Gibraltar

Gibraltar, UK---Today, I sat where I had been 15 years earlier. On a pier, in a restaurant, in Gibraltar. It is a HUGE relief to know that we are safely here at what feels like the half way point of this trip and the transition between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Fifteen years ago, I sailed into Gibraltar with the same captain but a smaller boat and different crew. A lot has happened in fifteen years and I find myself in a very different place and looking at the world with a different perspective.

In this amount of time I have lost both parents. I have run 4 Marathons and 8 half marathons, 3 friends have died, I have watched, with the rest of the world, 9-11 happen and all that came with it. I have bought 3 houses and lost 2 to the terrible economy. And I have closed my business of 26 years and said good bye to 2 employees that I cared about. I have given my beloved 15 year old dog to someone else’s keeping. And, of course, I have made this decision to sail for a year.

And here I am. Back on this dock where at that time, my 25 year old boyfriend and I were ready to hit the euro train and backpack for another 3 weeks then I would go back to the states and my job. Instead this time, we will be preparing to sail to the Canary Islands as the first stage of our Atlantic Crossing.

The Rock of Gibraltar has always held a fascination for me. The first time I saw it, I gasped. I could understand why it was such a landmark. I like rocks anyway and have picked up more on this trip than the Captain approves of. Then when my Mother died we found a something very special in her will. She had the lawyer write in the gift of a Bible verse to each of her daughters. Mine: “God is my refuge and strength, THE ROCK in times of trouble.”

And the circle of life continues. Gibraltar will always be here, as will my ROCK.