"To swear off making mistakes is very easy. All you have to do is to swear off having ideas."
We have been asking ourselves, as have others, was buying "Artemo" a mistake. I hate admitting to a mistake. It feels like failure, poor judgement, stupidity. Graham and I have been talking about this though. It seems with each job he begins on the boat, the job leads to 6 more jobs. It isn't often if ever he finds something done well. Our list of "To Do's" gets longer and longer. We continue to prioritize with "must be done before we sail" and "can wait til after we have begun".
So here is where I take a big gulp and say it...."We made a mistake buying Artemo". We only knew what we knew at that time and the boat met alot of our criteria; 1) Full Keel 2) Center Cockpit 3) Ketch 4) Dry Hull 5) Lots of living space 6) Easy access engine room .........the good news is that it still meets all of these criteria...the bad news is that all of the other things wrong with Artemo have cast a shadow over these. Graham said to me the number one thing we should of looked for is a boat that was being SAILED. Artemo had been sitting for a few years and we had thought Harry was actively sailing her but now on reflection we realize he was not. I wish the surveyor would have found the dry rot or would have found the bad wiring or the list goes on but now here we are with our mistake (so hard to say that word).
Now there are so many great inspirational quotes about mistakes and I am sure off the top of your heads you can all think of a few. We are not beat and we are not walking away from Artemo. We have learned a ton from this mistake(man that's hard to say)and a lot of great things have happened because of this mistake. We are going to know Artemo from the inside out and this is going to be a HUGE plus when something goes wrong.
So where are we at with the boat, you ask, right now the boat manager said they would be off Artemo for 2 days and now here we sit at 2 weeks and still no workers. They have about 6 weeks of work left ahead of them. Graham is going to the boat everyday and working on replacing all the seacocks, the anchor chain, re-wiring, new toilets, new flooring, installation of the wind generators, the self steering geer, the water maker and the SSB. It feels like there is alot to get done right now and it feels strange to be putting out money for boat repairs and living expenses (rent, etc) and not having any money coming in. I am sure we will get use to this (maybe) but this is the first time in our lives together that our savings are getting less, not more! It also worries us with the markets the way they are. We definitely need to give each other pep talks every once in a while and reflect on how amazing our journey already is and if things were easy we wouldn't be able to feel that huge sense of pride when we overcome them.
We want to be in Curasco for Christmas and we saw that it only took Dad 3 days to sail there, so we have lots of wiggle room between now and then, if they get the heck back on our boat and get working! We have to keep focusing on the silver lining and focus on the fact that ..."this mistake is going to be the safest, prettiest mistake anyone has ever seen when we are done!!"
We have been asking ourselves, as have others, was buying "Artemo" a mistake. I hate admitting to a mistake. It feels like failure, poor judgement, stupidity. Graham and I have been talking about this though. It seems with each job he begins on the boat, the job leads to 6 more jobs. It isn't often if ever he finds something done well. Our list of "To Do's" gets longer and longer. We continue to prioritize with "must be done before we sail" and "can wait til after we have begun".
So here is where I take a big gulp and say it...."We made a mistake buying Artemo". We only knew what we knew at that time and the boat met alot of our criteria; 1) Full Keel 2) Center Cockpit 3) Ketch 4) Dry Hull 5) Lots of living space 6) Easy access engine room .........the good news is that it still meets all of these criteria...the bad news is that all of the other things wrong with Artemo have cast a shadow over these. Graham said to me the number one thing we should of looked for is a boat that was being SAILED. Artemo had been sitting for a few years and we had thought Harry was actively sailing her but now on reflection we realize he was not. I wish the surveyor would have found the dry rot or would have found the bad wiring or the list goes on but now here we are with our mistake (so hard to say that word).
Now there are so many great inspirational quotes about mistakes and I am sure off the top of your heads you can all think of a few. We are not beat and we are not walking away from Artemo. We have learned a ton from this mistake(man that's hard to say)and a lot of great things have happened because of this mistake. We are going to know Artemo from the inside out and this is going to be a HUGE plus when something goes wrong.
So where are we at with the boat, you ask, right now the boat manager said they would be off Artemo for 2 days and now here we sit at 2 weeks and still no workers. They have about 6 weeks of work left ahead of them. Graham is going to the boat everyday and working on replacing all the seacocks, the anchor chain, re-wiring, new toilets, new flooring, installation of the wind generators, the self steering geer, the water maker and the SSB. It feels like there is alot to get done right now and it feels strange to be putting out money for boat repairs and living expenses (rent, etc) and not having any money coming in. I am sure we will get use to this (maybe) but this is the first time in our lives together that our savings are getting less, not more! It also worries us with the markets the way they are. We definitely need to give each other pep talks every once in a while and reflect on how amazing our journey already is and if things were easy we wouldn't be able to feel that huge sense of pride when we overcome them.
We want to be in Curasco for Christmas and we saw that it only took Dad 3 days to sail there, so we have lots of wiggle room between now and then, if they get the heck back on our boat and get working! We have to keep focusing on the silver lining and focus on the fact that ..."this mistake is going to be the safest, prettiest mistake anyone has ever seen when we are done!!"
It sounds like it is not feeling good right now but I think that your last statement - the last line - says it all. I admire you for seeing that in spite of all things
ReplyDeleteyes, i'm in a similar problem with my mistake of buying my condo.
ReplyDeleteall you can do is try and learn as much from a mistake as possible.
if you're unwilling to recognize it (in the name of ego), then you very well may repeat it.
Julie everyone makes mistakes it takes a big person to admit to it.
ReplyDeletewe also made a huge mistake and we learned by it. Never give more then your willing to loss....thats what we learned. we trusted and loved to much and we got burnt. We have been through hell and back and there is no end in sight for us. I hope your boat gets fixed soon and you can get on with your adventure.
Stay safe Trese
Hi, my name is Luis Castanheira and I live in Toronto, Been reading your blogs since the first.
ReplyDeleteI bought a Hunter 34 1984 two months ago, did some sailing and did a lot of work, still have lots to do. Boats are like that, and cruising is: to fix your boat in exotic places. I don't think you made a mistake
Best wishes Luis
I agree with Luis. I don't think it was a mistake at all. Geez, you are living in Grenada after all. Do you know it actually snowed here the other day!
ReplyDeleteWon't you feel better out on the open water knowing that you and Graham know that boat inside and out? Even Graham being able to work on the boat by himself right now without the other workers around it probably a blessing. He is the one that NEEDS to know this boat.
Have a little patience. It's all working out just as it should. Go hang out at the beach some more :) Or better yet go to that resort and get served drinks by the poolside.
We learn by making "mistakes" and by now I must be the smartest person alive. You guys have lived and learned so much in the last few months that never would have happened if you had not bought your boat. I for one will feel so much better when you are sailing, to know that Graham knows every part on the boat and that he has checked it himself. Meanwhile follow your heart enjoy the moments and keep looking to the future. Your money will be fine and it is only money anyway. You will always have a home to come back to. Love you Mom
ReplyDeleteYou must never have regrets! Just keep enjoying every day. I am sure I have made more mistakes than most, and it keeps life exciting! At least it is not cold there, and you are getting the chance to experience a new culture!
ReplyDeleteEvery mistake, teaches you something!
ReplyDeletethat's a FACT.
no regrets, not everyone can do something like this.