Okay… everybody sit down… this news is so shocking and amazing you might pee yourself… but the rumors are true… Lexi is finally GOING HOME….!!!!!!!! YAY YAY YAY YAY…!!!!! but only for a little while…
If you have been following you know that Lexi has wanted to go back home like 2 years ago but I have kinda been dragged ever forward further and further from home. There has always been this weird combination of my own adventurous curiosity and the reality of being trapped owning the boat, a boat I have been trying to sell for a long time now, that has drawn me forward. If you are going to own a boat, and have already suffered so much to get this far, you might as well finish the journey. Its like a logical conundrum that if you already paid the price to see the Caribbean sunsets… you might as well enjoy seeing the Caribbean sunsets, you just have to commit a little further, always a little further.
This was the thing though… that really trapped me… When I embarked on this adventure I jumped all in… I sold EVERYTHING I owned on land and committed 100% to this sailing adventure… I have nothing left on land to go back to. This is a mistake hard to fix.
To get out of this sailing adventure means finding a way to separate from the responsibility of ownership of the boat. I need to get rid of the boat… I have to turn her into a pile of money so I can restart life on land again. Let someone else go enjoy WildChild and have their own sailing adventure. Don’t get me wrong… WildChild is an amazing and fantastic boat and I love this boat, she is strong super tough and a fantastic sailing boat and wonderfully well equipped for living off the grid. WildChild has saved my life many times and taken good care of me in relative comfort. Reciprocally I have also spent the last 4 years of my life taking care of WildChild, so she is almost my baby.
BUT… I think I have had enough now. The sailing life seems like paradise from the comfort of your home and your computer. The reality of the sailing life… I have tried to share with you openly and honestly, direct straight forward real life truth all the time, I have not lied to you and painted a false rosy picture like everyone else…. the reality is this life is hard and involves lots of sacrifice. Now my adventure has not been like anyone else’s adventure and will not be the same as your adventure, but … unless you are rich… living full time on a sailboat and sailing in the open ocean is stressful dangerous and hard.
I am tired now… I need a rest… I need to recharge my soul.
Well the universe has weirdly lined things up to let me go home, all of a sudden things changed. I have been granted a temporary pardon from my prison sentence.
Let me share the details with you.
So 6 weeks ago back in Antigua while all the borders were still Covid shut down I needed to solve my hurricane season problem. I did. I put WildChild up in a very expensive boat yard and made a deal to crew for this German family until August, to help them deliver their boat back home to Germany. I figured this gives me something to do while waiting for the borders to open so I could go home. Clearly this Covid silliness should go away by August right? They agreed to pay for my flight home so this was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
So we made the first jump and arrived here in the Azores like 2 weeks ago.
When we first arrived the captain said we are only staying here for 4 days to quickly re-provision and make a few repairs. Then we are going to make the next jump. The next destination was still being debated, maybe Lisbon Portugal… maybe northern Spain at the edge of Biscane bay, Maybe into the Mediterranean.
Then the family got comfortable, they are back in Europe and it feels like home for them. They began to enjoy themselves with land life and luxuries again. They went out to eat in nice and affordable cafe’s and restaurants everyday. They went shopping everyday. The kids got to play on land again. The dog got to go for nice walks again everyday.
So they missed the weather window.
. …And they missed the next weather window
. …….and the missed the next weather window…
Eventually their plans began to focus on a route home. They know what their step #2 and step #3 and step #4 will be now. They have found a place to bring their boat to. They know where to go… but they have just gotten comfortable again and have started delaying and delaying the next passage. They have switched from delivering them and their boat home to Germany to vacation mode. Rent a car… drive around… have fun… explore… and play.
Their will to continue with the original plan has faded away. Now they maybe stay here for another month, they are content comfortable and happy.
Looking forward at the possible coming wind weather windows to make the next passage shows there may not be another good weather window for weeks, possibly until the end of July.
This is next week and you can see that the Azores High pressure system is sitting on them and between them and the mainland, and it is going to stay sitting on them for weeks.
