{"id":2595,"date":"2018-03-28T12:55:10","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T12:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bearfootgypsy.com\/wp\/?p=2595"},"modified":"2018-08-08T11:43:55","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T11:43:55","slug":"journey-to-the-other-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bearfootgypsy.com\/wp\/journey-to-the-other-side\/","title":{"rendered":"Journey to the Other Side"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Meet the crew: [Left to right] Selina, Tiaan, Todd, Lynn, and me.<\/p><\/div>\n

We did it!
\nWe survived four weeks of the blues.
\nAnd while that might sound depressing, I assure you that these blues were pure bliss.<\/p>\n

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After a good fight wrestling the mooring ball for our lines,
\nPapillon sailed out of Saint Helena;
\nleaving the island to shrink in our wake until all we had was the ocean blues and the sky blues and the stars more of an orangey yellow.<\/p>\n

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The five of us [and teddy bear] quickly found our sea legs again and fell back into old routines of keeping watch, keeping awesome, and keeping alive.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to explain how a full month of our lives vanished in the vast vortex of Atlantic; but I\u2019m going to try anyway.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The days drifted like the currents, merging into each other.
\nOn happy days, with following seas, there was yoga, swimming [and sort of surfing] off the transom, bat and ball, lazing in the hammock, and much chill.
\nOn still happy [but far rougher] days of clashing currents, waves, and squalls; everything was done with a hint of trepidation; for even climbing out of bed was tiresome.<\/p>\n

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We had the odd visitor stop in to pay us homage, and some stuck around longer than others.<\/p>\n

Ray [and his pilot entourage] followed us for the better part of a day.<\/p>\n

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Dolphins popped in only a couple of times, but when they did visit, they came in their hundreds!<\/p>\n

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The assortment of feathered friends was quite astounding.
\nWe took on a hitch hiker one day.
\nTwo the next.
\nThe following day bought ten.
\nAt which point we began fending off the free-loaders with guns (well, water pistols), sticks, and catty.<\/p>\n

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The flying fish were always welcomed on board and we made sure to always set a special spot for them at the dinner table.<\/p>\n

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After our first leg, we may have been a bit cocky, for when it came to fishing, we were rather more successful at having our lures bitten off and lines snapped or tangled in seaweed.
\nFortunately seaweed soup was a winner.<\/p>\n

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As was saltwater bread.
\nIn fact, everything born in the galley was amazing!<\/p>\n

And as awesome as it is to sail with a crew who share my affinity for chili and spice, seldom a meal passes in which there isn\u2019t some sort of cayenne pepper injury to an unsuspecting crew member sat downwind of you; normally to the eye.<\/p>\n

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While we may have been out of beer, Saint Patrick\u2019s Day bought with it the perfect opportunity to test our home brew.
\nIt also bought hours of Irish tunes and celebrations, which attracted both dolphins and bill fish.
\nWould you believe it ended with champagne?
\nNo Saint Paddy\u2019s Day ever ends with champagne.<\/p>\n

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The seas may have been rough and the skies ominous for the occasion, but we made sure to pay tribute to Neptune as we crossed the equator into the Northern Hemisphere.<\/p>\n

With a broken water maker, the threat of fresh water showers from encroaching squalls, had all of us sitting on the deck, soap in hand, waiting.
\nFor hours. In vain.
\nThe second and third efforts were similar [with Todd being closely compared to that \u201cwolf\u201d boy].
\nWhen they finally came, we relished them, and lathered up, and washed our hair, and danced and cleaned the boat and it was amazing!
\nBut they kept coming.
\nAnd the novelty wore off.
\nAnd the boat began to leak.
\nAnd beds got wet and heads got flooded.<\/p>\n

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The countdown began:
\n3000 miles, 2000. 500. 444. 333. 222.
\nEach a cause for serious celebration!<\/p>\n

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Quite dramatically our world of blue turned green.
\nFirst the water.
\nAnd then the \u201cwalls\u201d and the sky too as we entered the rainforest and chugged up the Suriname River.
\nThe last 15 miles.<\/p>\n

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3910 miles later;
\n28 days 6 hours and 33 minutes
\nWe arrived in Saint-Laurent du Maroni, French Guyana.<\/p>\n

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