had forgotten that we named our self-steering arm "Jack". Five years have passed since our Irish circumnavigation, and we now have two more children - George and Jack!
Happy as we all are with work, school, pre-school, family, friends and our lovely home in Winchester, the thirst for adventure and foreign lands has overwhelmed us once more, and we have booked flights to New Zealand for 28th February 2019. The plan from there is simple. We buy a boat, spend a couple of months getting to know her, stock her up with food, water, fuel, spares, medical supplies, home-schooling books, inflatable kayaks, snorkelling kit, sun cream, UV suits, maybe a case or two of beer... and then we set sail for the South Pacific Islands. What could possibly go wrong?!
We are now a crew of five. Eloise is eight; she is by far our most experienced and competent crew member. She can row, tie the lines, skipper the stand up paddleboard, and is an expert in identifying and following leading lights. George is four, and it is hard to imagine a more enthusiastic ship mate. He is a keen fisherman, and if our handheld compass has gone walkabout, it can almost certainly be found dangling around his neck. Jack is two, and despite waking up and declaring, "I hate Snow Goose, I want to go home!" a week into our summer cruise, he too enjoys most things about boat life. Angus and I are the glue that hold the team together, and it is left to us to fill all other available crew vacancies - skipper, first mate, bosun, engineer, navigator, sail mender, cook, galley slave, meteorologist, receivers of numerous instructions, peace keepers for internal disputes, bottom-wipers, oh - and for this trip - add to the list - teachers at our International Boat School.
Angus and I have started a "Big Trip" spreadsheet detailing all the things we need to buy, sell, learn and arrange before we leave. As we study books and blogs, and talk to people who have been there and done that, our lists are growing much more quickly than we are able to tick off the items. I am currently reading "Rough Weather Cruising", which details all sorts of horrible scenarios with gales of wind and huge waves, in which we hope we won't find ourselves, but need to know what to do if we do. Eloise went very quiet and slightly pale at breakfast as she flicked through, quietly digesting the pictures of dismasted yachts, and people being helicoptered off on spinal boards... But the book's main message is one which rings true in every walk of life - the 5Ps - poor preparation prevents proper performance!
At the moment we are boat-hunting - and we are looking for a good, solid boat to be our home for a year or so. Exciting times. This is just a brief stab at a blog detailing our preparation, as we look into how best to share our trip with those on dry land. Instagram, facebook, blog sites - what is the best?.. Any suggestions welcome!
Happy as we all are with work, school, pre-school, family, friends and our lovely home in Winchester, the thirst for adventure and foreign lands has overwhelmed us once more, and we have booked flights to New Zealand for 28th February 2019. The plan from there is simple. We buy a boat, spend a couple of months getting to know her, stock her up with food, water, fuel, spares, medical supplies, home-schooling books, inflatable kayaks, snorkelling kit, sun cream, UV suits, maybe a case or two of beer... and then we set sail for the South Pacific Islands. What could possibly go wrong?!
We are now a crew of five. Eloise is eight; she is by far our most experienced and competent crew member. She can row, tie the lines, skipper the stand up paddleboard, and is an expert in identifying and following leading lights. George is four, and it is hard to imagine a more enthusiastic ship mate. He is a keen fisherman, and if our handheld compass has gone walkabout, it can almost certainly be found dangling around his neck. Jack is two, and despite waking up and declaring, "I hate Snow Goose, I want to go home!" a week into our summer cruise, he too enjoys most things about boat life. Angus and I are the glue that hold the team together, and it is left to us to fill all other available crew vacancies - skipper, first mate, bosun, engineer, navigator, sail mender, cook, galley slave, meteorologist, receivers of numerous instructions, peace keepers for internal disputes, bottom-wipers, oh - and for this trip - add to the list - teachers at our International Boat School.
Angus and I have started a "Big Trip" spreadsheet detailing all the things we need to buy, sell, learn and arrange before we leave. As we study books and blogs, and talk to people who have been there and done that, our lists are growing much more quickly than we are able to tick off the items. I am currently reading "Rough Weather Cruising", which details all sorts of horrible scenarios with gales of wind and huge waves, in which we hope we won't find ourselves, but need to know what to do if we do. Eloise went very quiet and slightly pale at breakfast as she flicked through, quietly digesting the pictures of dismasted yachts, and people being helicoptered off on spinal boards... But the book's main message is one which rings true in every walk of life - the 5Ps - poor preparation prevents proper performance!
At the moment we are boat-hunting - and we are looking for a good, solid boat to be our home for a year or so. Exciting times. This is just a brief stab at a blog detailing our preparation, as we look into how best to share our trip with those on dry land. Instagram, facebook, blog sites - what is the best?.. Any suggestions welcome!
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