Free at last, free at last!
Yay, at last I’m writing this epistle from by boat in Western France, where the sun is shining, the weather is hot, the sea sparkling, the croissants delicious and the sailing invigorating, despite very little wind most days. After being a prisoner of Covid for almost three years, at last we’re allowed to travel to France, where I keep my boat.
This story proves to me that no matter who you are, you can achieve any goal you want if you really, sincerely feel deep in your heart that it’s absolutely right for you, and if you go about it the right way.
First define you goal, write it down and focus on it like a laser, so you have no room in your brain for any other thought.
Don’t worry if your goal seems daunting or you feel overwhelmed. Just chunk it down into small steps to tackle one at a time. And don’t worry if you can’t see how you could possibly achieve it. If your heart’s in it, soon your first step will be revealed, and that’s all you need to get going. Remember, the journey of 10,000 miles begins with a single step. You put one foot in front of the other and doggedly keep going. Perseverance is the key. Determination. Your laser-like focus will keep you on track.
Don’t give up when the going gets tough. Remember, nobody who gave up ever achieved anything of note. Believe you can do this and if you can’t believe in yourself wholeheartedly, act as if you do.
Now what on earth has all this go to do with me and my boat? It illustrates my point perfectly. You might find it hard to believe, but getting her back in the water, seaworthy and ready to sail, was one of the hardest challenges I’ve ever faced, mainly because totally uncooperative third parties were involved and I had to get them to take action. It was like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. It began with engine failure.
The one and only engine mechanic in the one and only boatyard in my (former) home port of Bourgenay was so busy that getting him just to take a look at my ailing motor was a major achievement. He told me the engine would have to be removed from the boat and virtually rebuilt.
Getting it fixed and reinstalled took over a year of intensive emailing, using Google Translate, and ‘phone calls in stumbling French to the boatyard, who could not or would not communicate. My emails went unanswered, my ‘phone calls went straight to voicemail, except when they wanted something from me. Eventually they fixed the engine and reinstalled it. Then they sent me a massive bill and shortly after I paid it the company went bust.
Long before that point I would have jumped on a ferry and gone there in person to get some action, but Covid intervened and I was stuck at home. A very beautiful home, but it felt like a prison.
To cut a long story short I was so determined to get that boat in the water with me at the helm I finally got it to happen. It was one of the hardest and most stressful things I’ve ever done, but now I know it was well worth it.
Many times I was tempted to give up, but sheer dogged determination got me there, plus a little help from my friends, and the new boatyard owners.