My heart

jacioutthere
Aug 15, 2020
4 min read

My heart is sad; we are alone again, what now? How do you describe ten days of adventure with close friends living unbelievable moments of fun and excitement?

I have noticed that when guests arrive on GypsyDjango they are tired, stressed and emotionally drained. This might be normal life that now, due to the stark contrast with my new way of being, is so apparent. Or maybe it’s the ongoing impact of the worlds response to Covid, or maybe it’s a mix of both? Regardless, by the time they leave they are very different people. I don’t think this is just as a result of normal holiday de-stressing that comes when one leaves their work and tasks and the negative news behind. Nor do I think it is just the absolute pleasure of being in Croatia, the sun and the sea. In truth there is something about sailing and living on a yacht that cacoons one in a tiny protective bubble where the world can’t reach in and steal your positive energy. Your focus shrinks to the here and now and you can’t help but become truly present in the moment. There are no distractions on this floating bubble, it’s just you and the lapping waves against the hull. Surrounded by endless blue and beauty your only concern is do you spend another night in this piece of paradise or sail on to find another.

Kevin and I love this life, it feeds our souls. Right now, as I build this story in my mind, I am dancing at the helm and never felt so free - LP is playing loud over the speakers and bouncing out over the ocean. I am close hauling along a zig zag path with no fixed destination.

Today I will not turn the engines on!

The sound of the wind whistling over the sails and the water lapping against the hull in the open sea what I need.

At the start of this journey I believed I had a fair grasp of sailing. Maybe not to the same level as sending it down a scary single-track on a MTB and “shredding the nar” (as my wonderful Becs would say) but a good skills base none the less. In truth though everyday brings new learnings and challenges one couldn’t have dreamt up and gaining all this new knowledge is so exciting. Over the years I have used a simple question to drawn inspiration from many friends depending on where I was in my life. At one stage it was “what would Alisha do” (train harder), or “what would Becs do” (ride in the snow). Now it’s “what would Russell do” (sail without fear, you’ve got this).

Two and a half months into becoming a live aboard and I am getting this, well mostly. I still seem slow to grasp the fact that, contrary to Lara and Gary’s belief, I might actually not be a cyborg or a super woman. One would think that I would learn my lesson after nearly flying away - riding our giant Code Zero sail like a broomstick across the ocean - after it started to unfurl while sailing in strong winds. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for me to jump on it in the hopes of pinning a 80 square meter sail to the deck in 20 knots of wind.

Or how about two nights ago when I jumped up and ran with the good intentions of placing myself between our tiny catamaran and an out of control supersized yacht that was clearly intent on crashing into us. I didn’t need Kevin to bring fenders; in the words of Nicky “I’ve got this”! How many points does one get for impaling a multi-million dollar yacht on your bowsprit? Turns out a line had become entangled in one of the boats engines and she was spinning around like crazy as the petrified pilot tried to avoid smashing into the moored yachts using only his bow thrusters. Fortunately the saffers where quick to action and Kevin and Gary saved the day, using the dingy to take lines ashore and secure the boat between two piers, while the hapless Croatia marina staff stood dumbstruck. The very grateful Italian owner and his wife presented us with a beautiful bottle of wine, from their home region, the next day as way of thanks.

Being totally in touch with nature riding out squalls or hiding from 40 knot storm winds (or dodging Italian boats) teaches one to respond instinctively and oh boy what an adventure this life is turning out to be. I am replaying the last ten days in my mind and what a beautiful experience with dear friends it was. Ok, let’s be honest,we have been particularly spoilt as Lara’s cooking is beyond exceptional and it was more than a little fun to give her cooking challenges for LCHF near-veggies (yes we hardly eat meat at all anymore) and watch how her creativity flows in a limited kitchen, with limited tools and ingredients, onboard a rocking yacht. It seems we might just have converted two more to Banting and you I am fortunate I can follow her ongoing genius on Instagram.

But now as I sail between the islands my heart is still, my ears are focused on the sounds of the sea and my eyes on the horizon. I am so excited about spending a few days alone with my man going wherever the wind takes us (or nowhere at all) as we build the excitement for our next welcome visitors.

How different this year has turned out for everyone; in the end this year we won’t see anyone we were supposed to but others have stepped in to make our journey really awesome. So raising a shot of tequila to all those that have had to postpone till next year and another shot to Kirsty and family who join us next. For Emma, you get two shots all to your self ;-) for the upcoming trip to Dubrovnik.