Cruising Friends and High Places

For me, what makes cruising the most awesome isn't all the amazing places we've seen (though they are pretty awesome). It's the people we've met, especially the other cruisers who've quickly become lifelong friends. I imagine the cruising community is a bit like the old wagon train days, where we circle together for not only for protection, part of what makes us human even as we "get away from it all" is the desire and even need to bond. Those bonds run deep.

As our paths diverge, we never know if or when or where we'll meet again.  

When we do reconnect in person, it is a joyous occasion. We are birds of a feather, whose fancies of flight don't quite fit with the other flocks.

We break bread together, swap stories of shared reminiscences, subsequent adventures ahead.  We ponder the ways of the world and our own personal triumphs and challenges, often the families who brought us to a home that no longer feels like a home.  We belong to our boats, the water, the world.

Chris and Chris of Scintilla at Frazer Island, Australia, finally giving me a chance to return the favor of the drinks
they bought Wayne and me in Vanuatu.

Our friends Chris(tina) and Chris(toher) of Scintilla are the cruising friends thus far we've seen the most since we sold our sailboat Journey in Australia.  They graciously hosted us in Australia aboard their boat, on our very first night of boatlessness. We were happy to host them in our apartment in Pacific Northwest. We met in Florida several times. Sometimes we've only had time for a meal, in some halfway point on our separate travels. Other times we again were graciously hosted aboard the good ship Scintilla.

Given all that, I was delighted to help out when they admitted a little help on their mast would be welcome. WIth Chris(tina)'s iPad footage and my stills, you can get a sense of what scaling a mast is like if you've watched the video embedded in this post and why I was more than happy to do it.

I firmly believe our paths will continue to cross as we continue on our journeys across the earth and through life. We look forward to that.

Zoom-in view of Chris and Chris (aka C2) and Wayne aboard C2's boat, Scintilla
taken looking down from their mast in Fort Meyers, FL.

Location Location
We are in "Space Coast" on Florida's Atlantic side for another month or so; then move back aboard our boat in Portland Oregon. However, I scaled Scintilla's mast in Gulf Harbor Marina, Fort Meyers, the Gulf side of Florida, N 26° 32.140' / W 081° 56.280' .