The Liebster Award

We have been awarded the Liebster Award by fellow blogger and cruiser Tammy Swart from SV Dos Libros. Wow! Thanks, But what is it for?  It seems, after a little research that the Liebster award has been going around for some time in the blogging world and is almost akin to a chain letter. Although unofficial and without any accreditation it is simply an award given by bloggers to other bloggers to boost awareness and audiences to blogs they enjoy or appreciate. Some people choose to ignore them while others accept them and continue the chain.  While my blog is a keepsake for ourselves of our journey and experiences, a connection for family and friends at home, it is also “out there” with all the other cruising blogs for people to read if they choose and I feel honoured that there are a couple of people out there who do. So I continue the chain with a thank you to SV Dos Libros and their informative and interesting blog – “The things we did today”, And I will answer their questions, and nominate some blogs of my own with questions to answer should they wish to continue; Should they not – no offence is taken. :-)

These are the rules

- Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their page.
- Answer the 10 questions they have asked us and publish the post.
- Nominate 10 up-and-coming blogs that we feel deserve more readership and ask THEM 10 questions. 

Ok So here are the questions that we have been asked – as you know we are in the boat yard and super busy at the mo – so I answer the questions as the royal “we” – of course Sim agrees with everything i say ;-)  He is a little distracted with boat maintenance at the mo.

1.  What is the one thing you wish more people knew about you?  Don't be afraid to brag here... this is your chance!

I honestly don't think i can answer that.

2.  If you could have EITHER five minutes with a crystal ball OR five minutes with a Jeannie... which would you choose and what would you ask for?

Definitely five minutes with a Jeannie (genie?) to grant me three wishes.- health, happiness and to be able to fly. 

3.  What would you say is your partner's greatest contribution to your success (current or future) as sailors/cruisers?

Sims endless faith in my ability to sail (or to do anything for that matter). 

4.  When will you/did you REALLY consider yourself to be a Cruiser?  What does the word "Cruiser" mean to you?

We didn’t actually know we were cruisers until apparently we already were. My definition of cruisers are people who live on boats and travel – differing, I would say from livaboards who live on their boats but don’t travel - but what do I know. It’s a pretty broad label that can be broken down even further into commuter cruisers, land cruisers etc.

5.  What do you think will be the thing that ends your Cruising journey?  And why?

Winning the lottery –we’d be able to afford to live on land. Or become commuter cruisers and do both.

6.  What was it like the moment that you "decided" to go cruising?  What was the catalyst?  Or was it a more gradual thing that just happened?

Sim and I met, we lived miles apart and we were ready for something different.  Once we had made the decision, we had sold properties, quit our jobs, bought a boat and moved abroad within eight months. It was exciting and incredibly nerve racking. There was no way we could have taken years to plan this – it might never have happened. 

7.  How did your current boat get its name?  Have you ever thought of changing it?

 I have no idea how Wandering Star got her name – She has kept her name through three owners – we like it and are not big on changing names – they belong to the boat....unless its something awful like ‘’Cheeseburger in paradise’’ (sorry Jimmy fans).

8. What size boat do you/will you cruise on?  And if money were no object... would you buy a bigger one? 

Wandering Star is 44ft – this is probably as big as it’s gonna get for us – sail handling becomes harder, costs go up exponentially – if money were no object – I'd have a mega yacht with crew.....

9.  It is often said that before you leave, everyone says they will come visit you, but most never do.  Who would you MOST like to come visit you on your boat and why?

Maybe we are just lucky but many of our family and friends have visited over the years and we look forward to future visitors too.

10.  Thinking back to before you tossed the dock lines and how you thought cruising would be,  what in reality was your biggest misconception?  What was your biggest surprise?  What was your biggest disappointment? (If you haven't yet set sail, what do you think WILL Be your biggest adjustments?  Sacrifices?  Joys?)

I honestly thought I'd be island hoping on a shiny white yacht wearing Henri Lloyd and J Crew and sipping cocktails on the fore deck. I never realized how much time and effort it takes to live on a smaller budget, without a disposable income – it’s a full time occupation! My biggest disappointment is that I am not the salty die hard sailor that I see myself as but a cautious fair-weather sailor who likes her comforts a little too much.

I’m choosing five blogs for the Liebster Award.  There are plenty of great blogs out there, some have already been awarded.  But these are the ones I like to read.

 My nominations are:

Its Irie: Mark and Liesbet are cruising the pacific on their catamaran Irie – Inventors of the wifi antenna – The Wirie. They have been great friends since meeting in Grenada many years ago.  Liesbet is a best friend and fellow blogger and writer. She tells you exactly how it is – the good, the bad and, the rest of it. 

SV Spirit of Argo – April, Cain (yes, really) and the mighty Quinn – Sailed away from the UK a couple of years ago but have been livaboards for years. We met these guys in Carriacou last year. You can read about their adventurous dog tales written by Quinn.

SV Ruffian – Ian and Fiona and Larry the lama - sail all over the place on a Sadler 34 – We met them in St Maarten earlier this year and their blog is as entertaining with as much sense of humour as they have in reality.

SV Joho – John and Jolanda – Another funny and entertaining couple from Holland always with big smiles. They have written a lot of guide books including some on islands beginning with B – Bermuda, Bahamas and Bonaire, as well as others.

SV Shiloh - Holli and John on their lagoon 410. On a sailing adventure to take them on a voyage of discoveries around the world.  Currently exploring the Chesapeake Bay, Holli's blogs are always beautifully written and from a wonderful perspective.

Questions:

1.       Where are you and your boat right now?

2.       What do you like best about cruising?

3.       What three items can you not live without on your boat?

4.       What is the best piece of equipment you have bought for your boat in the last year?

5.       Do you jump into the water head first or feet first?

6.       What is your favourite sun downer tipple?

7.       What makes an ideal anchorage for you?

8.       Where is your favourite anchorage?

9.       What hobbies or pastimes do you have when not doing boat maintenance?
10.  What is your favourite knot?