Saturday, May 21, 2016

Short read on #living #life the way you want! #health #selfhelp #travel #RPBP


I've sailed around the world one and half times with Noel, I've not only grown, I've learned so much... here are my thoughts after our second trip across the Pacific Ocean... some of these learnings I use in talks at schools..
The tough times, make the good times, so much better![/caption]
  • Sailing is my drug. When I’m scared, I feel alive; when times are tough, my senses are heightened. Surviving the demands of furious seas enhances calm anchorages.
  • I must feed my addiction of adrenaline-thumping emotions of electrifying fear and invigorating fright.
  • It doesn’t matter what we tackle as long as tension, terror, anticipation, and elation can have a punch-up in my gut and come out battered and bruised – but, still, mates.
  • The most important part of seizing life by the scruff of the neck and relishing it is learning to love yourself. It doesn’t matter if you are living in paradise or a shoe-box; if you don’t like yourself, you won’t like your life. You must love the boat you have, and love the body (and mind) you have, too. If you don’t, a trip won’t change that, and it will never be special.
  • We must all face compromises to move forward in life. Many concessions are our own decision, but there are also penalties in how people perceive you, especially if you are a little different.
Being happy with what you have - what you are, and what you are doing - is the secret to happiness... oh, and have a purpose too...

Be Different I urge you to be different; step outside the box; allow your light to shine. We all make career, family, and money decisions. Whatever you do, someone somewhere will judge you. Have faith, follow your inner compass, and be gracious, because then you can’t fail. If that means standing away from the crowd and making yourself a prime target for opinionated people, then keep this in mind: those who are ostracised, judged, and questioned are remembered. 
Be different (Ecuador)

This Is It - 2 hemispheres, 2 people, and 1 boat details our two-year trip crossing the Pacific Ocean Of Foreign Build - From Corporate Girl To Sea Gypsy Woman details our nine-year circumnavigation on a small boat A Standard Journey - 5 horses, 2 people, and 1 tent details our adventure living with five adopted horses in the Australian bush for several months. If you want to know what we're up to right now - on a Dutch barge in Europe, look here. Author blog: www.jackieparry.com Travel blog: www.noelandjackiesjourneys.com Horse: http://helpinghandforhorses.weebly.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.parry.7543 Travels: https://www.facebook.com/NoelAndJackiesJourneys Horses: https://www.facebook.com/pages/For-the-love-of-horses/1048526295173146 Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00OT9CWV8 Amazon book links A Standard Journey: viewBook.at/astandardjourney Of Foreign Build: viewBook.at/OfForeignBuild Cruisers’ AA (accumulated acumen): viewBook.at/cruisersaa

This Is It: viewBook.at/thisisit

Audio Excerpt Of Foreign Build: http://goo.gl/AnsKRr Twitter https://twitter.com/NandJJourneys https://twitter.com/StandardJourney Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7157763.Jackie_Sarah_Parry?from_search=true Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jackieparry7543 Linkedin https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jackieparry Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113148478675680852619/posts/p/pub Photo album of A Standard Journey: http://goo.gl/1QgMp2 Photo album of Of Foreign Build: http://jackieparry.com/of-foreign-build-photo-album/ Photo album of Cruisers’AA: http://jackieparry.com/pics/ Photo album of This Is It: http://jackieparry.com/photos-this-is-it/ A Standard Journey FB Page: https://goo.gl/uV7NGY Cruisers’ AA FB Page: https://goo.gl/2vEnkB Of Foreign Build FB Page: https://goo.gl/VvLT3M Listen to me chat to Carol Graham (Never Ever Give Up) about sailing, pirates, adopting horses, and surviving life! http://app.stitcher.com/splayer/f/69073/41215218  

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Travelling The World Traumas #Ecuador #Kidnap #memoir #travel #RPBP @NandJJourneys


