Egret welcomes back Mary, as Scott waxes lyrical about 'the life'
Day 230: A cruiser’s life
Position: Ushuaia, Argentina
Scott and Mary Flanders left Gibraltar bound eventually for New Zealand on 16 September 2006, and we’re following their journey every step of the way, thanks to this unique online “blog”. For a complete listing of their diary entries, click here.
Well, mi amigos, long time no updates. Priorities ya know. My sweetie is the priority. Mary arrived back in Ushuaia Monday night successfully having run the gauntlet of Argentine customs agents with her allowable duty free import quota a fairy tale. Oh happy days again. Actually, yours truly didn’t exactly hibernate during her time away but more on that in a bit. I met her at the airport with WARM clothes. She is the typical yachtie sacrificing clothes for more boat goodies. Boat goodies are what keep our little white fiberglass world perking along. She brought back an Iridium phone setup for our French cruising friends, Racor filters and a running light for our South African/Scottish cruising friends, a Yamaha outboard gasket set for our Canadian cruising buddy, up to date charts for an American/Dutch cruising couple and of course, goodies for Egret. Yes, she brought back our new camera lens (today’s pictures of Ushuaia were practicing with the polarized filter). You should see these pictures in full resolution! Beautiful.
Since distributing the goodies to the other boaters we have been puttering along with our own projects using the newly arrived things. Mary has been cleaning her little home to HER standards, a bit higher than you know who.
While she was gone it was a social whirl. First, it was a trip to Harberton Estancia (Ranch) with the Canadian single hander. This was reported on previous updates. Next was dinner aboard the Canadian’s boat with a local charter sailboat couple (UK-New Zealand I believe), then we moved to the Frenchie’s boat with the Canadian and an American couple, then to the shoreside home of a Brit/Argentine couple, back to the Frenchies with an Israeli couple who have been backpacking around South America the past year (they are 25-year cruisers – their boat is in Cartegena, Columbia), then off to the Israeli couple’s rented apartment for dinner, then to Egret with the leftovers the next night, Egret again with the American/Dutch couple and Mary, and tonight aboard the Frenchie’s boat. Yes, it’s a long sentence but you get the picture. This is very typical of The Life. Usually it is more cocktails than dinner in warmer places where we are outside but here we are inside. Plus its getting dark at around 7:30pm.
The dinner at the Israeli’s apartment was dynamic. The Canadian single hander (20 years at sea), French couple (20 years) and Israeli couple (25 years). As the newbie (5 years) I sat and just listened. It was fascinating hearing about the spots around the world they all enjoyed. To romanticize it a bit, picture the busy little bees (cruisers) taking a little nectar, leaving a little pollen from this beautiful flower (the world) and turning it into honey (memories). They buzzed all evening flitting from place to place. We ALL learn from each other. This is where ideas are formed for our future cruising. There is no rush for anywhere but the seeds are planted for the future. One particular spot they were buzzing around for a bit trading their experiences may well change Egret’s itinerary on her way to New Zealand next year. We’ll see.
The Israeli couple are typical of cruisers seeking other cruisers. They arrived in Ushuaia on a bus. After finding a place to stay they headed for the yacht club dock. Within hours they were assimilated into the small community of liveaboards and have been making the rounds since. This afternoon they are leaving with the Canadian for Puerto Williams, Chile because it is time for the Canadian to do the 90 -day visa cha cha. They plan to stay a week there hiking and whatever.
We, long distance cruisers, are all one big family. This is one venue where there is truly equality. It doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have, what boat, what nationality, no oneupmanship, etc. The cruisers that don’t feel this way are missing a lot. Sad for them.
So there you have it, a few days in The Life.
