In the last week I’ve had three ambulance rides, a trip in a private plane, visited two hospitals – staying in one for five days and a commercial flight from the Caribbean to London, England where I’m now situated.
But let’s go back to last Saturday. The day started like all others. I woke up, looked out my port window and saw a white sandy beach lined with palm trees. Pelicans were darting into the water to pick out their breakfast. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the salty tropical air. A fresh breeze came in from that hatch that was the perfect strength and temperature. I blinked my eye’s a few times and as usual thought, ‘Gosh, I love my life.’
And then I heard one big thump followed by a smaller and quicker thump, thump, thump. Our daughter Sienna had jumped down from her bunkbed and was making her way to me for a hug and tickle fight, our morning ritual. Being able to leisurely hug my baby girl (age 8) every day provides me with an incredible sense of love.
Sounds perfect – doesn’t it? Well it’s pretty awesome but it’s not utopia.
After the tickle fight I usually have to endure a multitude of reasons as to why we should not do homeschooling. Sometimes it flows but usually it’s quite a battle. Due to the fact that Sienna is severely dyslexic I have to work with her side-by-side on every subject as she can’t read the instructions let alone the subject matter. When you sit back to think about it, everything in school involves reading – even Math has instructions. Sienna is in third grade with a kindergarten reading ability.
You have to walk a fine line with a child with Dyslexia – they can’t see letters and words the way we do. To them, it looks like a jumbled mess. I have special materials to teach with and they’re brilliant but the hardest part is getting Sienna to bypass the pain she feels when she looks at text and can’t ‘get it.’
So, my early morning routine includes waking up, coffee, and very carefully transitioning our daughter from cuddles to homeschooling.
And as my awakening awareness increases my mind starts to prioritize all the things that need to be accomplished. There are always a series of boat jobs including routine maintenance (clean the freezer secondary filter), routine cleaning (deep clean the forward berth), things to fix (sew the rip in the Bimini cockpit cover), and special projects (make a screen for the companion way to keep the mosquitos out). There’s also making breakfast, cleaning up and then making lunch, cleaning up and then there’s dinner.
In between the previously mentioned activities, I visit with other boat friends, go on an excursion, enjoy some snorkeling, discuss with my husband, Simon, our next passage and always, always, always gain a full understanding of what the weather is doing.
For the time I have left in the day, I make videos, write blogs/books/guides, update my website and answer emails. Simon is brilliant with looking after the boat, me and Sienna but unfortunately he’s Dyslexic too and can’t help me with the guides, website, social media posts, etc. And although he is the star of the show on our YouTube channel, he has the easy part – he just acts normal, I record video and then have quite a job to transform it from live action to something viewable.
If you’ve seen any of my videos, they each take two to three days to make.
You just can’t imagine how laborious it is to make a five or twenty-five minute video. Whether it’s short or long the process is the same – create a storyline (what’s the video going to be about?), take the footage (preferably from 5 different angles), download the clips to a computer (that can take hours to organize when using several cameras) and then deciding on the clips to use.
Once the clips are chosen, I then have to load them into a movie editing package usually starting with three hours of footage. Then the first round of cuts are made (aiming for less than one hour) and eventually I refine until the video is around five to 25 minutes. Simon say’s ‘UMMMMMMM’ a lot…but you wouldn’t know that 😉
Then, I add voice overs. After that, I add music and then have to cut each clip to make sure it times with a beat change in the tune I’ve selected. Finally, I add a beginning and and end and hope that I can find good enough wifi to upload my labor of love.
So, I don’t live in a Utopia – life is hardwork on a boat.
But let’s get back on point and we’ll come back to why I spent so long describing my daily actions.
I was rushed to hospital last week because my heart started to beat at 233 beats per minute and wouldn’t stop. All in all, I had to endure those 233 beats per minute for over two hours. It took time to get from my bed to our dinghy. From the dinghy to the beach. From the beach to a local guys car. From a local guys car to the ambulance. From the ambulance to the hospital bed. And then the wait while the doctor weighed up what drug had the least possibility to potentially terminate my life.
All the while my chest was increasing in discomfort. The middle of my back, behind my heart, felt coiled like a tight spring. I think my back muscles were straining as they tried to alleviate the pain of my racing heart. I was getting tired. I felt my desire to live weaken. When it first started I thought, ‘just hold on,’ but towards the end of the two hours I didn’t necessarily want to die but I wanted relief. I wanted to sleep.
The drugs that the doctor used slowed my heart rate down. I was transferred to a larger hospital on another island and spent five days looking out a beautiful harbor where my boat was eventually anchored. Every test was done on me – blood samples taken. Shots in my arm, in my stomach and a needle port in the top vein of my right hand. I was poked and prodded.
One day before my release the final test was completed – I was told that I did not have a heart attack.
All my tests came back perfectly. Every organ was fine. The doctors shook their head in disbelief saying, ‘You are in perfect health – there’s nothing to indicate why this could have happened.’
