While on the outside it may appear that we are just packing up for a bit for an overseas holiday. It couldn’t be further from the reality. There are so many emotions to deal with. Selling our family home, the only home our kids have known. Selling all our possessions.. everything.. my precious hi-fi gear, my entire CD collection, my vintage camera collection. Of course we are keeping some smaller items. Family photo alums etc , but it really is a challenge to understand just how stupidly attached we are to “stuff”. I mean, I havent played a CD at home in may years.. we dont even own a CD player!

Then theres the qualifications to organise. As fresh water inland sailors we really have no ocean experience as a family. I have had a South pacific passage and several coastals but still, I need to complete two courses in Auckland to obtain the minimum ICC Ticket required to sail in European waters. While we have both done a level 2 first aid course Silke is doing the Off Shore Medic course..after which we will be assembling a substantial 1st aid kit containing everything from wound staplers to antibiotics.

Theres also the incredibly difficult task of coordination. Timing all these things like the sale and vacation of our home.. selling all our “stuff” (theres a lot of it!) Then there finding our new home with sails… on our equally tiny budget. 100’s and 100’s of yachts scoured over on many many web sites.. we are numb!.. How on earth do you go about finding the right one. From the other side of the world!. Here we can find and a house and if its empty move in within a week. a Sailing Vessel, well thats another matter . Im told a fast sale is 25 days but expect 42!

Ive been in communication with several brokers in Greece and Croatia but I get the feeling they arent keen to invest time on us until we give them solid dates etc. We are probably just “tyre kickers” .

Still, we have a date now of early January for me to go look at some yachts in Greece in the holidays. So hopefully my contacts will come through on their promises to find us a new home.