Irish Rambler
Guru
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2014
- Messages
- 1,803
- Location
- FRANCE
- Vessel Name
- 'Snow Mouse.'
- Vessel Make
- BROOM FLYBRIDGE 42.
You all know the quote 'That the best laid plans make mice of men'. When you're young and full of p**s and vinegar we all make long term plans and work towards achieving our goal. As we pass through life some guys get diverted, others give up, some just plough on regardless despite many setbacks, I'm one of the latter. Plan 'A'. The idea was to get to retirement early with sufficient means and put all those 80/90 working hour weeks behind me for good. Buy a motor cruiser and cruise at a slow pace from Ireland's lakes and rivers, pass through Europe's canal system and tour around the Mediterranean basin at a leisurely pace before settling down and doing as our good friend Ted is doing, by accepting fate and hanging up the keys. I even had a boat built to do the job !
I then discovered after building my own business pioneering bulk liquid and powder transport company in Ireland that my (now Ex) wife, as the financial director had been 'skimming' the company for over 20 years and when I sold the company taken the proceeds as well leaving me on the streets..
So back to square one and begin again, I had a plan 'B' was festering in my brain as incentive.
As I slowly got back on my feet again I needed, as they say in Ireland 'To go and get my head showered' in other words go away somewhere quiet and have a darn good rethink.
From one of my previous visits to a boat show some years earlier I remembered visiting a tiny stand where the little fledgling company was offering 'Sailing Holidays' around the Ionan islands in Greece.
I scraped together enough to go and sail a Jaguar 27' around Corfu, Paxos and anti Paxos. Am I on the wrong site here should I be on Cruisers Forum ? ? ?
I wanted a totally different experience and 'to get my head showered'. I wasn't much impressed with those big white flappy things and cramped accomodation but it did 2 things for me. I had pressed the modern equivalent of a mental reset, and it put a little worm in the back of my brain that kept nagging away .
As Arnie so famously said 'I'll be back' !
Fast forward many years. New company built, and sold. Plan 'B', retired, bought a 33' Birchwood and cruised to the South of France. It was to be Spain but got captured by a lovely French lady. Plan 'C' Bought larger boat in Ireland and posted on here of our trip from Ireland, around Belgium, Holland, Germany and France and wrote the books 'Encore' & 'Windmills and Wine' which are sold on Amazon.
But still that little worm was nagging away in the back of my brain and when Ted started to speak on here about retiring I thought 'Holy Mackerel' I'm in that age bracket and still haven't sorted out that little nagging worm. With age creeping on, an op on my foot to repair 2 broken bones only half done I came across a chance to do a delivery trip from Corfu in the Ionian sea through the Levkas and Corinthian canals to Orei in the Sporades. I paid my deposit to secure my place and the next few posts will tell the tale of what happened.
I then discovered after building my own business pioneering bulk liquid and powder transport company in Ireland that my (now Ex) wife, as the financial director had been 'skimming' the company for over 20 years and when I sold the company taken the proceeds as well leaving me on the streets..
So back to square one and begin again, I had a plan 'B' was festering in my brain as incentive.
As I slowly got back on my feet again I needed, as they say in Ireland 'To go and get my head showered' in other words go away somewhere quiet and have a darn good rethink.
From one of my previous visits to a boat show some years earlier I remembered visiting a tiny stand where the little fledgling company was offering 'Sailing Holidays' around the Ionan islands in Greece.
I scraped together enough to go and sail a Jaguar 27' around Corfu, Paxos and anti Paxos. Am I on the wrong site here should I be on Cruisers Forum ? ? ?
I wanted a totally different experience and 'to get my head showered'. I wasn't much impressed with those big white flappy things and cramped accomodation but it did 2 things for me. I had pressed the modern equivalent of a mental reset, and it put a little worm in the back of my brain that kept nagging away .
As Arnie so famously said 'I'll be back' !
Fast forward many years. New company built, and sold. Plan 'B', retired, bought a 33' Birchwood and cruised to the South of France. It was to be Spain but got captured by a lovely French lady. Plan 'C' Bought larger boat in Ireland and posted on here of our trip from Ireland, around Belgium, Holland, Germany and France and wrote the books 'Encore' & 'Windmills and Wine' which are sold on Amazon.
But still that little worm was nagging away in the back of my brain and when Ted started to speak on here about retiring I thought 'Holy Mackerel' I'm in that age bracket and still haven't sorted out that little nagging worm. With age creeping on, an op on my foot to repair 2 broken bones only half done I came across a chance to do a delivery trip from Corfu in the Ionian sea through the Levkas and Corinthian canals to Orei in the Sporades. I paid my deposit to secure my place and the next few posts will tell the tale of what happened.
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