All Is Calm

Finally, there is some calm on the water today in Canet.

Martin and I talked last night about what our next steps are going to be--seeing that everything is up in the air regarding repairs on Amara.  (Still waiting for parts.)  Martin thinks they can still get out of Canet this week.  If that's the case, they are still on track for getting to St. Maarten by month's end.  I have decided that I am going to forgo meeting him in the Canaries and wait until he crosses the Atlantic.  Lily's health is of upmost importance to us right now and we want her to recoup at home and get her back to full recovery before we go island hopping.  We just didn't feel it was the right time for her to cross the Atlantic given that she and I spent the last 5 days at the hospital. I'm a little sad that I won't be doing the crossing, but Martin promises me that I will get the chance to sail the Atlantic next time.   

Since the decision has been made for me to stay a little longer in the states, it is especially hard thinking that Martin and I will go almost 6 weeks before seeing each other (Lily and I plan to meet them in St. Maarten at the end of the month).  We hate even thinking about it, especially when this wasn't according to our original plan.  

So, what do we do in the meantime to get ready for our adventure?  I'll continue to keep shopping here while Martin continues to keep shopping in Canet.  Every night I get a slew of photos from Martin showing me his purchases that he has made at the local "Target".  Our boat is 220V, so anything that needs to be plugged in has to be purchased while in France, since they too run off this voltage.  Martin sends me pictures of toasters, blenders, bread makers, kettles, printers, etc., and I either give my approval and we keep it or I tell him to take it back.  

I, on the other hand, have completely purchased all the bedding for our 4 bedrooms, returned it all and then purchased more.  The unending trips and miles that I have put on my car for such silly items (that seem to be ridiculously important to me) is completely exhausting.  In the end, I purchased it all online.  

Purchasing for a boat is harder than purchasing for a home because things need to be more practical.  While I want to pile on mountains of pillows on to my bed here at home, Martin has given me limits for practicality purposes for the boat.  We plan to be in the tropics for most of our trip, so big comfy, puffy down comforters don't work because feathers attract too much moisture in humid climates, and frankly, they are too warm. There are dishes to buy, silverware to purchase, and pots and pans to consider--it's never ending.  All these things that I have to take account for and I haven't even stepped foot on Amara.  Doing things blindfolded is not my specialty.

On the home front, I got this little one home on Friday.  She is still contagious for a few more days, so no school.  I'm fine with it because I love having her by my side.  She is being a good little patient.

Leaving to go home. 
(Primary Children's hospital)

It's always good to have Martin so close even though he is so far away.  He is always so patient with me on the phone, especially when I get all worked up over something minor, like the right sheets for our beds.  He is a great partner to have and I am so grateful that this adventure will be with him... if we can ever get it started.

Canet At Sunrise

I Loved this picture and comment from our friend Garry who is helping to crew the boat with Martin.

"Some places have beautiful sunsets, Canet has sunrises. I never get tired of seeing the sun as it comes up each morning over our home."  -Garry 

Thank you, Garry for sharing these snippets of beauty in France.  

Ticktock. Ticktock.

I'm still here in Utah dealing with this....

While Martin is still in France working on this...

Life really has a way of throwing a wrench into plans.

Weather is still BAD in France, so Martin will keep his troops working to fix and repair things on the boat and hopefully they can pull Amara out of the harbor next week.

In the meantime, time is ticking away and our timeline is shrinking, but we know we can still pull this off.  Just not as smoothly as we would have liked.

Picture of the Day

Good thing we both aren't afraid of heights!

Plan? What Plan?

Evening at the harbor in Canet.  Yep, Martin is still there.

Remember when I mentioned in an earlier post that Martin said that I needed to start learning to deal with ambiguity?  Oh, and remember when I said that Lily and I were leaving this weekend for the Canary Islands? Well, given the happenings these past two weeks, plans are changing.  Martin is still sitting at the marina in Canet on Amara and little Lily is sick.  So sick that I am sitting here writing this post from her room in the hospital.  Poor thing has Respiratory Syncytial Virus, better known as RSV.

Our little sickie.

Anyway, with Martin still not sailing and me sitting in Lily's hospital room, it is highly unlikely that Lily and I will be going anywhere this weekend.  Plus, if we went, we'd be hanging out in the Canaries for a good 10 days waiting for Martin and Amara to show up at the dock.  So, it's really not Amara's fault and it certainly isn't Lily's either.  Life happens, and sometimes at an escalated level.  Time to regroup and figure out Plan B.

Martin's temporary home.

Martin had some positive things happen regarding Amara's paperwork today but, of course, they are still waiting for a few more parts; but hey, it's only Tuesday.  Martin is sure that they should be able to push out of the marina by Friday.  So, Lily and I are going to sit tight here in Salt Lake and figure out if we should still meet Martin and crew in the Canaries or just let them sail through and we'll meet up with them in St. Maarten at the end of February.

The hard part is that it has already been two weeks since Martin left.  We hate being apart from one another.  Luckily, we can Skype or do FaceTime, but we miss each other.  Another 3 weeks is pushing it for both of us.  In the past, we have been apart from each other for up to 6 weeks, and we have always stay connected via satellite phone, email, texting, etc., but it's hard.  We have never gotten used to it.  Taking this into consideration, I'll see where Lily is health wise this next week and then make a decision.  

Given our immediate setbacks, I know it's all just temporary.  We're still moving forward with our sailing adventure and I am certain that this is all going to come together and be a memory.  Oh, and I'm still trying to deal with that silly word, "Ambiguity."

On the bright side, things are looking up here.

* Marina photos by Garry.  Thanks, Garry!