One of the readers of this site just reminded me the reasons why I love the cruising life. It is certainly a different lifestyle and it is not for everyone.  I have mentioned this before, it is not all wine and roses, but if you start off with a different attitude to life, thankful that we are even given this opportunity to see and experience what is "out" there and be able to go places where sometimes it is not even accessible by any other means, what is there not to like?

The ocean - the vast ocean scares me, but at the same time, it gives me such pleasure. Out there, I look around, and I see nothing but the sea and the sky. No trafiic, no pollution - just the sound of the wind and the waves. I feel much peace inside me. My favorite time is late in the day. I quickly cook up our dinner so we can eat it on deck while watching the sun set. At nights, my watch is from 2 or 3 am to about 7 early in the morning. Most times I lie down on deck watching the stars above me. At certain times, I was able to experience the meteor shower and see some comets. Early in the morning, I see Venus rise in the horizon before the sun. I never fail to say "Good morning Venus. good morning Mr. Sunshine".

Wildlife - I can't describe the awe when I see the wildlife at sea. Even onshore, you don't see them in the zoos, only in TVs or movies. For example, the whales. We are close enough to even see the scars or the barnacles growng on their skin. Below deck, we can hear them communicating with each other.

Then we have the dolphins - they appear all the time and like to frolick around us.

I see birds, even out in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes they stay on deck with us for several days, to rest maybe. Then you also have the sea turtles.

I can't take pictures at nights, but the water is sometimes rich with this bioluminescent organism that glow in the dark. It sparkles in the wash when the boat slice through the water or when dolphins are around, you can actually see the glow where the dolphins dart back and forth underneath the keel. Simply awesome.

But after so many days at sea, I feel it is enough. I need to reach land and when you do sight land, the feeling is one of relief and joy that we have arrived safe. The picture below is the sighting of Tahiti in French Polynesia.