Something weird happened the other day. Well, maybe not weird to other people, certainly not weird to other cruisers or even people who enjoy relaxing… Mark and I were still in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou, with no friends around and not too many obligations. We couldn’t start any new boat projects, because if something would break during the process or if we’d find another problem, we’d be in trouble, since there were no marine or hardware stores around. I started a schedule of writing in the morning and errands or relaxing in the afternoon, if possible. Of course, on a boat there is always something to do, so the relaxing part, we saved for the weekends.
We sailed Irie to Anse La Roche, our favorite anchorage in Carriacou,. No other boats were there, just a few tourists on the pretty, building-free beach and later on some local fishermen who made the long steep walk down from the road to catch dinner. It was “naked time”, a very enjoyable feeling, to just take a shower in the sea without needing bathing suits!
Swimming to the beach, going for a walk and snorkeling around the rocks did require clothes, just in case other weekenders arrived. The coral and the fish weren’t too special, but just being able to have the time to do all these nice things is all we need on a weekend. I even managed to read a whole (thin) book as well and when Monday came around we had that sensation people on shore get: reluctance to leave the peace and the weekend behind and start the work week again.
Two days into that particular work week, after some quick shopping ashore (nope, still no tomatoes, lettuce or yellow bananas, hurrah for avocados in season!), a healthy lunch and doing the dishes, I sat in the cockpit. That’s when that weird feeling came about. I sat there, staring at the surroundings of Tyrrel Bay, with nothing to do! Nothing! I had ran out of chores (temporarily), had sat long enough behind the computer, my eyes were tired, I didn’t want to start a book, because then I HAD to finish it and read every spare moment, and it was way too hot to go for a walk. So, I just sat and relaxed, feeling guilty about doing nothing. Of course, my mind went to all kinds of article ideas and future projects, but still, this was new. It also was not easy, especially when Mark was working behind his computer. By the end of the day, I had a sense of unaccomplishment and unproductiveness. Like with many things: practice makes perfect, so I kept trying this new afternoon occupation of mine.
The second day, I already was better at doing nothing. I could almost get used to this, just a few hours a day, I thought. I always wondered how people could just hang out and sit in their cockpit, but now I understood and experienced what it was like first hand. After two afternoons of this, however, I became pretty anxious and almost “bored”. Me? Bored? Impossible! Is that really what they call this feeling? Wasting away time like this is not exactly my thing and I tend to believe that Mark and I both need some kind of pressure and stress to accomplish things and feel useful. Luckily for us, we have a boat and can just lift anchor when it is time for something different.
It didn’t take long (a nice two hour sail, followed by a quick 5 hour sail the following day and a relaxing and beautiful stop at Ronde Island in between) before we reached the southern coast of Grenada, via its windward side, which kept us sailing the whole way. In Prickly Bay reality set in again with a high speed pace of life. If only the high speed internet would live up to its name as well…. Getting bored, even in the slightest bit, will not be something I have to worry about any time soon!
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