The doctor released me from the hospital under the premise that I flew to either New York or London to see a heart specialist. They suspect that my issue is Atrioventricular Modal Reentry Tachycardia. It’s apparently a very common condition. Many people live with it their entire lives. Interestingly, there’s even tricks to get your heart back into the correct rhythm. Some include plunging your face into cold water or dropping down on your knees. To ready the full account, check out Medical Emergency On A Deserted Island.
My meeting with the specialist is tomorrow. I’m going to London Bridge Hospital.
Those are the details. Let’s get into the more meaningful stuff.
Why do I think it happened in the first place? Has this experience caused me to reevaluate whether my family and I should continue with the cruising life? What do I think about people that have health conditions that do want to go cruising? What’s the the future for sailing Britican?
So – Why do I think it happened in the first place?
I’m one of those fruitcakes that thinks there’s a reason for everything. I don’t feel too strongly about karma, or good or bad luck, viewed as resulting from one’s actions. I just think that things happen and when they’re big things (good or bad), we need to take a step back and figure out how we were responsible for making them happen or influencing them to happen.
I’ve only ever been to the hospital twice. Once to have a baby and another time was because the muscles tighten in my neck which cut off my air supply. Why did they tighten?! I was stressed out beyond belief. That…and I have a very long neck! I was in a job that wasn’t right for me any longer. What did I do about it – I quit my job, bought a boat and sailed away.
Now I’m on the boat sailing away, almost six years after my no-air-to-the-brain episode, and something quite dramatic happens once again.
I think it’s stress again. And I absolutely hate to admit that.
Many of us wish for a happier life or a more fulfilling life. We think that changing our situation will change our life. We think that sailing off into the sunset is the answer. (Or…winning the lottery, moving to another country, finding the man/woman of our dreams, having children, fixing our health issues and on and on).
Changing your situation can most certainly help. When you consciously evaluate your habits, choose the one’s you want to keep and discard those that you don’t a new lifestyle works very well. In a new environment you can change the cues that cause negative habits and add cues that create positive ones. Furthermore, if you know what you want to achieve, you’re at least heading for something positive rather than away from something negative (running away).
Buying the boat and sailing away was hands-down the best decision I’ve ever made.
Getting out of corporate London and moving onto Britican probably saved my life. I’ve achieved all the things I wanted – more freedom, a closer bond to my husband and daughter, a life devoid of politics and negative media, healthy local food, constant adventures, a massive sense of community with like-minded people, fresh air and a beautiful view no matter what direction I look.
The only thing I haven’t achieved, however, is an ability to create an income to support the lifestyle we’re living.
And unfortunately that’s a biggie.
I’m doing too much ‘work’ and what I’m doing isn’t effective. My actions are not alleviating one of my innate worries – having enough income to carry on. As a kid I grew up in a family that didn’t have much money and it really bothered me. I didn’t like missing out on things. I didn’t like being picked on because my clothes were hand-me-downs (that didn’t fit). I didn’t like feeling helpless.
So, the drive in me to make an income is massive. Thankfully, I’ve fortunately passed the need to be mega rich – that’s not for me either.
So, let’s come back to my description on making the videos… The reason I included that above is because I spend days making them and the income I make from the videos isn’t contributing enough to the running costs of Britican.
The videos are a labour of love not a labor of income.
I really enjoy making them but on the flip side, I think they’re causing me the most stress. To put so much time and effort into something that isn’t providing the means to sustain ourselves is somewhat crazy. I think that I thought things would change over time – perhaps the channel would grow or we’d get more Patreon supporters?!
It’s funny because my first incident with stress induced hospital visits was actually about making tonnes of money but not enjoying what I was doing to make it. Now, I’ve done a 180 and I love what I’m doing but making very little money.
Do I believe it’s not possible to make money and enjoy it?! That’s something for me to look at – eh?
So, my current gut feeling as to why I ended up in the hospital comes down to stress. And of all the things I do, the one thing that really stresses me out the most are the videos. My plan of action is to stop doing them and find something that I enjoy doing that produces an income instead (that is not stressful).
Has this experience caused me to reevaluate whether my family and I should continue with the cruising life?
Yes – it most certainly has. I’ve reevaluated things. I 100% want to keep cruising but I’m going to change how I spend my time regarding income generation. I’m also starting to urge Simon to get out on the corner and perhaps start selling his body (only joking)…
What do I think about people that have health conditions that do want to go cruising?
That’s a tough question. If it’s going to stress you out worrying about getting sick while you’re cruising that can’t be a good thing. Adding stress on top of the usual anxiety about health is only going to make matters worse. I think you’re asking for trouble.
If, however, you’re more apt to go with the flow and accept that health care might take longer and be at a lower standard then cruising might be just fine.
