Farewell to Turkey

 I guess I don't really believe it just yet! We have actually left Turkey and have landed in Greece - Rhodes Island is our first stop on the long journey 'home'. It feels just like any other weekend so far, it is Sunday and my mind is still filled with work related 'stuff' and I find it strange that I don't have a phone that I am checking every 2 minutes, or a computer with skype that is making noise - calling me to respond. I am still feeling the pressure though - I imagine that will take a little longer to let go of! Sort of restless and uncomfortable- like I am between worlds. Not quite left the work world and not quite arrived in the cruising world.

 But the adventure of sailing back to Canada is slowly going to take shape.  We have an excellent trip planned with many family and friends joining us along the way. First up is my sister Barb and a friend from 'The lake' - Ellen - who will be with us until mid-November - all the way out of the Med to Morocco. So we are starting off slowly, cleaning, provisioning and just getting ourselves into the sailing frame of mind. Cress has been here for the past 2 weeks already getting Conversations' prepared, so much has already been done.

 In many respects I feel that I am already 'home' - just being on the boat. Cress and I have all the comforts we need and we love being in nature and being self-sufficient and having the freedom to 'boldly go' where ever we want to go! The route we have chosen takes us from Turkey to Greece, then Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, Balearics, Gibraltar, Spain, Morocco, Canary Islands, Caribbean, ABC (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao) Islands, San Blas Islands, Panama Canal, Galapagos, Hawaii and finally Vancouver. We expect to get to Vancouver sometime in June - almost exactly 10 years after we left there in 2005.

But that is just the plan! Who knows what will happen along the way! We try not to get too attached to 'plans' - they have a way of changing on you when you least expect it. And that's ok - we will be open to anything that comes our way. The one thing Cress and I do well together is this. We support each other, we allow one another to do what we are good at, we respect each others' talents and limitations and we both get enjoyment from sharing our experience with our friends and family.  This is what we have, this is who we are - it is our gift and we intend to keep sharing it as long as we possibly can!

Out for now
Irena