I submitted the book proposal this morning. I have a couple of papers to finalize but otherwise my days are starting to have less structure again. I’ve had some more meetings and conversations about job opportunities but there is still nothing concrete on the table. I am not missing work, at least not my old job, but I need to start generating some income soon. After becoming officially unemployed, the future has become uncertain and that can become a source of anxiety. I am enjoying Lebanon and the sea though. We don’t have access to a sailing boat here but a friend has a motor boat (pic below was taken in Biblos).
As I had mentioned, my capacity to influence decisions within the household has diminished. We are back to coffee pods. Last weekend my wife bought a NesPresso machine; Lattissima One. It prepares expressos, lattes, and macchiatos. I have to say, it works quite well. Also, the store that sold us the machine coordinates a program to recycle the pods. When they deliver new pods they also take your discarded pods, which you keep in special bags they provide.
There was another purchase: a motorbike. Here in Beirut there is a lot of traffic and having a car is not very practical. At the same time, we want to be able to discover the country. After some research we decided on a Harley Davidson Sporters, Iron. With an 883-cc engine, it is the smallest of the Harleys. The dealer has organized an owner’s club and we are now members. They have weekly trips plus an annual tour of Lebanon. This year it will be in early October and we are planning to participate.
As for Antares, the list of jobs doesn’t get shorter but I’m confident things will get done. I have started to plan for the next passage. Though I don’t have an exact date yet, I will be back to T&C the last week of October. The goal is to sail Antares to St John (US Virgin Islands) via Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. With several stops along the way – Luperon, Puerto Plata, Cabo Engano, Bahia de Boqueron and Isla Culebra – the whole thing should take some 15 days.
I will leave Antares in St. John and then come back early next year to continue the trip to Grenada, hopefully with Natalia and the girls. From there I plan to sail to Panama during the summer of 2019 and do the crossing in late November, reaching Ecuador in mid-December. Antares can stay there until March 2019 for the passage to French Polynesia, where I could arrive in late-April. I have changed plans before to see more of the Caribbean, but I will stick to this one.
Sailing to the Pacific 