Adventures on Beannacht

And so we begin.

It’s taken an age to get here…and at many times along the journey I think we both doubted our capacity and commitment to making this happen. Keli and I are finally on the way to Canada, to buy a boat, and make a new life of travel, adventure, self-sustainability and sailing in the Caribbean.

We’ve been talking about this for over 3 years now. Each of us ready to leave at different times, and the sucked back in to life in another place, another job or cause to volunteer for. Leaving friends and family was always going to be a challenge, and in the final stages of our departure from Belfast we’re both feeling this in different ways.

On Sunday we had a barbecue at the house for friends to come and say goodbye to what has been a great home, and to buy some of our furniture to reduce the number of boxes we will need to put in storage. The Saturday before we got out of bed early and headed to the nearest car boot sale to get rid of some surplus items, at an average price of 75p per item. It’s amazing how little others will pay for things that feel valuable to us.

We depart on the 14th August, and every day between now and then is somehow connected to the common theme of leaving, adventure, and sailing. Keli’s an experienced sailor, having sailed from Hawaii to Vancouver with her dad aged 14, and spent all her childhood summers off the coast of British Columbia. I am a novice, just 2 weeks with Dennis and Pat in BC, and 2 days with Ocean Youth Trust in Belfast, delivering a boat from Bangor to Newry in Northern Ireland.

And so this blog will be a place for stories and reflection, for photos and videos of our travels, and to open a window for the outside world to peek in on our daily happenings and send their comments of support should they feel so inclined.

So here goes… Thanks for reading, we really hope you enjoy the updates and want to stay involved in this little adventure. You are of course welcome to visit at any time, just ask and we’ll try to fit you in!

Stu.