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As I have said before, one of the unexpected delights of the Oyster World Rally has been the beautiful people we are getting to know. While much of what I say applies to the entire fleet, male and female, including crew, this post is devoted to “the Pearls. ” Coined by the incomparable Mary from Ostara, this is the moniker for the women owners/partners of the Rally.
Continue reading “B is for Beautiful (The Pearls)”
After the A is for Awesome and B for Beautiful (Boat + Pearls) posts, consider this a palette cleanser. Something pleasantly astringent and provocative, I hope, so we can taste what’s coming next with more nuance. Because when you do a trip like this, it is striking how fast the ‘awesome’ becomes normalized.
More broadly speaking, it’s intriguing how quickly we humans get habituated to certain experiences over time from the good, bad, ugly, dull or extreme. Our exceptional situation notwithstanding then, there is a pattern here that extends to all, making this worth a short segue.
Continue reading “Minding the Treadmill”
Following my A,B,C,D,E framework for wonderment, this theme can go in many directions. However to kick this first one off, allow me the indulgence to talk about our beautiful boat. For all the ups and downs we have had in our new build, it is unquestionably a beautiful design and sails so so beautifully.
Continue reading “B is for Beautiful (Boat)”Adjective “causing or inducing awe; inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration or fear: an awesome sight.“
Ok, not to mess around, let’s start with transiting the Panama Canal. It was awesome.
This is Skana at Shelter Bay Marina on the Atlantic side of Panama while we were waiting and waiting and waiting for our turn through the Canal, the last group in the Oyster fleet to transit. A few days in, as I was walking back to the boat, I had one of those crystalizing moments when I overheard some cruisers say “wow, look at that amazing black boat. Isn’t she just beautiful?” With all the rush, rush, rushing up until this point, this stopped me in my tracks, and finally (finally!) it was sinking in that this magnificent yacht, shimmering in the dusky sky, was really mine and we were about to sail it around the world.
Continue reading “A is for Awesome”
- won-der-ment (noun)
- 1: a cause of or occasion for wonder
- 2: astonishment, surprise
- 3: curiosity about something
“Bula, Bula!” as they say in Fiji, the exuberant hello or welcome of this nation, a refrain heard many times a day and this isn’t just a phony put-on for tourists. They really mean it. Translated literally as “life,” when Fijians use Bula as a greeting, they are wishing you good health.
This is a fitting way to start this post given Toby’s path to recovery after his infection, still a work in progress, as septic shock is no joke.
Continue reading “Acts of Wonderment”