Recently we’ve had a pre-Christmas present in form of a mail from another international cruising family who will be joining us here in January. We can’t wait to have someone to share these crazy moments on the pontoon with that are hard to imagine unless you chose adventure over convenience. How must it be like for our fellow 80+ (!) liveaboards sharing their wintering experience across the straight, 60nm in Sicily’s Marina di Ragusa? Out of the 700 boats in Msida Yacht Marina, we are a mere four live-aboards! On the good side, there’s no escaping, nor distraction from merging right with the wonderful local and expat communities we’ve met. Fantastic and inspiring people!

Talking about convenience, we have been indulging over the past few days as very kind and generous friends have left us their penthouse apartment to escape from the storm last week – while they flew back home for Christmas. Thus, this morning’s stunning sun rise shot overlooking Valetta and the Marsamxett Harbour. The space and ease of living in an apartment for a change is flabbergasting. Yet as I’m sipping my Chai in the dawn breeze on the balcony after having watered the herbs, having my morningly connecting with nature moment, the vast sky above me and the deep blue sea in the distance, I feel like we took a moment out from filming to be part of the audience, just sit back, relax and watch the world go by. On the boat, it’s always right there, in the midst of life and adventure, living the voyage as intensely as you can, never easy but no regrets, no opportunity for growth missed out, always with a tinge of romance and ton of exploration. Yin and Yang. Embracing both. Loving life for the sake of living.