I have the attitude that when my time is up, it’s up – whether I am next to the best hospital in the world OR on a remote deserted island in the Caribbean. There are people that drink and smoke until they’re 100 years old and live high quality lives. There are people that are a fit as can be and die young. I don’t think we have any control as to our date of departure. Having this attitude makes it easier (for me) to spend time living rather than spend time playing it safe (which I really don’t consider ‘living’ in the fullest sense anyway.)
What’s the the future for sailing Britican?
Who the freak knows. I certainly don’t. We’re getting coded now to take paying guests. That will certainly help with covering our costs AND we do love to have people on the boat. Simon is an amazing teacher and Sienna is a social butterfly. We’ll give it a go and see if we enjoy doing it. If we don’t we’ll pivot.
When I thought I was going to die last Saturday, and I really did think my time was up, I couldn’t think of doing anything other than what we’re doing now (less the stress about making money). I love the boat, the lifestyle, my family, our amazing boat friends, the local people, the food, that challenge of making everything happen…
The only thing I could come up with was that I really wanted to see the Great Wall of China before I died. Isn’t that funny… I have no idea why that’s on my bucket list. In fact, that’s the only thing on my bucket list. I think I put it there to make sure there was something left to do. Hehehehehe.
So…is it time to stop living the dream? Hell no.
If you’ve made it down to the bottom of this article, thank you for reading it. It’s not really an article – it’s just a brain dump. If you have any wise words to pass on please leave them below. I appreciate you 🙂
Hi Kim,
So glad you are feeling better of sorts. You are living the dream we’d all love to live but due to grandkids, and jobs for spouses are unable to do. If you can find a way to control your stress and make it enjoyable again, it might help your health. But if you are like most of us and stress and worrying about life and things on top of the stress of living on a boat, consider doing smaller trips parting example the great loop or do the rivers of England then rest on land and so on. There is a couple who have a video called Happy Together, they work three weeks and take 10 days to meet up with the boat obviously a hefty check book helps but tilt can be scaled down to do. Darren and I are considering f the great loop or Florida as a home base and he can fly to his job and be back and continue. But the parting for fun may be a consideration. I hope the meeting with specialists comes out ok and have a merry merry Christmas!!
Hey Mary! Great to hear from you. I do like the idea of doing smaller trips or part time boating…perhaps that’s in the future? I just can’t help but feel that Britican is home. Even today Sienna said, ‘Mom – when we go home…’ meaning Britican. There’s no other place I really want to live. If things are difficult, however, we can always take Britican to a marina (by land) and live on the boat…We’ll see how it goes. And I think we actually sailed past Happy Together on the ICW 🙂 Thanks so much for writing. I hope you and Darren have a wonderful Christmas 🙂
You are a very special person Less people would have thrown me their hands in the air and said _ _ __ it Simon and Sienna and in fact all your friends and followers are very lucky to have you in their life Hope you get sorted soon and can have a great Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New year xx
Oh Doug, you’re so kind. We’re just as lucky to have you in our lives. I’ll do my best to get sorted! Might even make it out to a pub close to you one day soon 😉
I read
“The only thing I haven’t achieved, however, is an ability to create an income to support the lifestyle we’re living.” and I wondered how much income you needed and what lifestyle you were incurring. I’ll have to read more on budgeting and what expenses are incurred.
I hope to be one of those paying guests one day. Hope to learn lots from Simon. Glad you are all safe and still plan on sailing.
I don’t have any wise words at this moment, just wishing all of you good thoughts.
Hey Richard – The whole costing thing is such a difficult thing to peg down. It all depends on what kind of boat you have, the size of it and the costs associated with keeping it in good shape (and whether or not you do, indeed, keep it in top shape). To replace our teak deck, we’re talking around $80,000 if done in the the US. As it stands now, our deck will last around three more years but we’re constantly having to replace the caulk (black lines). The process is very labor intensive and the caulk isn’t cheap. Whenever a pump goes, it’s $800 (we have around 12 of those). A through-hull fitting – $600 (and we have 23 of them!). And the list goes on. We made a big error on our antifoul paint – we paid a very high price ($12k) to get it done in CopperCoat – it’s suppose to last for up to 10 years. We’ve spent around $6,000 more trying to get it to work and it still doesn’t work. Money down the toilet. It can be very frustrating because you think you know what things will cost but there often seems to be surprises… Okay – enough of that. I’m sounding terribly negative. Thank you for the comments Richard. Big smiles, Kim
Thank you for This! As sailors who are going to begin cruising in a few short weeks, I’m relieved to know you’ll still be “out there”. I’m also happy to see you have the insight to know that the videos are causing the stress. I’m a nurse and my husband is a doctor and healthcare is, of course, at the forefront of our minds. Your experience has been a good reminder that American healthcare isn’t the only option and that the people on these islands are good, gracious and caring people who will provide good care, even if the level of care is less than we are used to. We come from rural South Dakota, where the level of care could be similar depending on location 😉. Thank you for sharing all of this! We are praying for your recovery and will hope to see you somewhere along the way⛵
Thank you for your kind words Erin and best wishes with your cruising life! My family and I look forward to meeting you in an anchorage one day soon. Big smiles, Kim
Hell no to stop livin the dream. Your just about through your latest hiccup on your journey. You have tremendous faith in god, family, life, Britican, Michael, Andrew, and much, much, more. Keep on a sailin girl.
