Haul out and Back to Australia!

Well, the time had come to haul La Vagabonde out of the water for the hurricane season in Grenada. We were both very emotional (maybe myself more than Riley, but then again he is pretty good at hiding his sad face when he’s trying to be a ‘man’). I cried a little bit. I actually did. Right after she was lifted out. I had a flash back of everything that had happened in the past year and a bit… it felt like a dream. I thought to myself, “did that all just actually happen?”. Only a year and a few months had past since living onboard and being together, but we had already seen a lifetimes worth of incredible things and experiences. Memories to last a lifetime. And I’m so happy I got to share them with you Riles. Oh, and everyone watching on YouTube!

From sailing through crazy squalls in Europe, freezing our friggin butts off sailing Sardinia using 5 blankets to keep warm, being blown out of the Gibraltar Strait dodging sea container ships, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and island hopping the beautiful Caribbean.

Watching her being hauled out, I felt like I’d accomplished something. One of the things I felt that was a huge achievement, looking back, was the fact Riley and I shared a space similar to that of a one bedroom apartment (or sometimes felt like the space of a shoe box, or crazy crab/fish bowl) for more than a year together onboard. It was a true test, not only for a relationship, but a test for ourselves as well. We did it! Without sinking the boat, nor even coming close to throwing the other overboard (I lie, he actually pushed me off the back of La Vaga in the deep off Turkey, right after he had lost the first tender and I pretended I could see it on the horizon. It was a cold day, but I deserved it haha). We had some tough times, bad weather, times where we would rather be on land, in a house, on a bed, cured up in a ball eating chocolate and watching a TV series (well I know I did, Riley might have preferred reading a D.F.W book in a hammock surrounded by a field of daisies…) than sailing through the howling 40 knot winds. But now it all felt worth it. We made it! Almost…

I am a little nervous for the Pacific, it’s a big ocean. And our longest sail is going to be a 28 day-er… Thats 11 days more than the Atlantic crossing took. We hear the Pacific is true paradise, and I know once I get to these untouched, remote islands where we can spear and eat delicious fish, and fetch a coconut every morning for breakfast it will have been worth the days at sea. I guess the quote is true after all.

You can’t discover a new land without first losing sight of shore

Anyway, I hope you guys liked that episode. Stay tuned for our Aus episodes coming soon!

I don’t think I need to say it all the time, but once again, thank you all so much for following this adventure of ours and all the love and support.

Love Elay xx

Ps. Please don’t forget to pick up your copy of my recipe book ‘Recipes Under Sail’. All Proceeds go towards helping us get through the Panama Canal and to the Galapagos Islands! Yehaa! THANK YOU 🙂

Click here to purchase your copy of ‘Recipes Under Sail’