Getting into the Spirit of the Season

We've missed celebrating quite a few holidays, so I was keen to make sure we got started celebrating Christmas early … especially since we'd be apart this year for Christmas. Yes, I'm heading home to Boston to spend the holidays with my sister, Lin. David is staying with his demanding mistress, Miss Nine of Cups, in hopes of repairing all we broke crossing the Indian Ocean. When I saw an ad on the Point Yacht Club website for a Durban City Orchestra holiday concert and a luncheon held at the yacht club, I exercised my option for this as as one of our negotiated afternoons off.

There's something about seeing Christmas decorations up in foreign countries that's always a surprise … as if they don't celebrate this holiday the way we do. South Africa certainly does celebrate, although like Australia, it's a summer holiday here and going to the beach for a braai (BBQ) is more reasonable than roasting a turkey in the oven. The downtown main streets in Durban are decorated with garlands and lights and all the shops have Christmas decorations and holiday sales going on.

The festivities were held upstairs in the yacht club and the turn-out was pretty impressive. We had a “cruiser table” which included Finnish, Australian and American sailors. Not quite a United Nations representation, but fun nevertheless. The luncheon was the usual buffet fare; nothing special, but edible (and I didn't have to cook it or do the dishes).

The concert began as soon as we sat to eat and continued all through the meal and dessert. I kind of wished all the meal hubbub was not concurrent with the concert as it was very disruptive and  rude to the orchestra. The Durban City Orchestra, with about 40 members, has been in existence since 1888 and is the second oldest symphony orchestra in South Africa. They were quite good, especially for an amateur group.

The arrangements of holiday music performed spanned  traditional standards like Silent Night and White Christmas to the upbeat score of Polar Express. A young singer contributed some vocals along the way. I was definitely in my element. I knew every word to every Christmas song and, like many others in the audience, I was singing along. David was tapping his feet and mouthed a few words to the songs he knew. I teared up when they played I'll Be Home For Christmas.

All in all, a good start to the holiday season though I boarded a flight to Boston within hours after the concert finished.  I have mixed emotions over being “home” with my sister and not “home” with David for the holidays. “Home” for me definitely spans two continents.

Giving Thanks at Sea

 

You know how on land, when there's a big storm and all the animals and birds hide out and then when the weather clears and the sun comes out, they all emerge in great numbers, chirping and chattering, just happy to be alive enjoying a beautiful day?? That's us today!

We're at sea for Thanksgiving, so we're modifying our menu a bit. No big tom turkeys have lighted on our solar panels and offered themselves up for dinner, so it's going to be pressure-canned chicken as the main. The broth will make a fine base for gravy. I've saved four potatoes for mashing and there's a butternut squash swinging in the hammock that's got "feast" written all over it. I'll make any Any Fruit Crisp for dessert with some whipped UHT cream on top. We'll celebrate in style and then celebrate again as soon as we arrive in Durban.

Since we do, indeed, have dinner taken care of, in the spirit of the day, here's  our list of things we're especially grateful for this year.

-We're grateful that the earth's surface is 70% water, giving us a pretty spectacular playground.

-We're grateful that all the things that went wrong on Nine of Cups this year were only inconveniences and not catastrophes.

-We're grateful that old farts like us are still healthy enough to sail around the world.

-We're grateful Neptune has shown favor on Nine of Cups and her crew for the past 14 years. We'll give him an extra tot of rum today.

-We're grateful that no matter what color, religion, or nationality the people we meet are, they're always welcoming and generous to us.

-We're grateful for our family and friends who love us and encourage us despite our unusual, alternative lifestyle.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Indian Ocean.

A Birthday at Sea

 

I absolutely love my birthday. I don't particularly enjoy getting older, but I certainly love celebrating. We've been at sea for several of my birthdays … November always seems like a good time to be on the move for the change of the seasons. This year is no different. Here we are on our way to South Africa and I'm turning a year older. No worries though. I'm a master at getting the most out of my birthday.

I always remind David well in advance (starting in October usually), that my birthday is coming up. It's not like he'd forget, but why chance it? Since we left before my birthday, we planned that our gourmet lunch at Bois Cheri would be a preliminary birthday celebration, a good way to get into the birthday spirit. I also suggested a few extra treats for myself since we don't often exchange gifts. I've got a new Mauritius tea mug and a t-shirt … after all, my birthday only comes once a year.

Once we're at sea, I count the days like a little kid. Then, it's finally the day. David greets me with a Happy Birthday song when I wake up for my midnight to 0300 watch. Sometimes he makes a card if we're not seasick and he takes care of cooking for the day. I make sure to stock the ingredients for my special birthday meal and there's usually a dessert involved.

There's limited merrymaking on the actual day, but that's okay because this is where the celebration becomes virtual. I have every intention of extending my birthday festivities to the other end of the passage in Durban, South Africa. Why wouldn't I? Virtual celebrations aboard are quite imaginative. We sit in the cockpit and I start describing a perfect day in Durban. The key is the imagery that we can conjure up while we're imagining what the day will be like … from a sunny, warm day walking hand in hand along a beach to what we might have for dinner or how good a glass of cold, bubbling champagne will taste after a couple of weeks at sea. Maybe we'll go to a park or on a safari … the possibilities are endless and so are our imaginations.

I guess the key is knowing that my birthday celebration isn't just a one-day affair. In my mind, November was created just so I'd have an entire month to celebrate.

Speaking of celebrations, don't forget to check out Days and Ways to Celebrate 2015 … a whole year of celebrations to ponder and plan for.