November 8, 2020
The last several weeks, particularly after October 12, have been very difficult; a struggle. And not because of the situation in the country, not because of the explosion and personal losses. I will only say that relationships are sometimes complicated and require infinite patience and perseverance to make them work.
Things are much better now. Last weekend we moved into a new apartment; our new home, a place for new beginnings. It is a beautiful apartment that we have been furnishing and decorating; a welcome distraction. The apartment is somewhat larger than the one we had before although it has only two rooms. The views are not as stunning — we can only see a fragment of the sea from the kitchen — but from an architectural and aesthetic point of view I like it more, also the building. And we have a wonderful terrace with a roof, perfect for having drinks, reading, and writing. The location is also not bad. We are close to the Cornish, by the sea, where I have been running almost daily. I started doing more frequent runs when we were living in the small studio in Hamra. It has been quite important for my mental health. That and working out. Like Webb Chiles I can do my age in push-ups, actually ten more years, but granted I am several years younger.
We might have a new lockdown here starting tomorrow. Two weeks it seems. Personally I don’t care. In fact, I m looking forward to doing some serious cooking.
Today has been a good day. I woke up at 3am to see Biden give his victory speech. Early in the week I was somewhat concerned that the president might stay in power after all. Even better, the Vendee Globe started a couple of hours ago. I will be following closely for the next couple of months. That will be another welcome distraction.
As for Antares, I might not see her for a while. I plan to go to Ecuador, COVID permitting, on December 12th for Christmas and New Year; some four weeks or so. One possibility would be to fly to St Martin from there. More likely I will come back to Beirut and then travel to St Martin in March, also for a few weeks.
A friend of mine stopped by the boat yard the other day. Antares is doing ok but her mast is not. It has corroded at the bottom and my guess is that a piece will have to be cut. Antares will have a mast a few inches shorter. Hopefully it doesn’t affect much her sailing performance.
A day in the Life by Jeff Beck is playing…
Sailing to the Pacific 