Sailing on a Shoestring

For each and every one of us, with each passing day, time becomes more valuable. Yesterday’s adventures are just that; they are over. To create something new is a desire most of us experience eventually. To act on these desires is a natural force for some, only a distant dream and a 20-year plan for others. They say that timing is everything and I agree, sort of. The problem is that it’s almost never the right time. So I jumped in blindfolded and head first. My freefall took me many places, eventually landing in the cockpit of Ooku. With a little luck I will have a home right across from her within the next few weeks. This also comes with a part-time job that will keep me up to my elbows in paint, varnish, and my most sacred commodity: free time.

Yes, the wind is free but harnessing it will take a few freedom chips. We were building bikes for a circumnavigation of Iceland in the spring followed by a month in Mallorca. Bikes and travel are cheap comparatively. Kim-Chi put the kibosh on every single boat we looked at. Then this old girl sailed into our lives and we were done. Change is a good thing and easy if you have an open mind. I am now one step closer to my dream of moving back to Hawaii for the winters and slowly exploring the Salish during the warmer summer months. I’ve been out of work for 18 wonderful months. If you are curious, resort management is my trade. I also almost have my toe in the door of doing this part-time in Hawaii. I love everything about resort living.

We still haven’t figured out where we will put the Bromptons but we have space. The boat will slowly be filled one bottle, one can, one bag of beans at a time until she is full. One of my favorite parts of having a boat is that I can travel as often as I like while always having the comforts of home patiently waiting for me. I guess I could go on about this forever but my uke is calling my name.

There’s no ego when you’re a ukulele player. – Jake Shimabukuro