Plan B people

Deb and I follow a fair number of cruiser blogs (Deb more than I). Some are far, far ahead of us, seasoned citizens of the sea who long ago forgot what it means to have a land base. Others have just recently cast their dock lines, are justly proud of having made their escape, but are still learning their way. There are a few following us. Just starting out on a 5 year plan they jinn up spread sheets and get subscriptions to every sailing magazine under the sun. They know where they want to go but getting there is still mostly mystery.

And a few are like us, right on the verge of taking the plunge but catching a heel at the last moment. Housing prices tumbled, jobs went away, savings accounts took massive hits, unexpected little ones came along, (kids or grand kids); 5 year plan A's subject to events beyond any one's control. Plan A's abandoned, plan B's put into play.

Inevitably that means a departure delay. (If we got away on time it would still be Plan A.) Our plan B adds another year and Kintala will likely set sail minus some systems I had hoped to install. Others will add 18 to 24 months and may start out with a different boat altogether. Plans for circumnavigations may morph into winters in the Bahamas. Winters in the Bahamas morph into coastal cruises.

Plan B people have learned a valuable lesson early, things never work out as envisioned and sailors must be flexible to reach the ultimate goal. We are also a pretty hard-headed bunch. If plan B doesn't work we will invent a plan C, or D. I have to admit that it feels like we are grinding our way off a lee shore in a heavy blow. (Not that I have ever ground my way off a lee shore in a heavy blow - but I have read the books!) Every tack we make seems to put us bow into the wind, on the verge of loosing control and getting shoved back onto the rocks. The danger is real. Every penny we have saved in a lifetime of work, every dime invested in the house, vacation money and time, is tied up in this effort to go cruising. It is an all-or-nothing deal and (with all due respect to NASA) failure is always an option.

2012 will be the year of Plan B people.