I always wondered the process you go through in the production of the videos. That is time consuming. You spoil us all in those high quality videos.
Remember, stress will find you in whatever you do and wherever you go. You will conquer that latest stretch of stress. It’s in your DNA to overcome it and press on. You have the best attitude on living I’ve ever seen in a person.
Dyslexia? I didn’t know Simon and Sienna had it. But then a lot of people don’t know that Tom Cruise & Cher have it too. That kind of explains Sienna’s adjustments growing up in one of your early blog posts a few years back. But now I’m sure the experts will tell you that their in a lifestyle that they sure can thrive in.
Brown family, keep inspiring me and at least 1 million other people that are following your journey.
Hey Trey – thank you for your lovely comments. I’m going to chill out here in the UK for a couple weeks and by the time we get back to the boat I’m sure I’ll be full steam ahead. Have a very happy holiday season. Big smiles, Kim
Music to my ears on you returning to Britican. I’ve known a few peeps with SVT and I haven’t lost any of them yet. Even one at age 90. Sail on Britican. Many thanks.
Thank you Trey! Now that I know what SVT is I’m not worried in the slightest. Thank you for writing 🙂
I love everything about this post. I don’t even know where to start. It’s so open and so vulnerable and so very real. I can identify with all of it. If we were ever in the same place at the same time, we could process it together. I’m a sailor and a nurse. I have a website and write about how to handle medical emergencies on the water. It’s important work and also I worry every day about money and how to be paid for what I do. It’s definitely a labor of love not a labor of income. I’ve been thinking af adding video and am now rethinking that! The thought of going back to working in a hospital makes my stomach hurt. Whenever the worry gets to great, or I’m up in the middle of the night worrying, and thinking of what else I can do for a living, I come back to one thought. I do what I do because my heart won’t let me do anything else. I wonder if you feel that way too…
Hey Shelly! Yes – I do feel that way too. I think those thoughts also add a bit to the stress. I really don’t think it’s possible for us to return to land. Of course…if we had to do it, we would. But if we have any choice in the matter, there’s so many upsides to living on a boat. Perhaps I can help you make more income – handling medical emergencies on the water is a very important topic. Have you written a guide or book? Give me a week or so and then email me on Kim@SailingBritican.com – the majority of our income comes from selling guides from my online store. Second to that is our Amazon.com sales. Perhaps I can help show you how to do similar? I know that by dropping the videos and doing more guides, in addition to the chartering, will make a massive difference to our income. Thank you for commenting! Smiles, Kim
And also, the whole time I was reading this, I was wondering what the answer to the “time to stop living the dream” question would be. I cheered out loud at Hell No!
That’s awesome! Thank you 🙂
Get yourself healed, take a breather from the stress and continue on with your journey! What you are doing is a dream of others – especially me – so keep it up if you can. If the timeline of having guests on-board doesn’t stress you out, that is a great way to supplement income. However, not really sure it will lower your stress level.
Take care and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Sailing-Filled New Year!
Hey Kevin – great comments. Yeah – I do wonder if taking guests will add to the stress?! We always have guests but doing specific charters are different. I will feel the need to do my best to make it an amazing experience. I think that no matter what I do I need to work on my relaxation techniques. Hehehehe. Smiles, Kim
Meditation!
I’m on it 😉
Sorry to hear about your condition and situation. Stress seems to be a worldwide trend with a global increase in depression related illnesses.
I think you are on the right path getting coded. Many people want to get the experiance of sailing for longer than a charter but are scared to take the plunge.Maybe with a little onboard experiance it will make a differance.
Speedy recovery and a blessed Christmas and New Year.
Yeah Lee…it’s scary to see the amount of depression and related illnesses. With all this stuff we now have we’re getting unhappier. That’s soooo not cool. And I once heard a doctor say that he thought 95% of all illness comes from stress. We all need to chill out – eh? Here’s to a chilled out and very fulfilling New Year! Smiles, Kim
Well. I thought of mental stress, too. It’s scary to experience a tachycardia for the first time but it could be managed, I hope. Maybe you are already practicing but if not, would you please considering to start meditation? p.s. I have been always enjoying your posts very much.
Hey Marineboy305! Yes – I meditate almost every day. Sometimes I manage five minutes and other days I do it for an hour. Now that I know a tachycardia is not life threatening it makes things quite a bit less daunting! One thing that I haven’t been doing enough of is to get outside and exercise, do my stretches and take time out…I’ll definitely be doing more of that in the future 😉 Thank you for writing. Kim
Don’t give up for a medical reason, they will get you fixed up. Understanding the problem is 95% of the task. I had an unexpected mitral valve failure in June and thought my dreams were down the tubes. I can say just 5 weeks after an open heart surgery to repair the valve I was back to cycling and paddle boarding. There is no question in my mind I can do it now, so just give it some time. The medical community has so much knowledge know they will know exactly what to do. Just research what doctor you use.
