Category: Adventures without Angelique

As the sun comes up over the horizon, through the mixed light and dark clouds, it warms up the earth. It pokes out through the small cracks of the clouds showing its sunny face slowly. There is a bit of pink this morning and it radiates across the sky to hit more than you would expect. With the vast ocean it looks like it can hit the far side of the earth with its color and glow “It’s another perfect morning” on Tango. Janet and I sit giving watch over the morning, the wind, waves, and the sails. Making sure that the morning continues to be bright. Everything feels fresh and new again as it does most mornings. The ocean has more colors of blue then you can even imagine, as the waves hit the hull of the boat and runs away with a bit of a swishing sound. It also causes the tips of the waves to have a bit of foam that has a very light sizzling sound as it runs away.

The sails are out, and we are making good time, but we worry a bit about the dark clouds, hoping the rain and storm stays away. I enjoy the morning watch, not only because of the awakening of the earth but the view across the ocean is just amazing with the dark sky turning into a bright new day.

Each day on this journey is kind of like groundhogs day….. over and over again, the same routine with our watch schedules, food, and a few adjustments as needed. You really forget what day it is. We are lucky that just before leaving, John and Janet decided to get Starlink internet, and we had internet service across the whole ocean. I’m not sure Starlink liked that we were using it for sea travel, oh well. We just needed to be cautious how much data we were using.

There are a lot of other things that we need to be careful and cautious about using and some uniqueness about sailboats… here are some examples….

1. Fresh water  – The boat is equipped with a desalinator water maker on board, What is it? – water maker converts seawater into fresh water through a process known as reverse osmosis (RO). A high-pressure pump pushes seawater through a semi-permeable membrane that filters out salt, organics, and bacteria. The fresh water is pumped into the water tanks while the remaining brine bi-product is discharged over the side of the boat, back into the ocean. Benefit –  fresh water the whole trip Drawback – cost and maintenance of the desalinator, fuel for the generator to power up the desalinator and you can only have as much fresh water as the water tank holds. Fresh water was very limited and used very carefully.
2. Showers – What’s a shower??? OK we did use a limited amount of fresh water for showers. They were done on the back deck with your feet in a bucket (explained on #3) you had a bench to sit on (very rocky boat) you had a shower head hose that you rinse yourself off, soap yourself up and rinse yourself off. We only took them every 4-6 day. Yes, we all smelled ripe!
3. Laundry – Your dirty clothes were washed in fresh water with detergent, but it was mostly water from your shower. You could add in more water, soak, scrub and hang the clothes to dry. Again, only done when needed. You also wear the same clothes for as many days as you can stand. Helping with that awesome ripe smell!
4. Sleep – We all had our rotation watches to be in control of, and we slept the best we could before or after our watch. But with the humidity and rocking and rolling, which is constant never ending, it can be hard. (Janet and John continue to help me learn about the sails, weather, waves and all the important gauges to tell what is happening during my watch)
5. Weather/Rain – I guess I knew this was important on a sailboat…. but really had no idea how important and how to read the clouds and wind. Most importantly, which ones to care about and which ones are heading away from you. Also, opening and closing the hatches and window as the rain hits you. It is endless number of times.
6. Cooking/Food – This happens of course but remind yourself that NOTHING…. I mean NOTHING can sit on the counter without the risk of it spilling (I had a grand Coffee spillage; it was a mess) So Janet is an expert at this and has found ways to keep the right items upright. Have you ever seen a swinging stove? Yes, sailboats have a stove/oven that is on pins, and it can be stable or rocking. When the water rocks and you want to cook, the stove is unpinned and rocks. This will prevent your pan or food from landing on the floor…but remember you are cooking with a moving target!
7. Fueling with no marina – For the most part in any remote island or location the fuel tanks must be filled with Jerry cans. They are carried to the fuel station, filled, and carried back, (mostly by dingy and on foot) the cans lifted back into the boat and poured into the fuel tanks. Then repeat until done. The cans are also kept full so when the fuel tank runs low you can use them to fill the tank.
8. Safety – If you are alone on deck or at night you wear a life jacket and you are tethered in for safety.

If you remember, my adventure started by joining John and Janet in Panama on the Caribbean side at Shelter Bay Marina. Dan and I had stayed at this marina for many weeks in 2020 just before COVID hit and enjoyed it very much. This trip gave me the ability to take my second trip through the canal (headed the opposite direction). We had 2 hired line handlers so we didn’t need to do much but enjoy the ride.

Once on the Pacific side, we connected to Maria, a friend Dan and I made when we were here on our boat in Panama. She spent the day with us hauling us around to many grocery and marine stores. We were on count down for leaving and there was a lot to do. It was so nice to see Maria, she helped us so much! She is a beautiful person inside and out… and speaks such good English!! Bonus!!

