Muffling the Deafening Disappointment

I have decided to try to quiet the deafening disappointment by spending some time in Australia. I'll be flying to Sydney on miles my sister Marcie surrendered so generously. After spending some time with her there, I'll visit friends in Sydney, Heathcoate, Burmagui, and almost anywhere I can find them.
After that it's a bit of a mystery. I have my heart set on some sailing in the Whitsunday's, but don't want to get my hopes up too high! There is a slight chance that my old friends in Bermagui can convince the young man who bought their Bluebird that he should loan it to me for a while. He keeps it up in the Whitsundays somewhere, so you never know...
Meanwhile, there's been no Steve sightings, and I haven't spoken to him since I finally told him that I would not sail with him even if he does quit his job. It is coming up on the spring sailing season in Annapolis. I'm hoping to get on the Bay before I hit Sydney Harbour. I wonder if they tie their bowlines upside down there?

Whether Lesson: Tropical Depressions

It is no longer a question of "whether" I am going to sea with Steve or not. I told him today that I would not go with him, though he still seems to think that he can get that year off from work.

I have passed through the denial and anger phases and am now being kicked around by a tropical depression. Tropical depressions are precursors of hurricanes or cyclones (depending on your position north or south of the equator).

So, today's whether or not lesson is this: If you find yourself in a depression (tropical or otherwise) go to sea where it's safe (i.e. no land or reefs to run into) .

Rescuers Lament

Voyeurs and voyagers alike have been calling and writing to console me and offer such things as dinners out, weekends on the Bay, and promises of circumnavigations down stream. I'm thinking a circumcision may be in order, but I understand that that is rather illegal. Have to think about my Capt. License after all.
Capt. Dennis Daniels called to lift my spirits, or just to check that the one I had hadn't died altogether. I was all set to go to Buffalo to take his celestial navigation course, but Capt. D . suggested I wait till I actually had plans to go somewhere, in deference to the "use it or lose it" rule.
Meanwhile, I have a huge metaphor growing in the middle of my back. It's an itch that I just can't scratch. I need saving. Or, perhaps salving. I am not sure which.

Anyone have any frequent flyer points?

That Sinking Feeling

It is pretty clear now that the ocean voyage is a no-go. This is a huge disappointment for everyone involved.
What's next? Personally I am looking into other options. I've come up with three so far:
1. Cruise the Caribbean for a month or so (bareboat charter)
2. Sign on to a voyage already, or soon-to-be in progress
3. Visit friends south of Sydney and then cruise the Great Barrier Reef (bareboat charter)
Then there's always the alternative: stay put and get a job.
Is anyone having any difficulty deciding between any one of the listed options and the alternative?
Thought not.
Stay tuned...

Ocean Voyage Suffers a Knock-Down While Boat is Still at the Dock

On Thursday, March 1, 2007 Steve's boss denied him the year off that he had anticipated for the circumnavigation. That's about as big a knock-down as they come, and as a result my own timbers are shivering.
Steve now must make the choice between abandoning the voyage or abandoning his job. While normally a no-brainer for those of us without dependents, Steve's situation calls for a bit more thought. If he does quit the job, he thinks he can be at sea for 18 months. So now I am re-routing for an 18-month jaunt beginning in May, or one beginning in October/November. Two years would be ideal.
Meanwhile we've had help from John Yanich, uber-racer, with radar and telecommunications, and from Ed Tanzer, uber-cruiser, with the SSB. Looks like Tad's Icom 710 works just fine, though John recommends using a sat phone hookup instead (or as well). Ed will come back another time to program some Caribbean channels. The Pactor modem is en route from the eBay seller, so we'll be able to hook that up as well. Trouble is, we still don't have Tad's laptop. This is like trying to get a wx fax or email by hooking up your car radio to your old dial-up modem. It may look cool, but without the computer and software, you're not going to get much more than what comes out of your AM frequencies. Imagine a whole 18 months listening to radio evangelists.