On the finance side, you have to give your crewing idea some time to grow. There are tons of people would would love to make a passage of some substance to get the experience. You have people who are willing to spend $500K+ on a boat but never experienced real passage in real conditions to see if they can deal with the total experience. I followed a Helia 44 called SaltyPaws, It was picked up new in France, decked out with all the great gear, sailed to the Caribbean and immediately put up for sale. I don’t think you have to cross the Atlantic but I think a multi night passage with real some crew duties would be a hit. Best of luck. Jon
Hey Jon – thank you for your comments. Yes – that’s what we’re planning on offering in the new year. Our charter will be an experience, not a holiday. Everyone has jobs, we’ll do night sailing, and show people what a daily routine is like for a ‘normal’ cruising family (less any medical emergencies I hope!). I can’t tell you how many emails I get where people are telling me that they got the boat, fitted it out and then finally went sailing to discover either they didn’t like sailing or their partner didn’t like it. What a waste of time, money and dream creation! Big smiles, Kim
Hang in there Kim. You’ll be just fine. I had an episode with tachycardia many years ago;yes”related to stress” as a young man starting my own real estate business.
As i learned early on ,you must learn to face you fears head on and deal with the stress. Never had an issue after that lesson
I’ll catch up with you when you get better and do a week with you on Britican..
Warmest personal regards and best wishes for the holidays.
Thank you Robert. Best wishes to you too! Big smiles, Kim
I hope you feel better. Great post about stress and our life choices. Btw, the Great Wall of China definitely belongs a bucket list. A few years ago I hiked one of the most spectacular sections with some friends. Unforgettable experience. The good kind of stress :).
Hey Henrik – thanks about the note regarding the Great Wall of China… I’m not sure why I’m so fascinated with it – I’ll find out when I see it for myself. Best regards, Kim
Live for the now babe the road always has bumps, but your still on it. 😎
Yes Steven…I sure am. Thank you! Kim
You are so wonderful, Kim, I wish you all the luck on earth and hopefully you can continue leaving your dream. And even if not for a life long, you did it for 6 years, not many of us get it that far. All the best, Kim
Thank you Bob. I appreciate your comments. And I am very grateful for my six years 🙂 Big smiles, Kim
I too suffer from stress related illness. I have had to learn how to control the stress, This I do by techniques such as distraction, (CBT), mindfulness practices, meditation and controlling what I allow myself to focus on. Like the bible says “whatever is good, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things” (roughly my interpretation), and don’t be letting yourself think about all the other depressing crap that is going on out and about. These things have really helped me stay off the SSRI’s and beta blockers that led to too many side effects, and maintain an upbeat state from which I am moving forward. Discovering the teachings of people like “Neville Goddard” have also given me insights into another way of looking at the world which have helped open up a new sense of possibility. Not for everyone this but works for me.
Hey Trevor – thank you for your suggestions. Just yesterday I almost purchased a book on CBT at a local store. I might go back and get it. And Neville Goddard has some interesting and insightful things to say 😉 I appreciate your words of wisdom. Big smiles, Kim
I am so very pleased you will continue to cruise, the peace is out there and not the hustle and bustle of “the daily grind.” As a traveling RN we will make it there to the water, just don’t know when.
I hope it’s soon Brad. Thanks so much for writing. Big smiles, Kim
I am sorry that your so ill.Stress does terrible things.its given me crohns and ulcerated collitis.That brings on more stress as one cannot control certain functions.
I have a 30ft yacht a Sarum its all.alluminium to enable me to keep using it I have had to go into a marina.I have central heating so can still use it and being an ex merchant navy radio officer can enjoy playing radio.The trouble is you will be lucky to get back what you paid for your yacht.I frightened myself looking on ebay at prices
There was an american pearson.34ft.he sailed it back to the uk.to be able to sell it at all I assumed looking at what was there £60,000. at least it went for less than half its certainly a buyers market out there
I hope that you make a quick recovery but am afraid that having paying guests and having to care for thier whims and fancies may well stress you out again,The trouble is it sounds as though you are the main bread winner,cookand bottle washer which alone is more stress.If you have ever heard of the J class yachts that challenged for the america cup.my great grand father was captain Edward Heard Master of the Valsheda.
I wish you well.
