August 11 -30, 2022
(Posted November 5)
Some of us cruisers are slow to get going again after completing a passage to a new place, while others seem to hit the ground running, not missing a beat before heading off to explore the new country. Rich and I are definitely in the slow-to-move category as, when arriving in unfamiliar territory, we go through a process of re-entry.
Basically for us, making a passage is a bit like The Wizard of Oz, specifically Dorothy’s house getting picked up by the tornado and landing in a different world, filmed in living color, to convey how things vividly come to life when everything around us is strange and new.
The air feels different, and the culture, pace, and natural features are unfamiliar. With so much new information to process, especially after being in a small space for days or weeks, we find we need a re- adjustment period, time to settle and blend in with the life energy of our new home.
Initially, we need to recover physically. Passages can take a toll, especially when they’ve been uncomfortable. We arrive short on sleep and energy, often landsick for a day or so, our brains foggy (what we refer to as “passage brain”). Sometimes we’re overwhelmed and intimidated—me because there’s so much to figure out and Rich because something always needs fixing or maintaining (which means troubleshooting, procuring materials/parts, and doing repairs). And of course being low on energy makes everything seem more difficult. In all, we generally need to take time to get back on our feet.
Aside from physically recovering from a passage, there is a longer period of Assessment. As Legacy’s tour and travel director, I need to wrap my head around a place before I can hash out some plans. Generally I do research before we arrive, but there’s nothing like being in a place to gain an understanding of weather patterns, distances, places to see on land as well as by sea, provisioning options, etc.
Of course, one of the ways we learn is by talking to the locals and other cruisers, but as I remind Rich, take some things with a grain of salt as we always encounter misinformation—it never fails! I generally recognize it as such because it usually comes in the form of some sweeping generalization as to why we can’t do something we plan to do. Thankfully the internet can be a great help here; such as looking at historical weather information (very helpful recently, in fact).
And so we research, we listen, we watch, and we double-check. Cruising an area often turns out to be a skill that must be learned, as there are things not covered in guidebooks. Of course sometimes it’s hard, watching other yachties come and go, to not feel pressured to get moving. But actually taking off can be unnerving, too. In a way it’s like timing a jump onto a moving platform. And then no matter how much we’ve learned, there are some things we simply have to learn by doing.
As for our first day in a new place, we like to kick things off with a festive meal at a restaurant. In this case, after getting some recommendations from the marina office, we decided on the Gladstone Yacht Club, about a 15-minute walk from the marina. This gave us a chance to walk through the beautiful park, then over a bridge into the outskirts of town where the yacht club sat overlooking a waterway. Yep, nice drinks, great food, and a water view were just the ticket. Below, a few photos from our walk and the yacht club (click on any photo to enlarge) . . .
–Cyndi
