#sailing Our friend, Wayne, is on the kite board. Matt, my husband, is on the windsurfer. Both are having an exciting ride in the shallows between Compass Cay and Pipe Cay, Bahamas.
This is a high tide ride only.
At low tide, the sand shows through.
The game for the week was to hit the beach about halfway to high tide
#sailing What could be better than a downward dog to make you feel good? Farley’s answer: A downward dog on the beach with your yoga pals.
Yoga is an easy way to keep fit while cruising. If you don’t happen to have a yoga instructor handy you can bring yoga classes on an iPod and play them on the beach. You’re only gear – A yoga mat. It doesn’t weigh much and doesn’t take up a lot of room.
Doing yoga alone is okay, but it’s much more fun with friends. Farley attends regularly and find his spot near the others. If you’re not watching he’ll grab your mat before you do.
#sailing One of the fun things about cruising is happy hour on the beach.
This is the our gang we tend to travel or buddy boat with.
Debi and Bruce on a (on left of photo) Bristol.
Matt and I (holding my lap dog – not) on a Lagoon 380 catamaran.
Sue and Paul on a Grand Banks.
Sharon (holding Cali) and Wayne on an American Tug.
Buddy boating gives us a sense of community and safety. Between the boats, we always have what we need on hand. Okay, not always, but we can usually rig something together.
Throughout the season, the boats travel to different spots and regroup as the wind takes allows us. We all like different conditions for traveling, and we all like to “bump” into each other once in a while.
What games does your dog like to play? #sailing Many of these can be played underway.
Farley, although he can’t catch a ball, loves to try.
By standing in one hull and tossing him the ball, I can entertain him without the worry that he might go overboard.
He can run from one side of the Lagoon 380 S2 to the other.
Wheaten’s are jumpers and agile. He has no problem diving down the stairs and roaring back up again.
He gets to stretch his legs and have fun at the same time.
There are many great cruising blogs out there. Our friends, Wayne and Sharon, are travelling on their boat, My Sharona. Their blog highlights the joys of cruising. Sharon is a talented photographer and her photos are definitely worth checking out. Enjoy!
His wife is busy writing? #sailing Ripping back and forth on his windsurfer works pretty well. Nothing like the exhilaration of a good jump to keep a man busy.
Cruising on our Lagoon 380 catamaran give’s Matt a great platform to find awesome windsurfing locations.
#sailing Farley loves to play on the beach. What Wheaten Terrier wouldn’t? He’s spent hours back on the boat sneezing. A little bit of sand up his nose must be really irritating.
He uses the tramp to roll around and get clean.
We love this because it keeps sand out of our main salon. By the time he’s done rolling, he’s fairly sand free.
#writetip Every season I have the dream that I’ll have endless hours to write. We live on a sailboat. What could we possibly have to do to keep us busy?
When the wind changes direction, and we have to move the boat, it’s not like I have an option. I can’t say, “This is my time to write, close a door and settle in.” Sometimes I’m even mid-sentence when an issue comes up and I have to move quickly. So much for completing a thought before leaving my Mac.
What I’ve learned is to write in short bursts. I still get my writing time in, just not in long sessions. I’ve also learned that if it’s impossible to write, I read about writing and how I can improve. Short time frames are useful if you read one good writing tip and think about how you can use it on your novel.
Meanwhile, I’m living on a Lagoon 380 S2 in the Bahamas, so who will feel sorry for me?
#writetip #sailing Continuing with my theme of writing and cruising, here are some tips on writing in a small space.
I don’t actually consider my Lagoon 380 S2 a small space. She is 38 feet long and with her two hulls, there is a lot of room. It’s just close together.
There are three sleeping cabins, a main salon and a cockpit. There is a built in desk in the starboard hull. But, and here’s the big but, It’s hard to be invisible and write. I can hear all that’s going on in the boat and around the area.
So I hear my friends launch their kayaks, heading out to explore and how to I resist? I allow myself one (okay maybe two) activities during work days (Mon – Fri). Saturday and Sunday are my weekends. I might write, but I don’t feel I have to.
That modern invention, the iPod, is a great way to tune out noise. If you can write to music, and don’t have a quite place, it might work for you.
Hungry? Is Farley thinking the crab hiding under the sand is his next meal?
So far, the crabs are too quick for him. It’s amazing how fast a crab can run when motivated.
Farley – 0. Crabs – 50. Not a good streak.
Lucky for Farley we’ve provisioned enough dog food for the season.