Hey Stephen, thank you for writing. My brother has Crohns…not a nice disease. He’s gone Vegan and it’s helped him quite a bit – on occasions he’ll splurge on meat but it really has changed life for him. Yes – boats devalue and keep devaluing. I don’t think anyone should ever buy one with the hopes of getting back anything near what they paid for it. And yes – I love J class yachts. They’re the prettiest yachts around! Your great grand father must have enjoyed his experiences 🙂
Good luck, Kim. Hope you get your strength back. You do work hard at your “job.” Time to lay back and enjoy the sailing part as the priority in living a dream. Bill Glindeman
Sounds like a good plan Bill. Thank you for writing! Big smiles, Kim
12.18.2018
Never stop liven the dream!
Of course not! 😉
Hi Kim,
First, hoping for the best out come for your health, that’s the most important thing you have.
I have twin boys who were born with a congenital defect in their chromosomes. About one in every 500 males have this defect and it can affect each person differently. One of the manifestations is cognitive ability, similar to dyslexia. Through long and trying childhoods what we learned is that the techniques and strategies to read and understand drawings/diagrams is the key to success. Both boys required extra time to take tests and complete assignments but they could and did get the job done. One of my sons graduated from college, is successfully working for a small company and is considering working on a masters degree. The other son is a paramedic in a large metropolitan area.
It was a hard road for the boys, my wife and I. But it was well worth the struggle. You know Sienna better than anyone: when to push her, when to give a little relief, what her stretch goals should be. It’s hard on all of you, but your smart, motivated and you’ll get the job done.
I’m sad to hear the videos are ending. There are a lot of sailing channels and yours was uniquely family oriented. The videos will be missed.
Best wishes to you all. Living your dream is worth fighting for.
Steve Cieri
Dear Steve – thank you for sharing the background about your boys. Some days I think that us being on the boat is the best thing because Sienna gets one on one attention – I’m not sure she’d get that in the States of the UK. Other days, I think I’m just not cut out to do it. Overall, however, I am seeing progress. It’s slow but we are moving forward. Sienna has started to read signs around us and she’s so proud of herself. And of course, I’m proud for her. And outside of reading/writing she’s learning so many valuable lessons so I’m not worried about her future. I just need to probably find a way to better balance my workload. As for the video’s…I’ll probably still make them but less consistently. We’ll see what happens. Thanks again for writing! Big smiles, Kim
Don’t stop believing in yourself. You and your family are wonderful people. You all deserve happiness and good health. Thanks for your message of kindness and love.
Thank you Gary – that’s very nice of you. Big smiles, Kim
Hi,
I’ve been following your sailing channel for a while, and I’m saddened to hear that you’re having some heart issues. I’m fairly certain that I know what you’re going through, since I’ve been living with heart arrhythmia for more than 40 years (and heart problems for almost 60 years). I suspect that you’ll be getting a catheter ablation, and perhaps put on a schedule of beta-blockers. In most cases ablation will fix you, but some people need two or more ablations to repair the problem (I’ve had three over the past 22 years, but I have other heart problems which I know you don’t have).
While stress is a huge part of initiating arrhythmia, I have found that what might seem like small things can also have an influence. In my case I had to completely (and I mean totally) eliminate alcohol, caffeine, and chocolate from my diet. I’ve been told that those who smoke should also consider giving that up as well. In one of my hospital stays I came across a fellow patient (in early middle age) who was not able to have sex, because she went into an arrhythmia each time she tried! She was hoping that the ablation she had just undergone would fix that.
I’m now so confident that my arrhythmia is under control that I would undertake an around-the-world cruise in a heartbeat (no pun intended) if my wife were at all interested.
I can’t offer any suggestions regarding how to make enough income to allow you to continue cruising, but I hope that you’ll be able to find a life that you enjoy, and visit the Great Wall of China once you are feeling better.
Best of luck,
Hey Richard – thank you for the kind message. A dear friend of mine has who suffers from arrhythmia has cut out caffeine, alcohol and chocolate. I can live without chocolate and cut down on alcohol but the thought of giving up my one latte a day freaks me out. Hehehehehe. The woman that can’t have sex because of it – wow! That’s very unfortunate. I hope the ablation helped her… Thanks again for writing. Big smiles, Kim
Hi Kim,
I am so sorry for everything you’re going through. That sure doesn’t help the stress level either. I believe that if you have one little thought towards staying aboard, then you should keep living aboard! My biggest fear is also the money thing.. I only have a 30 foot monohull. But I will still have repairs, diesel, etc. I don’t need to tell you all this. If I could figure that out I would be headed down the river now! I wish you and Simon and the little one the absolute best in everything! Especially your health!!! God bless
Thank you for your lovely comments Richard. I’m sure we’ll find a way to make it work. Big smiles, Kim
Your insights and recent traumatic experience are fresh and raw. While it is normal to fixate, try and put it in perspective and know you need some time to sort it all out. As for the videos and sacrifice required in time and lost privacy, I think that media stress is a distractation from living and enjoying life. Enjoy the holidays and best wishes to your family
Bill
Thank you Bill – you’re correct, I need time 🙂 I appreciate your comments. Happy holidays, Kim
Hello Kim,
I spent 30 years in a stressful career as a construction project manager. Raising a family etc… . 2008/2009 came along and I found myself unemployed for the first time ever. Stress/depression set in so I started reading what I call “head books”, why am I thinking/feeling this way? STRESS. Discovered that there are 3 types of stress, business, family and the worst, “self imposed”. We are the lucky ones, we’ve identified the culprit and have taken action to get back in control.