Excerpt from This Is It - 2 hemispheres, 1 people, and 1 boat 
Intro: As we made way for La Paz, Mexico on our sailboat Pyewacket, throughout the last night before landfall we towed a sailboat (Windsong) that required assistance... With immense relief, dawn tinted the sky a light blue, and at a critical moment in the clutches of gusting wind and the narrowest part of the canal, the tow line parted. Engulfed with fatigue, the nervous energy galvanised me into action. The dawn turned grey as if angry with the fracas beneath it. The unforgiving currents picked up Windsong and guided them, side on, to the quintessence of jagged rocks. Meanwhile, opposing winds lifted the flowing currents, turning a placid passageway into an angry, frothing nightmare.  Before the fracas it was lovely and calm 

With no time for a text book tow, we leaped into action. ‘I’ll tie a fender to the end of this line,’ I yelled into the whipping wind, while putting my knot training to good use. ‘We can drag the line off our stern to see if they can pick it up with their boat hook’ ‘Good work,’ Noel agreed, while concentrating on the safety of our own vessel. With winds strong enough to lift and twist our boats sideways and the solid, bumpy waves bashing against the hull, we had to manoeuvre far enough away from Windsong for safety, but drive close enough so they could pick up the line. Fenders float; therefore, it kept the line on the surface of the water. When boats’ propellers rotate, they can easily suck lines in and around the propeller shaft, stalling the engine and potentially causing expensive damage. Many possibilities and dangers existed and had to be considered and accounted for. We couldn't enjoy the typical Mexican views
We couldn't enjoy the typical Mexican views 

‘I’ll come around again,’ Noel called out while the wind viciously whipped away his words. ‘Haul in the line for a minute.’ ‘Okay,’ I yelled back, and Pyewacket bumped and heaved in a circle, while I prepared the line to sweep it past their bow once again. We watched the crew of Windsong valiantly try and fail to retrieve their life-line as we swept by their bow, time after time. Their taut faces matched those of an athlete, poised for the starter’s gun. On board Pyewacket, our concerns for our own safety deepened; the engine strained against its mounts as we asked for the almost impossible. As Windsong slid closer to the awaiting rocks, we had no choice but to keep our distance. We couldn’t risk our boat and us. We stood by helplessly, watching a fine boat surely become dashed on unforgiving boulders.Did we all make it safely into this spectacular anchorage area?
Did we all make it safely into this spectacular anchorage area?    

Noel and I were safe and enjoyed the safety of land!
Noel and I were safe and enjoyed the safety of land! 

For more great pictures and stories look here 
Our current boat is a 1920s Dutch Barge - would you like to look around (she's for sale!) - look here Author blog: www.jackieparry.com Travel blog: www.noelandjackiesjourneys.com 
Horse: http://helpinghandforhorses.weebly.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.parry.7543 
Travels: https://www.facebook.com/NoelAndJackiesJourneys 
Horses: https://www.facebook.com/pages/For-the-love-of-horses/1048526295173146 
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00OT9CWV8 
Amazon book links A Standard Journey: viewBook.at/astandardjourney 
Of Foreign Build: viewBook.at/OfForeignBuild 
Cruisers’ AA (accumulated acumen): viewBook.at/cruisersaa

This Is It: viewBook.at/thisisit

Audio Excerpt Of Foreign Build: http://goo.gl/AnsKRr 
Twitter https://twitter.com/NandJJourneys https://twitter.com/StandardJourney 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7157763.Jackie_Sarah_Parry?from_search=true 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jackieparry7543 
Linkedin https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jackieparry 
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113148478675680852619/posts/p/pub 
Photo album of A Standard Journey: http://goo.gl/1QgMp2 
Photo album of Of Foreign Build: http://jackieparry.com/of-foreign-build-photo-album/ 
Photo album of Cruisers’AA: http://jackieparry.com/pics/ 
Photo album of This Is It: http://jackieparry.com/photos-this-is-it/ 
A Standard Journey FB Page: https://goo.gl/uV7NGY 
Cruisers’ AA FB Page: https://goo.gl/2vEnkB 
Of Foreign Build FB Page: https://goo.gl/VvLT3M 

Listen to me chat to Carol Graham (Never Ever Give Up) about sailing, pirates, adopting horses, and surviving life! http://app.stitcher.com/splayer/f/69073/41215218

If you enjoyed this, keep watching for the next blog from Jackie Parry! You never know what she will post about next!

