Life onboard at a time the world is filled with chaos!
It is 2021! We moved on to Simplicity in February 2016, wow its hard to believe where we have traveled and the adventures we have had. We both work so the other point to note is that we have very different careers, my husband is Solutions Architect with a Fortune 100 company, and I do business and life coaching. Before it was fashionable to be doing Zoom we were utilizing the technology and seeing the United States at 5 knots.
Most of the time life onboard is routine, that is mostly dependent upon the weather. It is also dependent upon the engine and Simplicity functioning as needed as a sailing vessel. When we arrive to a new location we have made sure to get off the boat and experience it. Experience the community, the restaurants, the geography, and explore. This year is our first visit on our boat to a new country, the Bahamas. It is an interesting time to be onboard, and having a very small community of like-minded sailors/cruisers here living their best lives.
It is an extraordinary lifestyle! We do not have the T.V. or the news on at all. Sometimes, it is days before we know current affairs. We wake up and go outside. We smell the salt air, we see the sunshine, most days. We walk, versus jump in the car. We don’t always have an internet connection. We talk, sometimes about a situation, or issue we have with the boat or what is going on with our kids. We are moving at a pace I would call slow. What I especially love here in the Bahamas, is how happy every person is that we meet. No complaining, no criticizing, no condemning. We are self-disciplined. If we do not do something it does not happen. We do what we can, from where we are, with what we have. We go for a run, we notice the sunrise, and the sunset. We notice, the birds, the wild life - fish, dolphins, turtles. The trees are different here than anywhere I’ve been before. We see the stars, they sparkle clearly at us, and are not masked my the city lights. The water color here is different, it is deep, it is clear and clean. So far, there is little garbage in the water, The water is so blue! We have finally learned to not make plans, yes, people come visit, we “plan” things, however we are flexible. Are sails are based on weather conditions, and sea state. It is critical for the safety of all. We know that almost everything is weather dependent. The pace of life we had in the past was mind boggling especially when we compare it today’s pace. Laundry is done when we have quarters. The air quality is so clean, nothing like we have ever seen before anywhere. We are getting a different perspective, than what the media is feeding so many, there are no new reported cases of Covid-19. This country has a very simple process for testing, and reporting. It is automated, and so far works very well. The people who are indoors or in groups of people simply wear a mask. Outside, people breathe the fresh air. Our daughter spoke to the UK Embassy prior to leaving Scotland, and she was sternly warned that she should not come to the Bahamas, because it was a Covid hotbed. Untrue. People here have truly had to deal with one calamity after another, hurricane, no cruise ships, no tourists. They are grateful for those of us who have ventured here and embrace us. I am grateful that we chose this lifestyle and continue our journey each day!