So you have to bear in mind when looking at this technical data the conditions THIS boat is looking for to sail. It is a Janneau and does not point very well into the wind.. and this captain does not want to try to point into the wind. So he needs beam reach or running winds from behind. He also wants exactly 12-17 knots of wind the whole time beam reach or behind.
Although the high pressure system sitting on them now means calm seas… they could motor the next leg in about 5-7 days…. they do want to try and sail some of it.
So they missed their chances to make this jump already. They are no longer in any rush to go anywhere. They are comfortable here and want to stay and enjoy here. There is no weather window for them in the near future. They do not really need crew anymore.
The other factor that changed is the borders started to open. So they were able to fly in Admiral mommies best friend to crew for them. The very lovely Slovenian lady arrived a few days after we got here and has crewed for them before. She knows the boat and knows the family. She is now here to be able to help them whenever their next jump opens up, but they are going to go very slowly and take their sweet time getting home now.
The borders opening up also means maybe there is a chance Canada will open up, maybe flights will begin again? Europe began to open while we were on passage June 15th and opened up more July 1st. People began flying again.
I found out that there are now regular flights from Lisbon Portugal airport to Canada once a week now. Canada is currently allowing travelers from Europe into Canada. American is not allowing anyone from Europe in the USA due to some petty political bickering but Canada has not engaged in this silliness.
It is now currently possible for me to fly home…
. ……. and they do not need my help anymore…
. ………… Sooooo ……
Lexi just booked a ticket home to Toronto Canada for tomorrow Tuesday Jul 7th 2020. I have spoken with friends and found a place to stay. I still have to endure a 2 week quarantine when I get there so I will not be going out to eat or anything, but I will be back in Canada.
I am in shock still. Imagine the luxuries I will enjoy again… I will sleep NOT on a boat… sleep in a bed on solid ground. I will not have to sleep listening for the anchor drag alarm. Sleep without fear of my home sliding into the rocks. I will not have to worry about storms. I do not always have to be concerned about the weather and the winds.
You rich people on land have this amazing invention called a flush toilet. I have been using hand pumped boat toilets for so long maybe I will be mesmerized by this amazing thing. Can you imagine showering as long as you want…? and any time you want…? On WildChild we always had to use the minimum amount of toilet paper because of the way a boat septic system works. This boat, like many, does not allow any toilet paper in the toilet, so after you wipe yer butt you have to save the toilet paper and fold it up and put it in a little bag. You land lovers get to wipe your butts with as much TP as you want, never think about it, and never look at it, and just drop it in the toilet and flush it way. Such luxuries… wow.
I have been dreaming about Pizza for years now… soon my dream might come true… at least it will be possible to get a good pizza again.
I am so excited to return to civilization again. Return to my nice kind friendly relaxed polite Canadian culture. Excited to be around well educated and civilized Canadians again. To return to what is familiar and normal.
******************
But…. I do fear… I am damaged. This adventure has been extremely difficult. I have had to face things and do things I felt sure I could not would not and never agreed to face. I feel like a soldier returning form war, traumatized and damaged. I am just not the same person anymore.
I need time to heal and find my new center… and my dear friend Ryan has agreed to offer me this safe haven to heal in.
I do think I will write the sailing book about all this in the next few months. It is all still fresh in my mind and there is still so much more to tell. Maybe writing the book next will help me feel better.
I probably will not be writing any blogs for a few months as the sailing adventure is on a pause.
I do still need to return to WildChild in Antigua in November and try again to either sell her or bring her home next year.
So if anybody out there is interested in crewing for me for 6 months… contact me. I am looking for GOOD crew. Someone nice calm and gentle. Not bipolar would be nice. Not an alcoholic would be nice. Someone who knows at least something about sailing.
WildChild needs to get home… she launches from Antigua November 2020 and hopes to arrive in the great lakes of Canada again… thru the saint Lawrence river again… the long way… by August 2021. So its a 6 month adventure. You need to be able to pay for your own food and your own flights.
This is a genuine offer. If you wanna come sailing and be part of season 4 of WildChild’s adventure to get home… let me know. Contact me.
Cheers my sailor fans…
Its probably going to be a few months before I start writing again.
Captain Lexi…
. . ……… the super excited ……