When life becomes a struggle, emotions move at their own pace. I was grateful to live aboard our sailboat MADI back in 2010; it changed my life.

Excerpt from “A European Odyssey”

“As far as I was concerned there were two projects to complete. The first was to get our boat into ship shape and the second was to make sure I followed her lead. From the moment I moved aboard Madi there was the promise of transformation. I wanted to like myself again, and find some inner peace. This was of vital importance, and like my attitude, Madi’s bright work was in desperate need of attention. Most days were spent sanding, scrubbing, and varnishing her railings. The cockpit required a lot of work and eventually she received an entire new coat on her teak deck. Madi got the full treatment and I even had her hauled her out of the water so she could receive a proper scrub underneath.

I moved from winter in Geneva to spring in Lignano and the weather was only going to get better. I began to feel rejuvenated for two reasons; I had serious work and it felt like I was making progress. After a full day’s work I sat aft deck with Colette and Godot at my feet and began the exercise of repairing myself. As she had in the past, Italy acted as a balm, and she was ready to do it once again. There was no reason to compete with her because she was more of a hedonist than I could ever be and the world often looks most attractive when viewing her from a boat. Especially when it’s stationary.”