WHEN CRUISING ENDS
Vuda Point Marina, Fiji
July 25, 2016
It is so strange to write this… “cruising ends; the end of cruising days; THE END…” The finality is harsh. The words glare back, a cold stare that cannot be averted. The End.
And you, dear friends, dear readers for the past nine years, are clamoring: “Say it is not so!…” “Give it another go…” “How are we going to cruise vicariously?” and “WHY?”
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| Traditional canoe in Vulaga |
When we started cruising 7 years ago, we asked ourselves “When? When will we quit?” Our kids were definitely asking that question, wondering when mom and pops would come home to be “fafa and nini” again. Our answer was standard: “We’ll quit when something breaks: the boat, the bank, or our bodies.” Never did we imagine that it would be our spirits that would break; never did we imagine that we would have enough of stunning anchorages and coconut milk. But here we are, at the end of the road.
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| Vulaga's unique mushroom islands: so much to snorkel! |
It happened in Vulaga. In the most idyllic anchorage in all of Fiji, surrounded by talcum-powder-white beaches, the boat at rest in the lapis-blue lagoon dotted with sparkling green mushroom islands, JP and I stared at each other and asked ourselves, “What Next?”
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| JP & Sikelli celebrate a double-trevally catch |
The day had been perfect. We had snorkeled all morning with our host Sikelli, the boys had speared some beautiful Trevallys and I even speared a rockfish. They had collected a bag of those delicious Vulaga clams and I had found a rare black Cowrie for my shell collection. I had just cooked a lobster caught earlier, made a tasty aioli; piping-hot French bread was cooling on the rack; a nice bottle of New Zealand Viognier was chilling in the cooler. By all standards, this was Paradise. Yet, we stared at each other and asked ourselves, “What Next?”
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| More of those mushroom islands: lobster and trevally! |
We had talked of spending the next cyclone season in The Marshalls. But there was no place to leave the boat to visit the grandchildren. We had considered New Caledonia, but we would have to get out at cyclone season. We flirted with the idea of Australia, but the reports we had gotten were not encouraging. Indonesia? Too dangerous. Back to New Zealand? Been there, done that. It soon downed on us that we were finding excuses. Bottom line, we could not find a common destination and the thrill of cruising was gone.
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| Friends like Sarah and her daughter Naomei make the world a happier place. |
It hit me like the proverbial “Ton of bricks.” When JP verbalized the sinking feeling and proposed that we should sell the boat and live new adventures, I knew deep-down that he was right. Our cruising days were over.
DOMINO is now for sale with a broker whose name I will announce in the next blog.
CLICK HERE for link to MULTIHULL SOLUTIONS
CLICK HERE for link to MULTIHULL SOLUTIONS
While we wait for the happy buyer, we scrub, clean, paint, maintain and perk-up our girl like a bride before a wedding. It’s going to be hard to lead her to the altar. But she was built to cruise, not to stay at anchor.
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| The end of cruising... and a new day will rise |
What awaits our lovely DOMINO? What awaits us? Time will tell, but I have no doubt it will be an adventure for all of us, including the family (who, incidentally, seems happy that —at long last— we will behave as responsible adults instead of some hippie cruisers.)
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| Nurse Sarah... thank you for another wonderful Sunday lunch! |
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| Jo... And the impish little Naomei... so much love! |
What next? Till next blog…
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| Saying goodbye to our beautiful Vulaga family: Sarah, Sikelli, Naomei and Jo! Vinaka, my friends! |