Sailing Positive Waves

Yet again we find ourselves in a waiting game. Waiting for Hans to finish work, waiting for favorable weather and winds, waiting to start cruising again. After a two-week skiing hiatus with friends in Colorado (amazing, epic, outstanding, insert all the other superlatives), we returned to the boat in Lagos and made a quick trip to Gibraltar where we would stage for our entry into the Mediterranean Sea. We arrived in Gibraltar a couple days before my mom flew in for her annual birthday visit and Hans left a week later for his regular two week work trip. We've been in Gibraltar for a little over three weeks now and are itching to leave. Gibraltar is fine, but the clear waters and island-hopping freedom of the Mediterranean beckon. First, sailing through the straits of Gibraltar. It was, indeed, legendary and lived up to my expectations. At the narrowest point, the strait is only 14 miles across and is marked on either side by the Pillars of Hercules --massive land forms on the north ...

Not sailing but still exploring seems to be our current theme since November. We arrived in Lagos, Portugal toward the end of November for an indefinite stay, but we estimated we'd leave after the holidays. It's late February and we're still in Lagos, going on 3 months now. That is not a long period of time, especially when we also factor in holidays, work, and winter weather, but sitting still at a marina is not my favorite way to spend my time. I feel stagnant, like I'm stuck in a rut. We're supposed to be cruising, right? But instead we're just sitting still, getting used to unlimited water and power all while accumulating growth on the hull. So it's been a good exercise for me to look through some photos and see what has actually been keeping us occupied. We've been busy, and even though the boat is stuck at the dock, we're still exploring. We officially start the Christmas season on December 1st when I pull out the decorations. From that point...