africa blog: A NEW ADVENTURE - OFF TO BRAZIL

A NEW ADVENTURE - OFF TO BRAZIL

it's kinda crazy. i could be gone for a year! A six-week sail up from Joao Pessoa, Brazil to Trinidad/Tobago 'til Christmas, then 6 weeks in the States for christmas/new years, then possibly back on 'New Dawn' from Jan to sail up the Caribbean then cross the pond in May, then sail the Med to Turkey and back to south of France until Sept. back in Cape Town next October? if all goes well with my skipper, it's possible i'm sailing for a while!

tomorrow i fly to Angola (never been) then fly to a continent i've never been to (South America), to Brazil (never been), to a boat i've never seen with a capt i've never met, all on a one-way ticket with no time line. and no planned return. that's exciting.

the other thing that's exciting is the notion that i am off the clock, off grid, no deadlines to meet, nothing in life i have to achieve, out of the rat race, in the nature, and just cruising. a day at a time. take it all as it comes. and hope to be a useful crew member and a decent enough cook. all with a captain i met on a facebook group page of 'skippers looking for crew'. incredibly random and somehow divine. seriously hoping we like each other because i can learn so much from him and he has a beautiful boat... a 53' Hallberg-Rassy.
https://www.hallberg-rassy.com

so that's the next step for this COTW. and hopefully lots of new pics and stories for the ddm blog! not the mundane coffee shops in cape town!

i am so blessed to have an open-ended sailing adventure and to be able to just take off. very fortunate indeed. and to be off-grid should be a welcome break. (i don't know, can any of us live with internet anymore?)

i'll bring my router and buy some local data when i can and try to continue my monthly blog or even biweekly blogs with lots of new pics and new experiences. or not. i don't know! take it as it comes and enjoy the ride. stop "doing" and try "being" present and enjoy the moment. chill. relax. breathe. repeat.

i love a one-way ticket. i love no time line. i love lots of ocean out there.

will i want my own boat after this? be content crewing for others? will i crew for Capt. Paul for a year? longer than a year? will i ever make it to Tahiti?

what will it be like to cross the pond? my first big storm? first big seas? who will i meet? where will i go? what will i see? very exciting!

so that's the update. i'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when i'll be back again. i did get my Permanent Residency Permit application into Home Affairs before i left and should hear in 8-12 months if ZA will be my home for the long haul. in the meantime, all my ducks are in a row, i can lock up K-04 and walk away for a spell. taking as little as possible but enough to survive for a year. and we'll see where i end up.

it could all go pear-shaped and i'm home in a week. or it could all go swimmingly and i'm home in a year. i could meet someone and take another year. or calamity may strike and i never return home.

i'm lucky to be living the thrill of life, the thrill of the unknown. and that is adventure, isn't it? doing something you've never done before... on whatever scale you're able to do it. i'm excited to see what this blog may produce. and live and experience and share an adventure you may not be able to do yourself.

so, more to come as soon as i am able and when i have some stories to tell. i will bring you all with me in my heart and know that you all make it fun to share. we're in this together!

until next time...

ddm