A new year, some ideas

It has been cold in Portland and you could say that that helps to create a holiday spirit. You could also just say it has been cold. Cold defined as we can’t paint and the epoxy won’t set. Well what do we do when it is too cold to work on Gypsy? We plan and we dream. The planning part deals with reading about boat wiring and designing a refrigeration system. This is not very exciting but it must get done, so now is a good time.

The dreaming part is more fun. It involves learning Spanish and planning a trip to Mexico to see friends this winter. We also are keeping up with our favorite blogs and we thought we would share them with you. These blogs are important because they inspire us and they give us ideas. To all of you blogging, thank you. All it takes is something to latch on to and we can make it through another day at work.

Twice in a Lifetime is about the crew of Galactic, Mike, Alicia, Elias and Eric. They left Kodiak,, Alaska when Elias was a baby and they have been cruising since 2007. They spent last year in Patagonia and now they are in the Falklands. Better yet they are reading the Swallows and Amazons books while they cruise! They keep going places and doing things I want to do.

When you are rebuilding your boat you want to commiserate so we read Matt and Jessica’s sailing page. They are rebuilding an aluminum sailboat while they live aboard. This helps us feel better since we don’t live aboard while we rebuild.

We would not have know about Matt and Jessica if we weren’t following Ellen and her Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick.  Ellen’s sister is a library coworker:  it’s a small world, and Ellen has cruised New Zealand and now Florida. She is always fun to read. In fact Nancy Drew helps her fix leaks on her new boat.

When good friends set off cruising, it is an inspiration for us to finish the boat and take off on our own adventure. Sailing on Velic is their tale of adventure. So far it has been Portland to Mexico, but stay tuned and follow them around the world.

This blog has helped us to meet sailors from around the globe. I have enjoyed Viki’s blog, Astrolabe Sailing. She is in New Zealand and when it is winter in Portland it is summer in New Zealand so I can read about sailing adventures there.

These blogs cover a range of sailing from being in one place to the very adventurous. I think it is good to have a range so I stay aware of what is possible while realizing that anytime you are messing around in a boat it is good.

Bill