Q: Dear Concussed Couple - So what was Beth's "go to" word when she smacked her head on the bimini? Oh, and can you show us a picture of the bimini because we really weren't able to picture it? Thanks, Nearly Everyone Who Read Your Blog.
A: Great question, Nearly Everyone! I'm afraid that, much like kissing and telling, I am not allowed to give out her "go to" sailor slang for the deadly blue assassin known as the #@$%@% bimini. Beth is a southern lady, you know. However, I can definitely provide you all with a better picture of our tormentor, the blue canvas of pain better known as the bimini. Here's a picture of it:
The bimini is the blue canvas cover above the cockpit area. The cockpit area is a step below everything else around the deck so, in this picture, you can see that Beth's shins adn feet are not shown. That's because the cockpit area is sunken down beneath the helm (steering wheel). See the metal pipes that are above her head that support the blue cover? They really do hurt like a #@$$#@@!er when you step up from the cockpit to the helm!
Q: Dear Captains (and may we call you captains?) - Why did you choose the Offshore Sailing School?
A: I believe to truly be called a captain, you have to pass a US Coast Guard test if I'm not mistaken. But, if we are behind the wheel of your boat, we'll respond to being called "captain" or most anything else - especially if you have an extra beverage in your hand for us! As for choosing the Colgate Offshore Sailing School, Beth's sales job takes her into different doctor's offices and one of the docs is an avid sailor. He highly recommended the Colgate school and said if we were going to do it then we should do it right! Previously, Beth and I passed the ASA 101 and 103 (ASA is a sailing institution akin to US Sailing) courses from a freelance guy and, while we saved a bunch of money by going that route, we really didn't feel as though we received the thorough and professional instruction that we needed. The ocean and mother nature are to be respected, if not feared, so we took our certifications very seriously and sought the best and most thorough (and professional) class we could take. Sure Colgate's course costs a little more money but it was more than worth it in the end. The instruction was outstanding and the class was top notch! Now we, too, would highly recommend and encourage anyone wanting to follow in our footsteps to use the Offshore Sailing School for your classes (so long as they are not in the June, July and August time frame)!
Q: Was it awesome being out there on the boat?
A: Without a doubt. Better than you can even imagine. I love the freedom. I love the lifestyle. I love the exploring - either by catamaran or by dinghy. Exploring islands, seeing dolphins, emerald green waters and sandy beaches - that was a blast and I don't know when that would ever get tiresome. Raising the sails, tacking, and jibing are all pretty straightforward so performing these tasks was not taxing in the least. There's a tremendous feeling that overwhelms you when it's just you, the boat and mother nature pushing you along the water. I'd say the only things that were rough were the small hand pump toilets and being bathed in your own sweat after your fourth docking practice. Typically, you only dock once a day (or less if you are living on the hook) so I think that part shouldn't be a big deal, right? Anyway, the trip was awesome and we both feel it was even better (the trip and the class) than we ever possibly imagined it would be!
Q: Ok, so what's next for you two?
A: Ahh yes. That's a great question! We have a license to bareboat now so it only makes sense for us to find a catamaran somewhere and sail the heck out of it, right? Well, so far it's been VERY tough to find anyone between Gulf Shores and Apalachicola who is willing to bareboat charter a catamaran. There just aren't that many folks who are willing to hand over the keys to a 200+K boat to someone they've never met! What we are really looking for is a place where we can drive to (the Gulf Coast) so that we can take a cat out on a day sail several times during the year just to get out feet wet and gain more experience. After conquering that, the next step would be to do some overnight trips. Then, we want to fly to the BVI's and spend and entire week bareboating a catamaran! But, anyway, first and foremost we need to find something semi-local and sail it several times to build up our confidence. You gotta crawl before you run, right?
Q: Are you kids gonna buy a boat?
A: Ha! Are you kids gonna give us some money? The Anan Cara, the boat we were on, is a 2006 Lagoon 47 catamaran. I just looked up how much a 2005 Lagoon 47 costs. Any guesses how much???? 200? No. 300? Nope. If you said $385,200 then you are right!!!! Now for us, we really are only looking in the 38 foot range but, still, a 38 footer costs between 200K and 250K which is the equivalent of the cost of a nice house! So, until we are ready to live on a cat full time then it really doesn't make any sense for us to buy one - at least not until we win the lottery. By the way - anyone know when the next Powerball is happening?
In closing, the Offshore Sailing School was a tremendous experience that provided a whole new world of opportunities for us to explore. To me, this was an investment in the future and now our future is unlimited! We can now travel anywhere in the world and charter a boat to explore new lands. These new lands can be something as glamorous as the Greek Isles or they can be something as fun, new and simple as Captiva or Sanibel island. It's a whole new way to see the world and we are so excited about the unlimited possibilities we now have in our possession!
So, if you are thinking about doing what we did then we'd both encourage you to go for it! In fact, I'd just close with this: If there is something you want to do - whether it's sailing or some other passion you might have - then I'd simply ask what are you waiting for? Life is too short to sit on your hands and daydream about your passions. I hate to go all Carpe Diem on you but, honestly, what are you waiting for? Get out there! Do your thing! Live your dreams! And, if you fail, at least you can know that you gave it your all, right? No regrets! So, again, what are you waiting for? CARPE DIEM!
So, best of luck to you in all your endeavors - we hope to see you on the water soon!
Stephen and Beth - Captain Extraordinaires
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