Give It a Try Whispered The Heart

In January it will have been a S P E C T A C U L A R two years since we set off on the greatest adventure of our lives to date. What started out as an unknown, terrifying adventure as liveaboards, quickly became our new lifestyle of choice - and a crazy paradigm shift. 🔱✨💛

I often wonder how did we get here? We didn’t wake up one morning with a seemingly impossible dream, set the goal, and work hard to achieve it. Well, actually we did, but it’s more than that. It’s the culmination of our past adventures and dreams that we have experienced over our almost 14 years together that have led us to this moment. It’s the building on the success of previous impossible dreams, big and small, that we made happen. It’s not that our adventures have been any bigger or better than anyone else' - they aren’t. It’s more that they were ours, that they at first seemed unlikely, impossible, or too difficult to realize, and that we went out and did them anyway.

It’s this shared adventurous spirit that led us to give up everything that represented safety and stability in our lives, making the jump from our beautiful home in Cape Town to Europe - using Barcelona as a stepping stone. While the process hasn't been easy, the decision was.

In the first year, we quickly learned about surviving in our new environment while living on a yacht, throwing ourselves into making Europe a success. We spent most of the year absorbing Spain and exploring Croatia and the Greek Ionian islands - all while coming to grips with life under a worldwide lockdown. Those first experiences taught us a lot. Every day was a new teaching opportunity for mother nature as we learned how to endure massive squalls, survive a Medicane, and navigate straits that at best should be avoided. It wasn’t long before we knew we were no longer on just another adventure, but that we had found a new life we wanted to continue chasing after. The sheer volume of experiences, adventure and adrenaline was off the charts of life as we had known it...

Sailing gives one plenty of time to think, and so I have come to realize - and appreciate - that you can't live this life with just anyone. Your partner is critical to the success of the story. To my story. When you commit to living on the ocean, and forging a life based on experience rather than increasing possessions, you need to commit with someone you trust. And, more importantly, with someone you enjoy. Someone who makes you laugh - because without this your story will end.

When I met Kevin we both, for our own reasons, were in the space to make big shifts to our lives. We barely knew each other when we committed to a serious relationship - perhaps, looking back, this was our first impossible adventure together. We made a lot of sacrifices at the beginning with some (actually many) bad decisions that were very hard for us and harder for others. But we knew, we just knew, we had to start down this path together.

From that day we built our friendship together and are best friends; it's the link that keeps us together during the hard times. While in many aspects we are the same, we are also very different. Acknowledging, celebrating, and appreciating those differences is what makes us strong. We are separate, yet we are one. Kevin has become my world, my greatest adventure, and my life partner. He has never tried to tame my wild nature but preferred to support my individuality and my growth. I am grateful for him loving me as I am.

There is still so much I want us to see and do. So many experiences to live, so many fears to overcome. I want to aim higher and stretch further - first in my mind and then in my reality. Often I imagine what life would be like if we could settle down and be content in one place. Then I remember life is too short, unpredictable, and volatile to settle for anything less. We are the same in this; it is what drives us to be together.

Since moving into GypsyDjango we have been together 24/7, always less than 39 feet from each other. Sometimes it feels that we have merged into a single, in-sync unit. Other times we frustrate and anger each other immensely while struggling to remember what makes us individuals. We have grown and changed in more ways than we could ever have imagined, but this growth has been together and on the same path - even when it's hard. Sometimes I need to compromise, sometimes Kevin does. Relationships are hard work, but building an adventurous life together is worth it. In hard times we choose (and yes, it is a choice) to have a healthy relationship and connection, putting aside differences instead of creating them. Pride is something that is not often realized in this life - there is no place for it. Knowing, and sharing, that you are vulnerable is ok. It's not necessary to be self-sufficient all the time. We acknowledge and overcome our insecurities, and continue to choose to do so, as best friends, adventure partners, lovers and family.

It's a known fact that love is the most powerful force on earth, even more so than fear - and we’ve experienced this a few times already. We are often exposed to great risk and fear out at sea and in these moments we need to be able to trust each other explicitly. In moments where we are being challenged and things are going wrong, when maintaining safety is critical, we need to deal with the situation, without hesitation, as one. Afterward, we step back to debrief, to understand how better to manage such a situation together should it happen again, without conflict or judgment. This has been essential to our travels and to dealing with our wonderful mother nature. A big part of making this life we have chosen reality is for us to be as self-sufficient as possible. We do not have the luxury of throwing money at problems. We need to think on our feet, figure it out and fix problems together, relying on each other's strengths.

To Kevin; Yes, you have carried me thousands of kilometers away from home, away from my friends and my family, and away from my normality and stability. But, in doing so, you have given me some of the greatest gifts of my life; new experiences, new memories, new friends, and exposure to new cultures and languages. You have challenged me, stretched me, and pushed me beyond my limits. I will forever be a changed person and for that, I will forever be grateful. I am stronger and more capable. I feel like I could do anything I put my mind to.

I am so grateful that I get to live this life with you by my side and I so excited for the stories that we will continue to build together. I could not do it without you, thank you.