5 days out and chilled

This is what life is about!

I made it a goal of mine over five years ago to own a yacht and live on it not as a weekend toy but a home on the water, one
that you could follow the summer with or at least take where you wanted it to be.
Up until January this year I had got as far as a vision board.I was granted a 2 month sabbatical by my company and suddenly
found myself doing a sailing course which I thought would take me a little down the path of understanding this way of life.
While on my course I had to fly to Durban to crew a yacht back to Cape Town.I fly a lot in my job and always ask for and
isle seat in an emergeny exit. I dont normally promote conversation with the person sitting next to me but on this occasion
the person sitting in the window seat, seeing me reading a sailing almanac simply said,"You on a sailing course"? I affirmed
that I was and he then said "Howsit I am Paul, a delivery skipper, on way back home from a trip to New Zealand"
Obviously this got the conversation going so much so that we covered every subject from religion to relationships,kids and a
bit of sailing.
The flight seemed over in 15 minutes and we left the plane with each others business cards.
I finished my course and out of the blue came a mail from Paul inviting me to crew for him to Tortola. I must admit that
besides the fact that I had only been home and back at work for a week the thought of 6000 nautical miles in plus minus 6
weeks frightened the hell out of me.
I bounced it off Miek's and the family and everyone said go for it, so here I am.
Miekie and l live in our home above Knysna, at the top of Queen Street with the forest behind us and the view in front.She
is a majic little woman that came into my life about seven years ago. We held a committment ceremony on the rocks at Roberg
some four years ago and regulary enjoy a bottle of champagne with two dozen oysters on the beach. She doesn't like sailing,
but I am working on it.
My claim to fame are my four kids who I have had the pleasure of working with for the last sixteen years and hopefully can
maintain with this sailing bug.These bods are first and foremost my friends so long may they be prepared to put up with me.
My eldest daughter has just turned 40, one of my grandsons is almost 17 and I turn 48 this year. If you battle with these
numbers read Deepac Chopras "Live longer and grow younger". Stuart Wilde will get you going if Deepac doesn't,try his book
"Infinite Self" or maybe for the not so big readers try "Magic" or "The Force".
If you dont have time to read phone Ocean Sailing Acadamy in Cape Town speak to any one of the magic people there, do a Day
Skipper course,look for a delivery skipper ( make sure you chat to the next person you sit next to on a plane)and ask him to
take you anywhere its warm.
You will read and you will learn how to live in the moment,no cell phones,very expensive SAT phone, lots and lots of sea,
sometimes friendly and sometimes not,wind, birds,fish, dolphin and whales.
My good friend Russ conned a phrase for me many years back, when ever you looked chuffed with yourself, he would say,"So you
think you are on your fathers yacht". This experience gives new meaning to those words.
What a great privalage this is, thank you the Universe, thank you Paul,thanks Robertson and Caine for the Leopard 46 and
thank you Gareth for being with us.

Catch you soon.

Mal

PS Apologies for the spelling- No spell check on this program and a very small Oxford dictionary(2.5 readers fail to deliver
clear vision)