Wheels of fortune....

Dear friends,

Funny how things go...I heard on the cruisers radio net a couple of days ago somebody wanting to sell bicycles (the fold up type, great for when you dont have space). So we went over to check it out. .... Great, our new friend was indeed selling two Strida (www.strida.fr) bikes and so we didnt think twice, and now we have both our new pair of wheels. Great for exploring the anchorage surroundings etc. 

Who would have thought I would be riding a bike again?... Back in late 2004,  fanatic moutain biker, almost every weekend biting dust or ploughing through muddy roads near the Curitiba hills (Brazil), I suffered THE CRASH.. A, what later turned out to be, life changing event. The healing of 8 broken ribs and  broken collar bone, took much longer than expected ( they operated on my collar bone no less than 3 times), and all that time I was confined between my house, the office and the fysio clinic. 

During a weekend at the beach, I saw a group of sailboats and crew anchored out and having a great time...and I said to myself:.. I should have a sailboat too.... You can sail all year round....I can sail.... I have some money to spend .... I can swim, so in the event of me falling overboard, no problem, I wouldnt be breaking bones at least.... Yeah, I surely should have a boat. I walked over to a beached 43 ft catamaran, and talked to the captain (Ricardo Portela of SV Bravo, who a year later took his family for a three year adventure around the globe), and he gave me valuable advice: first buy yourself a small sailboat, say an ODay 23, play around and if you continue to like it, go and upgrade....... A week later ( and without consulting the home front( big mistake ?.... I guess it was already part of us separating)) I bought indeed an ODay 23....  7 years fast forward....

Living aboard a comfortable 40 ft catamaran exploring exciting locations, redesigned lifestyle, a wonderfull partner... In retrospect, THE CRASH, was the best thing that happened to me.

And you know what? I have two friends, that had to go through similar experiences, rather dramatic accidents, after wich they changed their lifestyles ( my friend and "brother" Vagner ( SV Christalino , www.christalino.com.br), car accident; Rodrigo ( SV Sotalia, motobike accident)...

Sometimes you need a wake up call, something that rattles your chain to realize that life is too short to be sweating the small stuff.. You dont have to get yourself in  a dreadful accident, but just take some time and reflect... That is all.... 
In retrospect, it all will make sense

Take and all the best

Pieter

Reality Check

 

Dear Friends,

Just for the weekend, sailing from Trinidad to Grenada (aprox 70 nm), enjoying the ride, this phrase kept coming back to my mind: “…. You have made the right decision….”

Last week, and acquaintance from my “previous life” send me a message on Facebook. He is working as an import/export specialist for a rather large corporation, and he asked how I was doing. After my reply, he send me back this phrase. Maybe I am analysing too much, but does it mean that he didn’t?

It is true that we all have the freedom to choose (and have  to accept the consequences of our own decisions). I know that a while back I posted something amongst those  lines, but it seems to be a theme that comes back every now and again. I believe it is a good thing to think about this issue, and do your own reality check: Where am I? Where do I want to go? Am I happy, satisfied? If the answer to this last question is yes, then of course continue, but what if the answer is no, not really? In the end it is really up to you….

Enjoy

Pieter

“What is your course, your next waypoint?”

Dear friends,
It seems I am posting backwards, we write about our travels, encounters, some tips and hints and newly acquired insights. How did it come to all of this, what happened, what made me take responsibility and trace my (new) course…This is about  how this actually happened…

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