Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Pulling Up to the Rock

Martin and our trusted captain, Patrice.
Martin and his crew should just be pulling into Gibraltar as I type this.  I just got off the phone with Martin and he was starting his watch.  Each crew member (there are 3 of them) are taking 4-hour shifts.  Martin's shifts are from 10-2 in the evening and 10-2 in the afternoon.  We had a good talk and it is always nice to get connected with him even though we are going on 4 weeks without being with each other.  It really is so hard and I can't believe that it will be another month until I see him.  This was not part of the bargain, and I am really not happy about us being apart for so long.  Okay, okay, I'll stop my complaining, you've all read this before.
Martin said that the weather has been chilly and windy.  They have been mostly motoring Amara because they are trying to make up for lost time.  The wind is not in their favor and they need to get through the strait of Gibraltar before the weather kicks up again.  They have been going at an average 9 knots so far.
Our mate, Garry.
********************
Boat Tour!

A lot of people have requested some photos of Amara.  Well, since I'm not there, I couldn't take actual photos of Amara and Martin and team are a little busy at the moment.  So, I thought I would post some photos that I grabbed off the internet, as well as some photos of a Lagoon 560 that I took at an actual boat show in Cannes, France this fall.
Amara's Layout -- 4 Cabin Version
Back deck.  Taken at a boat show.  
I grabbed this off the internet.  
This is what Amara looks like on the water 
(Minus all the people hanging out in the water.)
This is what our salon looks like, but our
cushions are a brown leather instead of white.

The top deck (fly bridge).
The top deck behind the Captain's chair.
Amara has four state rooms.  This is the owner's cabin.
Meaning, this will be my home for the next year or so.
This is another VIP cabin.  Basically, this is
what the remaining two bedrooms look like as well.
Each bedroom has it's own bathroom (head).
This is similar to our dinghy/tender.
The swim platform lifts and lowers
the tender into the water.  
Part of the back deck.  A place I will be
found for a lot of the trip. 
So there, that gives you an idea of what Amara looks like.  As soon as I get on the boat and get all her bedding on, pillows put away in pillow cases and plates and silverware aligned in their proper drawers, I'll do a video and give you the grand tour.  Until then, I hope this gives you a better idea of what our beautiful Amara looks like.

Monday, February 18, 2013

On the Move


Garry sent this photo to me this evening of Amara at sunset.  I can't wait to finally be able to share these kinds of sunsets with Martin on Amara.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Au Revoir, France!

Leaving Canet
Great news! Yesterday, Martin and his crew finally left Canet, France and are now docked in Mallorca, Spain.

On Friday, Martin threw a party at the marina for all the individuals that helped get Amara up and running and on Saturday he and his crew set sail for Gibralter.

I spoke to Martin this morning and he sounded tired, elated and little overwhelmed.  Sailing a vessel this large comes with it's headaches.  Martin felt a little "in over his head" with all the controls, mechanics and running parts of Amara.  He expressed his gratitude to me on the phone that he is so glad to have Patrice, our captain, there to help to figure out how everything works.  Nonetheless, they are on their way!  For me, it means that they are one day closer to seeing Lily and me.

Goodbye, France.
Can you see the excitement in Martin's face?
...and it's official, Amara is ALL OURS!

Let's get this party started!

Sunday, February 10, 2013

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.

Friday, February 8, 2013

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.