In closing...

Photo by Norma Cavanaugh

I think someone asked me early on what my objectives or goals were for this trip. If you remember what I wrote at the beginning, it shouldn't surprise you to know that I just wanted to make it from beginning to end without abandoning Wayne.

As for the concerns I expressed about the trip at the beginning of this blog:

1) Fear - There were only a couple times when I felt that our safety was in jeopardy; I was more concerned about the boat crashing into a dock or hitting a bridge. I really did feel a sense of peace that could only have come from the Holy Spirit's presence. Of course, Wayne's caution and skill at navigation, piloting the boat, docking, etc. cannot be overstated. I was very impressed by that.

2) I did very well on the trip and never entertained the thought of flying home. I became more of an asset to Wayne as time and experience gave me confidence and skill.

3) I still don’t have a passion for sailing, but I do love to travel on the boat, visit new places, and spend time outdoors, so I enjoyed all the places we visited and sights we saw. And yes, I even enjoyed the sailing...tremendously.

4) It was a long trip and I wouldn't have wanted it to be any longer. Yes, I missed my land life, but this experience was worth giving it up for 109 days.

5) Communication was seldom an issue. We were pleasantly surprised to have cell phone service probably 90% of the time. We had the satellite phone for backup, but didn't need it much, and we never went more than a few days without having internet service available.

6) Although there were some lonely times, we were blessed with visits from family and friends along the way. Traveling with Claus and Rachael came at a time that would have otherwise been the loneliest, as we were in remote areas. The blog and email were lifelines for me.

7) Wayne and I did just fine with so much togetherness; we both put a lot of effort into making it work and we got along very well. In fact, in response to the many people who asked, it was actually good for our relationship. Hmm...maybe this retirement thing won't be so bad after all.

The only thing we might have done differently would have been to do the trip in segments, an option that never occurred to us at the time. It would have made for a much more leisurely trip, but we probably would have done it the way we did anyway.

Because I had so many concerns about doing this trip, the fact that I did it is so much sweeter...a personal victory of sorts. It reminds me of the huge feat of overcoming my fear of water to get my scuba diving certification and going 100 feet deep when I had no intention of going deeper than 20 feet.

So there you have it. And here I end it. I expected to be seeking out a 12 Steps group for recovering bloggers, but it doesn't look like I'll have a problem. Although there will probably be be other blogs for me in the future, it's sad to say good-bye - I miss you already. The Lena Bea blog has been a vital link to you, a creative outlet for me, and a memoir of our trip, but this chapter is now complete. Thanks for reading.