I think I'm buying a boat

Well... My offer was accepted. There still needs to be a sea trail and survey done, but it looks good.

I'll be heading to the Caribbean on a 1989 O'Day 322.

I love it when a plan comes together

Wow! It's been a busy week.

1. I have rented my home to a wonderful couple. They've signed a lease and given me a deposit.
2. I sold my motorcycle.
3. I made an offer on a sailboat.
4. I now have all the money I've budgeted for the next year already in my savings account.

The plan is really taking shape. Should I be frightened??

I'm a sailor

I finished a week-long immersion course with the Blue Water Sailing School in Ft. Lauderdale and already I'm confident that I could sail eastward toward the Bahamas on my own. By the end of the course I was able o single handedly pilot a 53' boat through a figure eight man overboard drill under full sail. 

I can set a course, read a map, and sail a boat. What else is there to do but practice and I can do that at sea, yes?

The plot thickens

As will happen when you start planning an adventure, the plan is rarely the finished product. I had originally scheduled myself to take sailing lessons in March and set sail on July 13th. I didn't plan my sailing lesson earlier because my son and his wife had a baby due in early January.  Little Scarlett however had other plans and was born healthy and happy on December 13th. Then, due to a postponement of something I had planned for in early July, I am able to set sail as soon as school lets out in June. I should be prepping the boat and be at sea by June 6th, more than a month ahead of schedule.

There's so much to learn!

The teacher become the student...

 Step one:

The first step has been taken! I've put down a deposit for sailing lessons with the Blue Water Sailing School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and book a flight for the end of March!

The student's mind

I recently heard an interview with a martial artist competing on The Ultimate Fighter and he said, "I want to be like water because Bruce Lee said we should be like water. I don't know what that means, but Bruce Lee said it so it has to be cool."

The entire quote is this: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” 

My interpretation of Mr. Lee is that we must be adaptable to the situation. The situation I'm in now is that I must once again become a student. A student intent on learning a completely new skill set and to be able to actually utilize these new skills. It's very much like when I learned to sky dive, or scuba dive, or even simply to drive; There are skills I need and if I learn them and follow the established rules, there's an excellent chance I won't die.

Time to study...