Every passage ends with the first sighting of your destination and the satisfaction of traveling from A to B. There is the excitement of arriving and exploring new lands or the joy of returning to familiar places and old friends. Dreaming, planning, worrying, setting off, and arriving are part of every passage, large or small.
Our first Nordhavn “passage” was aboard our N40, Kiva in October of 2001. We will never forget the thrill and satisfaction of departing Dana Point, CA and arriving at Catalina Island. We did it – “26 miles across the sea, Santa Catalina is waiting for me”. 10 years, 45,000 nautical miles, and countless passages, large and small, the thrill of sighting land never goes away.
2012 is bringing new goals, new destinations, and new adventures. During April – July we will travel the north coast of Australia from Brisbane to Darwin exploring the Great Barrier Reef. In late July, we join the Indonesian Rally and will spend 3 months wandering north through Indonesia and on to Malaysia. New cultures, new lands, new friends, and numerous landfalls await. But, this year these passages are different.
Land ho! Yes, we have sighted land and it’s in Utah. 2012 will be our last year at sea. Our beloved Nordhavns have taken us places we never imagined and given us countless new experiences. Bear moved aboard Kiva when he was 3 months old and has known “the boat” as home. In November we will have spent most of 11 years as ‘live aboards”. When we left Dana Point our goal was to cruise until we were done. We didn’t know how long or how far that would be, but now we know.
Park City, Utah will become our new home. We have purchased a wonderful house, moved in, and are getting it ready for our return late this year. Bear has visited and enrolled in a real school, met with the coaches of the Park City Ski Team, and we are finding our way around town. We are excited about our new life, new home, and new community.
But, first ……… 5,000 nautical miles and amazing adventures await.
E.
