With my back to our suite
and my eyes locked on far away sights, it was once again time to go down to
the sea in ships. The title of a movie made ages ago, but I have to admit
my thoughts were more about the lines from the poem by John Masefield: “I
must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky.”
What has become an all too
familiar tradition of Margo and I, as the days pass by and the times together
over Thanksgiving and Christmas are but a distant memory, we seem to be always
drawn to the ocean and to a cruise out on its waters. As you read this post, we
are anchored within the coral reefs surrounding Belize, having pulled into
Colon, Limon and Roatan. As for the photo above, you may come across it in
other posts and commentaries but it does capture the essence of why we sail.
Our means of transportation across the Caribbean this time has been the Viking Mars. A formula ocean going Viking vessel following exactly the same lines as other Viking Ocean going ships, it brings with it a certain familiarity that allows us to retreat peacefully from the to and fro of our business days. It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere so it takes very little to persuade us to head south, a practice that has developed over the last couple of years.
Winter breezes may give way to sunny days, but this year we have witnessed mostly inclement weather. This is probably the polite way to write of how it rained most days and when it didn’t, the winds whipped around the ship. We can count two, maybe three sunny days on our two weeks sail, but then again, the chance to catch up on emails and post short stories certainly provided ample opportunity to unwind doing what I like to do best.
Storytelling is a great way
to relax. For many years now it has been my saving grace. No matter what might
be happening I could find solace behind a screen, banging away on a keyboard. Deadlines
never change so there were a couple of commitments that had to be met, but all
in, looking out the window, across the seas blue, green or otherwise, provided
all the escape from that to and fro that I needed.
Working remote has been a
constant in my life. Having spent the best part of my first decade in IT
working in cubicles for major corporations far from my Sydney – Steelworks,
Container Shipping, Heavy Industry Manufacturing – on my return to Australia I
became the Managing Director of a US software house with a total headcount of
one – me! From that time on and with only a few interruptions, I have worked
remotely so none of my clients are ever surprised to come across a submission
or update written from anywhere on the planet.
Finalizing submissions to a
corporate digital publication while in the Caribbean proved easy to accomplish.
This year’s cruise was a little different to what we typically signup for;
Western Caribbean with a Panama Canal experience thrown in. It wasn’t traversing
of the Panama Canal in toto, from the Atlantic to the Pacific but rather, an
entry into the Gatun locks on the Atlantic side and into Gatun Lake before
turning around and returning through the locks to Colon, Panama.
What proved to be an
interesting sight was the passage of the Green Wind as it headed in the
opposite direction. Equipped with Wind Challenger
Hard Sail Propulsion System, it wasn’t immediately obvious what the
large white structure atop the bow was but later, I was to learn it was an
experiment in harnessing the wind to complement its conventional propulsion
systems. Oh, for the return of days under sail… I must go down to the sea
suddenly takes on new meaning if not a new purpose.
For some, storytelling may be a time to escape. A time to simply put on paper a witty take on the events of the day. Perhaps, too, an observation about a relationship or an activity that makes them happy. I have been posting to this blog for a very long time and have enjoyed the opportunity this has afforded me to document our ever-changing lives. And it struck me how well this media serves such a purpose. It sure does save time emailing updates to the family. Then again, I treat everyone who reads these posts as family and have done so for the entire time I have been blogging.
As we continued into the canal,
I happened to pan my camera along the shores of the Panama Canal where I
sighted a strange family assembly stumbling out of the jungle. "Rats," I said to myself. "Margo will miss seeing this. I wonder what they are?" Well, it turned out to be rats after all. It was a mother
with infants, all part of the Capybaras family of rodents – the world’s largest
rodent, mind you, that can weigh between 60 and 174 pounds. In no time, it has
hurried back into the foliage and disappeared. To see it and not the Caimans or
the Jaguars that we knew were likely to be nearby was certainly a treat.
It shouldn’t come as a
surprise to read that for Margo and myself, there is little interest these days
to step ashore at any of the ports of call. This is not our first cruise and
hopefully will not be our last but it is a truism we acknowledge that it is the
ship itself that is the destination and we now are little inclined to leave
it’s familiar haunts. This particular voyage included numerous sea days – seven
in all – but Viking always seemed to have a special treat for passengers
readily at hand.
