ocean-pilgrim

Here we are well beyond end of the sailing season and feeling like life on water is another half remembered dream.  Those of us who don’t live aboard full time have been in the process of packing up their boats and have headed home or off on other adventures. The full time live aboards have sailed off towards new lands and those in the med are settling into Marinas or sailing towards them. The winter winds and southerly storms are on their way and everyone wants their boats safely stored or moored by the time they blast in from the south.

We are both (for a happy change) writing this together tucked up in our seaside home comfortably out of a brisk and cool Tasmanian westerly. Lots of space, home comforts like heaters and a big fridge, big bed and stores nearby, not to mention Australian wine and all sorts of treats just down the road at our local deli. 

Lifting ourselves out of the seafaring day to day to immerse ourselves back in life ashore on the other side of the world is a little like living with a split personality. Two entirely different ways of life and it’s not just the physical surrounds that are so different, it’s everything we relate to day to day.  We realise we had winter clothes we had totally forgotten about (and still need in summer in Tasmania). Battery terminals needed reconnecting and six months worth of spiders webs scraped off cars.  (Yes the luxury and freedom of cars – don’t they seem so fast?) Socially we return to old relatives (well in Rick’s case his Mum, Dad and brothers) and Tasmanian based friends. And as far as the impact of weather goes rather than planning contingency sailing passages to avoid upcoming conditions, here priorities are more like making sure we aren’t trapped in by the tide as we live on a tidal sand spit which means we’d be unable to get to the gym or appointments, etc, etc.

For us, the packing up phase has become easier each year as we know what has to be done and pretty much how long that will take. We gave ourselves a lot of time to do the jobs required for locking up the boat for 6 months this year. I’ve mentioned before the maintenance that needs to be done at the end of the season but its largely about making sure all the systems will be fine while we are gone and that when we return everything will still work.  Motor, generator, power and batteries, water, including the desalinator.  Along with that is all the cleaning and packing of all the bedding, clothes, cushions and towels then getting all the fresh food off the boat and packing away long expiry date supplies. Then cleaning everything so that it will be ready for our arrival next year. We found we didn’t need all of the time we had allocated.  Either we’re getting faster or doing less! The first time we put the winter cover on it took us a full 2 days to wrangle it into place and lace it up.  Now it takes less than a day so I’d say we have definitely found our rhythm!

Looking back on the season we moved a lot more slowly this year after kicking the whole year off with a week or so land based exploring in mainland Greece, the monasteries of Meteora being the highlight. A  slower sailing season included weeks spent in both Poros and Paros awaiting repairs and for parts to arrive from overseas.  Both are beautiful places so it’s not a hardship just different to the many nautical miles we covered last year.

After a nail biting relaunch on Intention we truly meandered for the first two months and entering May we were enjoying the anticipation of warmer weather, warmer water for swimming and longer days. And WING FOILING : for me (Rick) the big highlight of the season. I had bought a new long wetsuit on the way thru Athens and truly needed it for the first month as I spent so much time falling off. Those first few weeks were painful. Was I doing something fundamentally wrong ? How many times does the average person fall in before they get up foiling ? Had I chosen the wrong gear for the conditions ? Was I improving at all ??.. And then one day the exhilaration of taking off and gliding above the water was just… Wow. I couldn’t contain a few whoops, kind of barely believing I was up.. 

And I guess that’s it. After so much perseverance, success seems oh so much sweeter. They say you have to work really hard and stubbornly at any challenge worth pursuing, and often there can be a bit of pain and discomfort involved. Maybe even mandatory and perhaps in some ways ecstasy is relevant to our state leading up to it.

If life were all ecstatic (and maybe it is) we wouldn’t recognise the highs and lows. It’s always so much more enjoyable finding the haven of a protected anchorage after sailing through a blow and I was trying to remember this mid season as we smashed our way directly into 35-40 kn under heavily reefed jib to a place called Despotiko on Anti Paros. The wind was funnelling out of the bay between two opposing headlands which in my head named  “The Jaws of Death” and we very nearly turned back and Cath was keen to as she was watching our new 3D dinghy with it’s oars still attached starting to get airborne! Bit by bit we pushed through until winds eased and we were in company of a dozen other yachts tacking at anchor with their crew up the bow checking for any signs of dragging.  It was still over 20 knots at anchor but felt blissfully calm. No one else was sailing that day, least of all directly into the wind. We stayed put for a few nights and only realised the jib was badly torn when we unfurled it for the leisurely downwind sail out of the bay which turned into more of a motor. 

A new jib was cut using the old one as a pattern.  The sail loft repaired the old one enough for us to sail across the Aegean again and the new one chased us all the way to Samos where rolling it out for the first time was pure joy especially after dealing with the shenanigans of Greek transport companies on 2 islands and actually getting it onto the boat. It included trucks, ferries, hire cars and a dinghy plus ropes to haul it both on and off then on again.

The highlights of this season for me (Cath) have been the visit to the beautiful islands of Hydra and Tinos, Visiting Delos, a little circumnavigation of Kalymnos and making it back to Astypalaia after 10 years.  Catching up with old friends and meeting a few new ones and seeing friends from home was fantastic as it connects us to community both on the water and around the world and the shared bonds of friendship linger long after we have parted ways.

For me it’s also been the first time I have had to manage a few injuries on the boat.  One sprained/broken finger, an irritating bout of plantar fasciitis, and a rotator cuff injury to my shoulder. None of them needed medical care but interrupted my ease of movement on the boat and is a clear reminder that arriving fit and well to the boat is a part of good planning. These years are precious and we know they are limited so making the most of them continues throughout the year.

Intention is in her winter home on Leros now but rather than in a boatyard this time she out on the hard stand next to the marina.   We are always sad when we walk away from the boat.  I (Cath) truly love our time on the water and this year has been no exception. A launch date has been set for next year and I suppose we will both be checking our lists and sorting things we need to take back and starting to tick things off come the New Year and begin to fill the ‘boat box’ in our shipping container. Thanks for coming along on the ride with us this season. See you in 2025!