Your idea of taking on paying guests that are interested in furthering their sailing skills is a very good one. I’ve taken a few classes from a commercial sailing school, which was fine but seemed to be geared toward production, move’m through, test’m, on to the next batch. Sounds as if your folks will be offering a more intimate hands on learning experience. So when you are back on Britican, please contact me.
Relieved and delighted you are getting back on track and are looking at making life adjustments as necessary.
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year.
Kind Regards,
Jim Hughes
Hey Jim. Yes – my self imposed stress is most definitely the worst. I need to work on that – eh?! Hehehehe. And yes – the chartering experience we’re setting up is more about the lifestyle and what you want to get out of it rather than a ‘school’ type approach. We’ve done all the RYA trading in the UK and yes – it is a conveyor belt approach of what you need to know…there’s no tips or, ‘hey – this is how they teach you how to do it, but this is what works way better…’ And learning to sail is one thing. Learning how to live on a boat is something that’s totally different. We’ll get in touch with you in the New Year. Merry Christmas! Kim
Kim
Thanks for your open and honest sharing. It is this vulnerability that makes you so attractive to follow! Whatever you decide as a family around income generation makes good sense to me. And remember, we become what we think about, so please remain positive and full of hope.
Blessings, Peter 😎⛵️
Thank you Peter – we’re all very positive in the Britican household right now 🙂 And we’re looking forward to seeing what 2019 is going to bring. Big smiles to you, Kim
There are no happy news to hear what happened to you Kim! :0(
I finally got my sailboat this past February, I have her docked in a slip in Dana Point, CA, and I have to admit that I was specially inspired by you and your way of life, and it’s sad to hear your story. But let’s look at things from another angle… You can live aboard and just take some short cruises, and/or something similar. … First of all, you are a great person and you deserve it because you are worth it. You are already enough, Kim!
Thank you Richard 🙂 You’re such a kind soul! I’m feeling much better now and we’re excited to see what 2019 will bring. And I’m so pleased you have your boat now. Happy holidays, Kim
Hi Kim, Sorry to hear you’ve not been yourself of late. Health is such an important thing to address when things go wrong and I’d imagine can be stressful in their own right when they occur far from home or out in the ocean. You seem to have such a positive attitude towards life and the dream you and your family are living. If it were me I’d try to take a time-out, get the treatment I need, rest and then throw myself back into the life I love. At the end of the day you’re only here the once so you have to live the life you really want and enjoy to the max. So take it easy, and take care of yourself first before making any decisions to change the life you so obviously love. Have a great Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year. Tim.
Hey Tim – yes, you’re right. Great advice! While we’re in the UK I’m going to chill out and take it easy. Happy holidays to you! Big smiles, Kim
Hi Kim. Really sorry to hear about your problems and sympathise totally with your health and sailing delemas. I have very similar. Just been diagnosed with leakemia which means 6 months with chemotherapy and then if it works 6 months bone marrow transplant. Our boat Jambo is on the hard on Leros and we have been sailing all summer for 6 months for the last 4 years. Living the life! Time to give up??? Hell no. Maybe have to miss a year but believe life will return to normal. Maybe put her back into the water for July? Think positive. Remember that together with your partner we can beat all. Been through some pretty nasty storms with big waves and Jambo always saw us through.
God luck. Johnny
Hey Johnny – yes, we CAN beat it all. Thank you so much for sending some inspiration. May your treatment be easy and effective…and we’ll see you in an anchorage in the future. Here’s to good health for the New Year and more sailing adventures. Good luck to you too! Kim
Honestly – you never do things by half do you? Delighted to hear that you are on the mend.
Keep thinking, keep talking. You know better than any that the world is your oyster. I’m sure that, as a family, you’ll find the right path and keep wringing the most out of each day.
Have a Merry Christmas – and see you on Aphrodite’s Isle when you get this side. 😉
Thank you Stuart! You’re awesome. Big love, Kim
Hey Kim, warmest thoughts for a speedy diagnosis – but just a thought – I have a daughter who’s racing heart rate was subsequently diagnosed back to an overactive thyroid – no-one picked it up … just a thought – environmental damage and Thyroid issues are hugely increased – so often Dr’s look at a “body subject” or organ in isolation but don’t always think bigger picture. We’re here in London too, on Samollu moored in St Katharine Docks, if you need anything shout or if you want company come visit don’t hesitate to ask! Meantime, rest up, feel better soon. x
Hey Debby – what an awesome place to be based. We used to go to the Oyster shows in St Katharine’s Docks. You’re seriously in the heart of the city. Good point about the thyroid side of things – I was tested in Grenada and it all came back fine. I agree that Dr’s often look too close at issues rather than the whole system… Thanks so much for writing! Happy holidays, Kim
Hang in there! I’m sure you’ll find a balance that works for you. Just don’t push yourself too hard!
