Robin, from Rafiki, told me once that when
they left for the trip, they thought it would be all about the amazing places
they were going to see and the beautiful beaches they were going to visit, but
to his surprise, the most memorable experiences he'd had were with fellow
cruisers.
I couldn't agree more.
Don't get me wrong, We have seen some
amazing places, and some great beaches, no doubt about that. But the
friendships we found, and the brotherhood (not to mention the sisterhood :) was
unlike anything else.
A few weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday,
again... the first second birthday on the trip ( feel free to re-read this
line)
First we went to the post office to pick
up some mail. My friend Haim from back home has sent and then resent a package
of books for us and it arrived right on my birthday! Haim and Gili, you're the
best!
We never know what our birthdays are going
to be like and can only hope to be able to celebrate them among friends. This
year I feel extra lucky. We have managed to set up a rendezvous with 3 boats
who've been with us since Grenada: Rafiki, With Ingrid and Robin, and Kathrine
and Alex, 4 coconuts with Toutou and Dave, Maia and Tyler, and the amazing
Endless Pleasure with Tim and Stephany, once our next door neighbors up in the
Rhode Island marina and now running one of the greatest charter boats in the
BVI.
Tim and Steph were kind enough to host the
birthday bash (thank guys! and happy birthday Steph! Wish we were there) Ingrid
made a domino shaped cake, a tribute to long nights of Rum and Dominos played
together, and the kids had a blast playing together in and out of the water.
The official birthday party was also an
un-official farewell party for us, as we were getting ready to start our way
west towards Puerto Rico and then up to the Bahamas.
In the months we've spent together,
sailing along side, on and off, we have become one big happy family.
Saying goodbye was not easy. We miss you
guys!
When we got back to
Puerto Rico we had a great reunion with Ciro, Laura and Catalina, and were
lucky enough to celebrate with them on Catalina's birthday. Happy Birhday,
dear!
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The Malatrasis even came
to see us further south, when we were Anchored in Ponce! It was so great!
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We also had a surprise
reunion in San Juan with our Friends, the Rabinoviches from Boston who were on
a cruise which happened to stop in San Juan just when we were there! a nice
reminder to how cold it is back home and what a good thing we did to escape :)
In PR we also ran into
Fata Morgana, whom we've met in Grenada. These guys have decided to go
completely 'off the grid', sold their dinghy, and are now moving around in a
kayak. They don't use their engines unless it's an emergency, and if the wind
dies, Ivo takes out the kayak and tows the big boat. Talk about being self
sufficient!
And so we have realized
that from each of our new friends we have learned something.
We sometimes "Do a
Kevin" and raise our Anchor by hand, As Kevin from Lucky 7 always did,
When I get on a bus, I
now, like Molly always does, greet everyone 'good morning', or 'good afternoon'When we refrain from
starting our engines we are "Ivo-ing" and when we are lucky enough to
find the right produce, we make our selves a "Salad-de-Toutou"...These things, and
others, and the kind spirit is with us, even after saying goodbye.
Winnie the Pooh (A.A
Millen) said it right: 'How
lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.'
Fair
winds my friends!
May
we meet again!
Next
stop: Bahamas! stay tuned