The direction for this trip was focused clearly on Hiva Oa in Marquesas, French Polynesia. John had analyzed the weather and wind before we left, we knew that the first few days there was going to be a small amount of wind, we just had no idea that it would be 7 days of it. As we were attempting to sail, we ended up motor sailing more than not. On about day 3, as we are using the majority of the fuel on board, Janet and I remembered that the boaters that were next to us at the marina were planning on stopping at the Galapagos Islands for fuel. Because we had internet with Starlink, the search was on. How to stop and get fuel without us having it pre-planned. Galapagos Islands are very strict with visitors to their islands.

John found an agent that was willing to help us. We weren’t allowed to get off the boat and had to leave as soon as we completed fueling. We targeted an evening arrival so we could sleep anchored in the bay before getting fuel the next morning. The fuel purchase was a cash only transaction. They did allow for Janet and me to walk to the ATM while accompanied by hired help from an agent. PIC We finished fueling and off we went. The fuel was a very expensive purchase in that there were lots of extra changes for many fees/taxes etc. on top of the very expensive fuel. But there really wasn’t a choice. We were very lucky that for the next 24 days we had wind almost every day. No more fuel issues.

One thing you have to realize on this kind of a trip, things break, and you don’t know what that will be. You have to be ready to fix, in some manner, what was broken enough to get you to land. I asked John for a list of items that broke while we were underway. The list was long, but we were very lucky that nothing took us totally out of the game. This is a picture of John; he is climbing down in the hull of the boat to try and fix the loose bolts holding the auto pilot. This was probably the closest to a big break we could have had. But John is a Mr. Fix it guy, just like Dan, so it was fixed enough to get us to land.

When I made the decision to join John and Janet on this epic journey, I thought it would be good for me to do an adventure, get away from the normal daily stuff that really wasn’t normal… maybe it would help me with my healing process with Dan’s passing. It certainly gave me something else to think about. It was much different than I had thought though, not sure if that is good or bad, just different.

I now understand why Dan picked a Motor Yacht to have our adventures with. Motor yacht owners just decide if they want to go through or around a storm.  Which normally is through it because it isn’t big enough to worry about. But with sailing, there are so many other decisions and factors that come into play. The wind and the risk of it being too much, your sails, how much do you have out, and should you pull some in, and you certainly don’t want to go through a storm with lightning.

A few of my friends said, “did you have fun?” FUN??? I wouldn’t say that….I would say it was challenging, intense, long and can be a bit stressful. The amount of learning is eminence. So, John kept an intense focus on the learning part of the journey. Not much time for fun.

Some notable things that happened on the trip:

1. Before we made it to Galapagos Islands, we had some type of Boobie birds that joined us, probably from the Galapagos. (Blue billed and orangey brown feet) They kept circling us around and around and eventually plopped themselves on the bow railing of our boat. We first had 2, but then their friends joined them, and I think we had 7+ by the evening. John thought it might work to try and chase them away…Janet and I got a good chuckle because they just flew away and came back.
2. Shortly after leaving the Galapagos, we crossed the equator. We stopped for a short time while we tossed out a bottle that we had filled with notes to Dan. We all had written notes to Dan, and I had a picture of us. We said a little remembrance to him and tossed it in the ocean. Our contact info too, so if someone finds it someday, I will hope they send a note to me!  Love you, Dan!
3. About ½ way through the trip, I got sick. Not really bad, but just didn’t feel well. Janet jumped to action and made sure I had some electrolyte drink, extra sleep, and a few antibiotics to make sure I was okay, felt like a UTI hitting me. I was much better the next morning. She took good care of me.
4. Towards the later part of the trip, I was sitting on the back deck and wasn’t holding on. The cushion I was sitting on slid off the bench onto the floor and I hit my elbow pretty bad. It swelled up and bruised all the way around. I’m fine now and it is healing well. But it was so painful.

On May 21 we hit land, Hiva Oa. We were ready to check in the next morning with the Port Captain for Customs and Immigration.

• • 31 days at sea
  • 4,100 Nautical Miles
  • One stop at Galapagos Islands for fuel
  • Left Panama on April 19, late afternoon
  • Arrive Marquesas Islands (part of French Polynesian) May 21

I am extremely proud of myself for attempting and accomplishing this long trip. I have no idea what lemonade will come from these hard learning’s that I had to go through, but one thing I know for sure, I Love lemonade and Dan and I knew how to make it good! It will appear when I least expect it.

My next blog will be about my time on the islands!

Stay tuned!

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The rain clouds slip in and out like a song, sometimes they have a heavy base and drop a lot of weight and other times it might be a light melody that drifts by quickly. Either way the clouds show their light and dark variations of shapes and sizes.