I agree Erik 😉
Hi Kim,
By now you would have had the results and the planned procedure for your heart. I mentioned in an earlier email that I developed a heart flutter and a racing uneven heartbeat. Had an ablation done and am fine again. My feelings of big things happening for a reason are different to yours. I don’t believe in signs to change direction in life. Of course if you don’t make enough money in a job, you may have to change jobs…..that not really a sign, merely reality. From an early age life is what you make of it and for most part it is entirely up to you. You and your family are enjoying a wonderful life, enjoy it to it’s fullest. Stressing out on the videos is not what you and your family should be fussing about. It’s great for the viewing public, however the cost is too great. Think about enjoying your quality of life on the water with making less money. Hopefully the new model of chartering will be the way to go. Stick with it, the next 2 weeks will help clarify your plans for the future.
Take care, Merry Christmas to you, Simon and Sienna.
P.S. Tell Simon he still owes me a beer for the 2 – 1 rugby thrashing between SA and England. I will find you guys on the water somewhere to get the beer.
Hey Howard – thank you for your insightful comments. I do believe life is 100% what you make it…I just have a habit of making it stressful. Hehehehehe. I’ll take a few weeks to think about things and see what comes from it. No matter what, I’m positive that we’ll head in the right direction. And I’ll let Simon know about the beer 🙂
That was a harrowing experience you went through especially in a place that could not provide the kind of care you need. Hopefully, the ablation you had in London was successful and you`re back on your feet and feeling stronger. It can be stress related but not always; exercise and caffeinated beverages can set it off sometimes but should not be a worry after your procedure.
I hope you don`t give up the sailing life as the rest of us all live vicariously through yours. If you can figure out the finance part I think you`ll be fine. Hang in there in best wishes to you and your family.
Thank you Kevin. I’m feeling much better now…and I have a huge list of things to try out on the financial side of things. I’m sure 2019 will full of more adventures 😉 Thanks so much for writing. Big smiles, Kim
I wish you and yours very Happy Holidays and that you overcome whatever you have. Sounds like 2 people depend on you. Dyslexia I know nothing about, but to me it would be terrible not to be able to read. I just bought a gutted boat about six months and have done nothing with it. I thought I had a partner, but she decided to do something else.(without me). But I have a dyslexic granddaughter, that I am going to try to take with me. However, she reads at a 3d grade level and plenty of other problems. She is 16 years and I don’t know if I can do it.
I wish I could help you also, but I doubt that there is any thing I can do.
Hey Walt – there are a huge amount of resources for Dyslexic children and adults. There are materials that have been created for older kids (16 year olds) that don’t make them feel like little children. I just came across a website that has special workbooks for all ages. Check that out here: http://www.dyslexiagames.com/order-here (look at the Pack C). I’m sorry about your partner – I think there’s someone else out there for you…perhaps you have get out sailing to find her? I wish you the best Walt. Big smiles, Kim
Kim,
We all have stress and amazing what it can do to us. Monica and I are “two + years passed our self-imposed” retirement plan. We planned to retire at 50, but the promise of a good ending to my job has kept us in South Florida (Not a bad place to be) with our 40 foot Manta Catamaran (really nice too) and we live on a canal. We leave Saturday for the Florida Keys for two weeks on board but will be coming back to work in January. I’m really glad that you’ve decided to keep at it. We know that we will get to our retirement and that cruising away from here is in the cards. Yet the stress is always there. Keep on managing it and keep doing what you’re doing. Lots of people supporting you.
By the way… PLEASE look into DAN BOATER and DAN INSURANCE. We are dive professionals (in addition to our business day jobs) and have DAN/DAN INSURANCE and likely will add DAN BOATER when we leave.
One call to DAN would have resulted in them arranging for your travel to medical facilities and they would pay all the costs!! The annual cost is so cheap – DAN BOATER is $100 for the family annually!
Wishing you a good trip in London and an “easy solution” to whatever your medical issue was.
Happy holidays
Hey Jason – thank you for the tip on the Insurance. I’ll get Simon looking into that this week. And we’ll see you out on the sea soon 🙂 Big smiles, Kim
The way you’re writing is so great of authencitie
I’m following you since I don’t know how many years, you are doing my dream in every single post. Somes obstacles make us better. Take care of you but don’t worry, I’m sure I will read you from the great wall of China, soon.
Merry christmas and a healthy happy new year to all of you (sorry for the bad english… )
Thank you for your kind words Gaston. Big smiles, Kim
It’s amazing to see you are so positive Kim,good health and fair winds to you and your lovely family. Terry.
Thank you Terry. Good health and fair winds to you too!