Changes in Latitudes

Over the past 10 years as is typical of most wanna-be and then out-there cruisers, I've assiduously followed numerous sailing blogs.  As with any good story, the desire to know the outcome is often bitterly counterbalanced against the selfish desire for the enjoyment of the journey to continue.  As I look back through my browser bookmarks list, it is like walking memory lane seeing the names of those who came before and have now moved on to other adventures, mostly on land and under the title of a different blog, or returned to their former land life for jobs, school, health or any myriad of other reasons.

When setting out almost two and a half years ago, we deliberately set out without a planned timeline; it made the adventure more real for us and with no concrete plans, we didn't have to deal with reality for a while.  For us, no deadline looming over us meant that we were free to live in the moment and enjoy every one of those moments to their fullest.

We then found ourselves returned to Ottawa with no real plan.  Is this a mark of the distance we have truly travelled?  Have we become such gypsies, blowing in the wind, that we've even let go of that intense trait of planning out every step of the journey that got us out on the high seas in the first place?  Is this a mind-space to treasure?  I'm going to say, "Yes!"

The flip-side of that coin however, is that reality does intrude and with a little number-crunching (probably all begun long ago but now percolating up to the surface) we've decided that while it would be lovely to stay out cruising indefinitely, we should take some concrete action to refill the bank accounts and think of the future beyond the next five years.

Fate has a lovely way of intervening, and the decision was made particularly easy when within a week of reaching out to my professional network, I was rewarded with a position I have coveted for a number of years.  How could I say no?  As of February 13 I will be starting a new job at PricewaterhouseCoopers!  I won't go into the gritty details but suffice it to say that it's a position that will challenge me, allow me to travel across Canada and I will be specializing in an area that I find fascinating.

Favourite line on my resume:

1st Mate & Navigator, sailing vessel Mowzer  (October 2014 - present)

So now that we've made the decision to return, the reverse of all those actions taken to divest ourselves of our earth-bound connections has to be undertaken.  Job, housing, transportation, furnishings, WORK CLOTHING!!  Yikes!

We're not done yet though - Mowzer remains patiently in St. Martin and Henry at least will be returning to her welcoming decks in the spring.  Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Meanwhile - I think we have a new ride.  Imagine just how much fun we have had buying a car in sub-zero, wintery conditions.

No two-stroke outboard on this new ride.  Guess I don't have to worry about dinghy chaps either.