 

 

If life tossed you a crazy opportunity? Do you grab it or run away?

I watch too many people have opportunities put right in their face and then just step around it and don’t take the opportunities that life gives them. Why is that? I think it mostly has to do with the fear or concerns that it might not work out. I feel these people are missing out on the best part about life. The energy, excitement, challenge and differences that make us grow and evolve come from these opporutnites. It is okay and normal to feel scared or unsure.  Moving forward with that feeling even if you are scared gives “you“ the power, not letting the fear have the power and control over you.

Don’t forget that we should be living for these moments in time.

As my story continues…  Shortly after the tragic death of my husband Dan, I planned a few trips to go to visit some friends in AZ and Mexico. I felt that going on a trip or two and visiting my friends in warm place would help with my healing. Both trips were very rewarding and helpful with doing and thinking about happy stuff. Being with the friends that love me so very much helped! Thank you to Jane and Tony in PV Mexico & Aletha and Terry and Kathy V. in Arizona for taking such good care of me during my visits.

I also did a long weekend trip to Reno to visit the Enloe family, celebrating an upcoming birth of a new baby in our family. The baby shower for my niece Samantha was magical with so much love, it was so heartwarming.  I also had some quality time with the family. The whole Enloe family is feeling blessed to be welcoming a new member into our family soon.

I am so very grateful for all my many friends, near and far that have reached out and helped me during this horrible and tragic event. I would really be struggling much more without the constant love and support from so many of my friends. And of course, the support of my wonderful family, you all mean so much to me, your love and support is a true gift!

When life throws you a punch, it is all about how you handle it

Now the New Adventure News….. ⇓

I’ve accepted an offer to join some friends to help Captain their sailboat “Tango” from Panama to the French Polynesian Islands. During these first few month of 2023 as I was working on healing, I never expected John and Janet Harrington to ask me to join them for my first adventure without Dan.

Have you been to the French Polynesian Islands?

I of course needed to process the request and see if the timing worked with all the trips I was already planning. My first instinct was to say yes. It felt exciting and challenging to think about this kind of trip. I thought that the time away would do me good. It would be a lot of alone and quiet time for my mind and body to heal. I would get a chance to write more and meditate. Maybe feel Dan’s presences with me out in the big vast ocean. It took a while for me to figure out that this might be a good adventure for me. Yes, I’m one crazy adventure lady. But this feels right and Dan would be so excited and proud of me.

John and Janet are not new to this type of adventure and have done this trip before in 2019 from Mexico to the South Pacific Islands. They were in New Zealand when Covid hit and remained there for 2+ years before having their boat shipped back to the US, Florida. Now they are ready to do this again, with me this time. They are hoping to be through the Panama Canal and on the Pacific side just  before I arrive on the 4/15. Within a few days we will be heading off on this grand adventure.

So here I am 6 days out from this crazy adventure (another one for the books). I will be on the open ocean for 30-40 days with very limited communications means. I personally will not have my phone service or access to my email during the transit time. We will have ability to connect to people via satellite on the boat, but this is for safety and important stuff.

You can follow our transit adventures on Tango Sailing Yacht HERE

I don’t know yet when I will be heading back to Portland. I want to spend enough time on these beautiful South Pacific Islands that I worked so hard and so many days getting to.  Why would I run home? I’m going to decide to head home when I feel its time. But targeting late June or July as a return time.

When I return, I will then start my search for a home. Stay tuned for that adjustment in my life. Really looking forward to finding a place to setting in. Doing projects and unloading the small amount of stuff we kept in storage.

Of course, Angelique is still up for sale. We have had some folks look at her, but not the right person to own her yet!

I find myself analyzing…..What is life all about?

During this adjustment in my life, dealing with being alone. I feel most alive when I’m challenging myself, taking risks and seeing the payoffs and the rewards. This is what being alive is all about for me.

Please try to find what you are passionate about and do it. Go live your life to its fullest. Take a few chances with things that might scare or intimidate you, the reward will be far greater then doing something you are already comfortable with. Go live your life to its fullest, before it is gone.  ♥ ♥

This trip will be a tribute to my soulmate “Dan”.  I have to continue to live my life as full as I can and do what we did together, Adventures! Dan has been very instrumental in my life with my growth and his unconditional love and support of me. WE knew we could accomplish anything we could dream up. I am where I am today because of him and our life together.

To My True Love, Dan:    I know you will be with me on this grand adventure. I hope I do you proud. I will work hard to learn things that I need to learn and I will listen to your overarching voice as you speak to me when I need to hear you. But mostly I will feel your love and arms around me through this whole big adventure.   Love you!

