Reflections

     There are so many things I could say. It’s hard to choose just a few.

     I think it’s fair to say that we (at least me) experienced nearly every possible emotion on this journey. Crossing an ocean is no walk in the park, unless of course the park in question is a vast ocean and you’re a tiny sailboat, a mere blip, bobbing up and down for month. If that’s the case, then it’s definitely a walk in the park. I think I’ve mentioned it on this blog before, but it’s worth mentioning again; sailing has some extreme lows but it also comes with some extreme highs that make up for everything else along the way.

     On this trip the secret was trying to enjoy all the moments for what they were and when that just wasn’t possible simply trying to keep my cool was the next best thing. Everything can change in a heartbeat on the sea. It was when things changed for the worst that I got overwhelmed. I knew from previous passages that freezing up and panicking wasn’t going to help anyone or anything on the boat. I think we were our own best medication in the face of looming danger. We relied upon each other for bravery, courage and sometimes just a good laugh when everything seemed to be falling apart. This is why the crew of Argo was great. As for me, I know I relied on the fearless spirit of Darvil more than once. His unyielding valor was undeterred by the worst of the worst. I tried to model my emotions after his; don’t worry about things out of your control and always think smart. My new motto was; don’t panic until Darv panics but then panic all you want! 

This guy...

Good thing we had two hammocks. Otherwise there might have been blood shed  

     When you’re staring down gnarly waves in monster storms you tend to put your priorities in order quickly. First on the list? Family, always. They might get taken for granted sometimes but they’re definitely the most important. This is a lesson you don’t need to sail the ocean to discover, but it certainly highlights, bolds and underlines the fact. 

BFF

Papa Bear & me 

     So while it was bittersweet to finally say goodbye to Argo I am walking away with the experience of a lifetime and one epic journey. I know we’ve soaked up every last ounce of this experience and I’ll be forever grateful to have shared this incredible voyage with my parents and husband. I couldn’t have asked for better company. But this isn’t going to be our last escapade, I know we’ll always be squeezing every last drop of adventure out of life. So until next time …    

Family makes the best crew :) 

  

Argo begins its odyssey

     Its been an enjoyable, informative and busy week on Lanzarote, and now it’s time to set sail tomorrow. We are part of a group called the Atlantic Odyssey, which consists of about 23 boats that will depart the harbor at noon. After about the first day we likely won’t see anyone from the group until we meet in the Caribbean on the island of Martinique though! We expect the trip to take about 21 days and we’ll be stopping at every Holiday Inn along the way (Haha,). 

Boats in the Marina Lanzarote 

Helicopter rescue demonstration 

How many people can you fit in an 8 man life raft? 6. 

Castle by the sea 

     It’s been a bee hive of activity these last few days with all the boats and crew crossing off the finals to-do’s on their lists. I think after about 7 trips to the grocery store we have enough food and provisions aboard. I just hope we have enough chips to last the duration. Darv plans to troll along the way so hopefully we'll have some tasty fish dinner as well! 

Octopus lovin' 

Darv caught it AND cooked it! So delicious! He's the boss at cooking anything from the sea!  

     Dad and Darv are at the skipper’s briefing right now then it’s off to the farewell party and fireworks here at the yacht club. Finally, we'll all take some sea sickness pills and try not to have nightmares tonight! 

   

So long dock days, you've been good to us!   

 

Dad was the first of all the boats to raise the "Atlantic Odyssey" flag, so we won this gem!

   

So long solid ground and cute cafes! 

See you later civilization! See you all in three weeks!

“May we have fair winds and following seas” 

Our Week on the Moon

     Driving around in our rental car on the roads of Lanzarote feels more like being astronauts first exploring the Moon or Mars! Rocky. Sandy. Dessert. Since the island is volcanic, all the native life was destroyed in several dramatic eruptions in the 1800’s. While most of the inland of the island has an inhospitable terrain, the coast has some beautiful sand beaches. 

Looking out our car window on the drive 

More moonscape 

Waves and wind on the coast 

 Small fishing boats 

     Animals on the island are few and far between, but Mom and I found some to ride. We can now happily cross off “ride a camel” on the old bucket list… If it was on there to start! Camels are a notoriously grumpy lot and our camel didn’t disappoint. He made it quite clear with his stubborn grunts that he was content to sit and relax rather than take us for a ride! But he got over his obstinacy and we enjoyed a windy and scenic ride through the “moon” desert.     

My new ride  

He felt like sheep's wool 

     We also visited the national volcano park. Since the rock under the surface of the ground is still extremely hot, they can actually cook food over grills if they dig deep enough holes. They have a restaurant in the park where they cook your meal over one of these “natural grills”.

blowin' away 

Cooking over the natural grills 

Darvil has been exploring the island from under the sea. He’s spearing up a storm and we’re eating as fresh as it gets! His toolbox of spices we lugged in our suitcase from the states has been very useful in cooking up some delicious dinners. 

Comin' in from the sea 

Catch of the day- courtesy of Darv 

     We have been going to demonstrations and seminars on different aspects of sailing this past week in order to get ready for the trip. Tonight is a live helicopter rescue simulation and flare demonstration. Slowly we are getting everything in order to take off on Sunday!     

Exploring Madeira

     After catching up on most of our sleep Friday, we were reunited with Argo on Saturday. It’s been almost two years since the last time Darvil and I saw Argo, but it felt like we barely skipped a beat. We wasted no time organizing our belonging, replacing toilets and rigging sails. Mom and dad had already done a lot of organizing by the time we got here though! Two of our bags of lost luggage still have not arrived! The whole ordeal has been one step forward and two steps back. First they tell us they’re on their way, then they tell us they are still lost, then one of the bags is found, next mysteriously they are all missing again, and finally our latest news is that they should arrive past midnight tonight, but were not holding our breath! Aye yi yi!  

Argo on the Hard. The concrete pillars are holding up the airport runway directly above us :o! 

Dad's new captain's quarters ;)

     In spite of the luggage fiasco we’re all having a great time though! We had an exciting day touring around the capital city of Madeira, Funchal. The highlight of the visit was definitely “tobogganing” down the extremely narrow and steep streets of Monte (a suburb of Funchal) in wicker sleds with greased up wooden runners! Two men following behind act as drivers of the sled using their feet to brake and ropes to direct the sled; they do their best to avoid the steady steams of oncoming traffic! The idea of it ruffled our nerves a little but it wasn’t nearly as scary as we anticipated. It is still probably the coolest 2km I’ve traveled inside a city and the closest I’ll get to a convertible. 

Ready to take off 

ready, set, sled! 

The men waiting for their next takers 

     We also drove the coast of almost the entire island; it’s not too big! The views were spectacular and the flora of the island is beautiful. I think driving around the coastal roads is how the locals get their thrills! The more narrow the road the better and if it doesn’t have guardrails, no problem! Let’s just say driving along the coast was way more ‘white knuckle’ than the toboggan ride! But lucky for us, Dad was a champ behind the wheel and drove us safely! 

What a view!

We're pretty happy 

Sheer cliff on the other side of that guardrail! 

Tiny towns built into the hills 

     Our stay on Madeira has been great, but we’re all excited to set sail tomorrow! If all goes well (and the bags arrive) we will leave in the morning for Lanzarote, in the Canary Islands. It should be a 2-day sail as long as we get some good northeasterly winds! See you when we get there!