113. To New Friends and Old

Suddenly it was my turn so I took a quick sip from the Singha beer infront of me, stood up and said something like: ’Hello. I’m Tomas from Sweden. I’m a solo sailor and I’ve lived on my boat Saoirse for the past five years. Most of my cruising buddies have bottled out and decided to either sell their boats or take the route through the Red Sea so I’m here to find some new ones. So cheers everyone.’ Another sip from the Singha and time to sit down and hand over to the couple sitting to my right. This was a scene from one of two Phuket beach bar meetings between cruisers bound for South Africa. I could have added that I’m probably far too sociable to be a solo sailor and that some of you may get more than you bargained for when I arrive at a remote anchorage after a long crossing. Socially starved and talking your ears off. But that will be for them to find out later.

It’s important to have a network of fiends around you when you set off towards some very remote places. Even more so if you sail solo. People to share experiences with, rent cars with, dive with, hike with and quite frankly help you maintain your own sanity. But also people that can help you when you’re in trouble, be it with the boat or say a medical condition. My poor friends on Picasso (fka Traveller) have helped me off a reef, taken me to a doctor when I was ill and coordinated with friends and family when I was ’lost at sea’ on the way across the Pacific Ocean. And I, in turn, have helped a fellow cruiser investigate and fix the root cause of a fire onboard, towed a boat without a working engine away from a reef and saved dragging boats when the owners were away. Situations that would have been much worse without help at hand. And one couple at our meeting told me that they had been towed by a fellow cruiser for four days after losing all their electrics and electronics in a lightning strike. It’s amazing to see how cruisers come together when someone needs help.

As I’m making new friends here I also keep saying goodbye to many of my old ones. The Rosander family from Happy Pancake just left me after a three week stay onboard Saoirse, Celt departed for Sri Lanka a few days ago, Casablanca is for sale here in South East Asia and I will shortly part ways with Picasso. After three and a half years or so. They will be impossible to replace but I’m glad to have met some cool new people that will take the same route that I will.