Footnote: I will keep writing as long as you keep reading.  Love you all for your continued support! ♥

 

When I started this blog on October 15, 2017. Dan and I were planning our biggest adventure yet. We loved dreaming up something and making it happen. This one was big…and we knew it. If you have been following along, you understood how big it was.

Before our first blog article, I had talked about wanting a way to keep a log of our adventures as we did them. Knowing that so much would happen between events, we would lose our memories of them. I wanted to keep a firsthand account of it, hence our blog was created. But it wasn’t just a log or a blog. It became my outlet, my passion, my responsibility, my honor, and my job. I didn’t want to skip on the sharing of our events. To ourselves and to our friends and family.

We also gained so many other followers along the way, other boaters, folks in the countries we traveled to, people that helped us, worked for us or played with us. We got attached to people through the blog we have never spoken to, never seen and never will. We also got connected to one of the past owners of our 1980 80′ Hatteras CPMY, at that time she was called Sheer Luck. Through all of these connections Dan and I stayed true to ourselves and true to our blog. Wanting to share as much honesty as we could without sharing our souls and having them ripped out by the social media mania. So, of course there were some very private stuff we picked not to share. Dan’s nature is to be a bit more private of a person. Many times, we had discussions about sharing or not sharing. How much to share or not to share. When is it too much and where is the line for us. We found that happy medium that seemed to work.

I think my writing got better, my topics got broader, and I thought about things differently when I saw them. I analyzed things, felt the emotions, and tried to convey them the best I could over the last 5+ years. I am grateful you are a reader of my words. Thank you!

“The Winds and the Waves Hold your Hand”

Dan and I had no idea how we planned to finish our adventures. We couldn’t see the end yet. We always worked hard on planning our current and future adventures. We also understood that our plans could shift. Being a sailor, you quickly learn that the force of nature controls the calendar and the schedule. The winds and the waves hold your hand, and you always obey, or suffer the consequences. We also saw more adventures without Angelique, planning to sell her someday. We wanted to fly places, drive places, rent or lease boats in other places or countries. The adventures were endless in our minds.

Dan and I made a good pair for this type of life and adventures. We both are very independent, self-driven, focused, opinionated, very vocal of those opinions to each other and at times argumentative. But what differentiated us was Dan’s wicked smart brain, memory, and knowledge of most anything. His mechanical skills and his MacGyver ways of fixing anything and everything. He kept us moving, kept us safe, and kept us focused on the right stuff. My ability kept us healthy, happy, fed and entertained. Dan was never surprised where and how I could squeeze vegetables into everything we ate. I also needed the ability to make a meal from almost nothing, or from some odd leftovers that needed eating. I was the organizer, the person that would toss out unusable items off the boat. Many times, getting myself into trouble by tossing out something that I shouldn’t have. Dan was the saver/keeper of many things. I was the cleaner and caretaker of the boat and of us. The remodeler and event planner which might have been skipped over without me.

With all of our similarities and differences we became a stronger and stronger team and fine-tuned the skills with both of us. We felt invincible. Not in a way that was scary or bad. We just both felt that we could accomplish anything we set our minds to and then go down the check list and make it happen.

We were always experts at making lemonade from our lemons. We never took a negative and let it change our mindset or our happiness. We could always find the best from the worst. That is until the worst really happened.

On September 21st, 2022, my husband Daniel Thomas Enloe passed away. My life was forever changed, along with all of our family and friends. The loss is huge for all of us. He so positively impacted everyone that he came in contact with. His joy and happiness for life was his trademark. We should all work to be as happy as he was. His willingness to help anyone and share his knowledge to benefit others. His geeky grin with his Mr. fix-it attitude was infectious. He was a “follow the rules” type of person, but also had a hidden out-of-the-box, push the limits and a bit crazy side of him. He was a true partner, a true husband and father, and a true sailor.

I will never live the life of Adventures on Angelique again. I currently have Angelique up for sale. She is showing well with all the love and care we put into her. I hope she finds the best new owners possible.

Click here to see her –>   “Angelique”

I will have to continue to search for new adventures without my partner, as Dan would not be happy with me not doing so. As I would about him if the story was reversed. I will some how share with you all what happens next, as it is now part of me.

THANK YOU – I would like to send a big thank you to all of our family and friends for the support over the last few months. Some who didn’t even know Dan or I have jumped in and helped support me through this very difficult time in my life.

Footnote: LIVE YOUR DREAM LIFE NOW… Do not wait for something to be done to start living your dream life! Find your dream and work on it now. Do happy stuff, fun stuff and let your anger go quicker. Life can sometime suck and toss you shit. But all you can do is jump up and fight!!!

BE Happy & fight for Happiness or it may be too late!