Sailing between Puerto
Limon, Costa Rico, and Coxen Hole (Roatan), Honduras, Viking brought out the
big guns. Or, to be more precise, a large frozen Tuna and a Mahi Mahi. As they
were wheeled to a preparation table and grill, a crowd quickly gathered and as
the first samples became available, getting a lightly seared Tuna fillet proved
every bit as tasty as the drama that preceded it. Coconuts spiced with a good
measure of rum were on hand for those looking for something refreshing to wash
it all down with and even thought it’s not our favorite refreshment, we gave in
an sampled the treat right out of the prepared coconut shell.
All I could think of was the
scene from Castaway where Tom Hanks simply couldn’t find a way to punch a hole
into the coconut until he came across an ice skate. With this in mind, and with
plenty of alternate refreshments at hand, neither was I required to be creative
in accessing the fluids nor was I that intent on sampling the liquid. As the
occasion called for some action on my part, I had a sip and then left it to
Margo to dispose of, as she did not like it.
Roatan was much like the
other ports of call you come across whenever you venture into the Caribbean. I
thought of it as presenting a visage that could be best described as Key West
meets Jamaica. The simple pastel colors you associate with the laid-back style
of Florida’s keys with a dash of color that can only be attributed to the
Jamaican desire for movement. And it worked as there was no illusion as to what
else if could be – it was just too lively!
Where travel brings life
into focus is where it tells a different story each time you encounter a new
place in time. Each day you travel you are in a moment that will and cannot be
repeated. For the intrepid sailors who make it a point to travel afar each
year, there is little that isn’t new or at the very least a little different to
when last encountered. Whether it is the color of the waterfront dwellings or
simply the shades of green and blue that the sea provides, its always
different. And for the soul, there is nothing better when it comes to clarity
of purpose or simply benefitting from a much-needed reboot.
At anchor as we now are
within the reefs of Belize, there is not the same opportunity to view the
surrounding foreshore. We have seen a ray surface or at least almost surface
but apart from that brief encounter, the sea has been quiet and peaceful. From
my early 20s, I have found ways to go sailing and whether it is within a
flotilla of racing sloops or offshore in something more invigorating, it
arouses the same emotion. How I would have loved to have lived in previous
eras. Then again, watching a good movie that features a sailboat is good enough
for me these days.
Building our new home in
Florida alongside the Intracoastal Waterway has me dreaming that perhaps there
is a boat in our future. A very small boat, mind you, and possibly not with
sails. A vessel where a leisurely outing complete with chilled chicken and
chardonnay might be pursued. Margo and I have always taken advantage of any
opportunity to sail and we have enjoyed such occasions on private yachts as
well as on the much larger cruise line yachts. What these outings have always
reinforced is that the constant motion of whatever yacht we are on, the
continuous response of the vessel to whatever seas arise, assures us both that
the continuum of life is something that can only be best viewed from the deck
of a yacht with it’s sail disappearing into the night sky.
There were a couple of
occasions on this cruise where the seas did make their presence felt. Seas that
soon tossed our ship from side to side oblivious that we were safely aboard a
Viking ship, gifted in its ability to handle waves of all sizes. There is an
air of excitement whenever the sea rises to such occasions and Margo and I have
always welcomed the rolls and pitches such seas present. We have never
experienced anything close to seasickness and consider such a blessing as well,
truly a blessing. There’s no voyage itinerary that puts us off leaving the
relative safety of the dock for the relative frailty of man’s creation.
Keeping to smaller ships
doesn’t detract from our amazement whenever we see one of the really big cruise
ships. Some are extraordinary and on our last night at sea, we weren’t to be
disappointed as off our stern there appeared a monster. The image was shaky
thanks to the magnification involved but being passed at almost twice the speed
was impressive to watch. The ship? It was Royal Caribbean Cruise line’s Icon of
the Seas – a proverbial city at sea. On the other hand, with the peace and
quiet that Viking delivered well, what can we say? Priceless!
This voyage had us
celebrating the New Year. 2024 was tumultuous. What else can we say? Selling
one home; purchasing a condo in one state and then building a new home in
another state. Purchasing a golf cart and looking to be more engaged with our
IT community. Traveling on very short notice for less than 24 hours in London
while flying back to Australia a matter of a few weeks following a return from
its shores. What possible adventures could top that in 2025?
But as I type this thought I
am fully aware that it is the unexpected that we can expect. It is the breezes
that might take us anywhere at all. For now, fortunately, it’s simply a case of
welcoming the New Year and to step back and consider the moment. In so doing we
just have to close with wishing all who read these posts and have done so for
nearly two decades, a very Happy New Year and know that our best wishes extend
to you all!
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