WC: "Emerald Myst"

This is a very emotional WC for me...

From 1996-2000, I lived on a wonderful 55 ft custom pleasure trawler and explored many countries. We bought it in Hilton Head, and brought it home to Oregon through the Panama Canal, in a 4-month excursion.
We spent time in Florida, (recovering from a very bad white squall 4 hrs after we left Hilton Head), Costa Rica East and West coasts), The Caymans, Nicaragua, San Andres Island, Honduras, the San Blas Islands, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico.

There were many days at sea when we were totally alone. And, yes, there ARE modern day pirates - we encountered them off the coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

We spent summers in Alaska, exploring the coast and inlets. We often didn't see another boat for days, and the toughest decision was what to fish for, for dinner (salmon, ling cod, halibut, shrimp, crab, oysters, rockfish?) or how long to stay in that particular inlet. No TV, no phone, no net, no newspapers. We checked in with my sister every few weeks when we in port somewhere.
It was the most peaceful, serene, carefree time of my life.

I was not so much into photography then, but had one of the first Sony Digitals - 2 MP, I think, that wrote to floppy disks. I'd give anything now to have had a better camera and better skills!

This is the M/V "Emerald Myst", anchored in "No-Name Bay", Alaska. Poor photo; priceless and "forever" memories.

I miss those days immensely. Life is just too complicated sometimes now.