Sunday, May 15, 2016

"Shark Encounter That Changed My Life" by author Jackie Parry @NandJJourneys #adventure #eBook #SHARK ENCOUNTER #memoir #travel #RPBP

Please enjoy this Excerpt from our guest blogger author Jackie Perry!



Tahanea Atoll is part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. For an atoll, it is large, measuring almost thirty miles in length; the maximum width is just under ten miles. There’s a narrow entrance and a wide lagoon to anchor within. It’s uninhabited but visited occasionally by islanders from neighbouring atolls for fishing. We anchored in clear, turquoise water a fair distance away from shore and the other three boats already there. We declined the offer of joining the other cruisers on a shark dive in the passageway – sharks weren’t my thing; I noticed Noel wasn’t that keen, either. ‘They won’t hurt you,’ they said. ‘The sharks there have no teeth; they can only suck the flesh off your arm!’ We weren’t sure if this was a joke or reality; either way, the outcome wasn’t endearing.  
Anchored off Tahanea Atoll (in the Pacific Ocean)

We took time to assemble, pump up, and off-load our large rubber dinghy; we wanted to snorkel on a reef, but first, we had to float our anchor chain. Finding a sandy patch to anchor in was a little tricky; between the anchor and the boat, the chain would snag on coral heads. The sharp coral can wear chain over time but, short-term, the chain causes damage. Our boat fenders were ideal floats. Every five metres, we lashed a fender to the chain to keep it floating above the living structure of the reef and to prevent snatching where the chain had been shortened when snagged. I kept one eye open for sharks. With that job done, we puttered over to a coral patch, where we thought we’d be safe. This is where I learned I could walk on water. 
On our way to dive

There we were, having a jolly good time drifting along with the gentle current, watching colourful fish flash alongside vibrant coral. Noel swam about twenty metres in front of me, and something made me turn around. As I swung my head over my left shoulder, I practically touched noses with a black-tip shark. A cold rush of terror gushed into my belly as if a sluice gate had been opened. 

My mate sharky

Noting its teeth and bulky length at almost twice my height, I screamed, spun around, and flailed my way towards Noel. Running on pure adrenaline, I didn’t make the decision – fight or flight didn’t cross the wreckage of my mind, but clearly, flight had won the day. I can be calm when in immediate danger; meeting a shark so intimately had proven this wasn’t always the case. As I thrashed my way towards Noel, I forgot to breathe, but my mind conveniently decided to voice its opinion. You’re never going to out swim a shark! My thoughts tormented me; they were at odds with my physical emotions as if they were sitting back in a deck chair enjoying the show. Any moment sharky is going to be enjoying lunch care of your left thigh. But I couldn’t stop. I had leaped into sheer panic mode. I had no control of my actions, and it appeared that I couldn’t control my thoughts, either. As I flogged my way nearer to Noel, he was blissfully unaware of my stress as he silently snorkelled in peace. He jumped two foot clear of the water as I grabbed his leg, clawed across his back, and sat on his shoulders. 

Noel having a nice peaceful time before I came along!

‘What the.... what’re you doing, gerrrooofff!’ He pulled me down beside him. ‘Shark, there’s a shark!’ I scanned the area. Sharky was hiding somewhere, clearly having a good titter at my expense. ‘It grinned at me. It was so close I nearly kissed it!’ I said breathlessly. ‘I think we upset him by not going to see him with the diving excursion, and he decided to pay us a visit.’ Fear makes me ramble. Noel laughed. ‘It’s okay. Let’s go over there. It’s a bit shallower, and we can regroup.’ We stood on a reef, where the water came to above my knees. I peered at Pyewacket way off on the horizon. ‘At least the dinghy is nearby.’ ‘Well, it’s a few minutes swim to reach it,’ Noel said. My heart did a little flip. ‘Will you let go of me now?’ Noel said as he tried to unpeel my arms away from his neck. I’d become a remarkable human form of Velcro. ‘Oh, that’s interesting,’ Noel muttered as he managed to free himself, and I turned to look. I knew his cool demeanour didn’t always mean the situation was cool. And I was right. My mate with the sharp teeth circled us, clearly revelling in our situation. He had us surrounded. Round and around he swam; his black beady eyes watching. 
Then he started circling us!

‘Shit!’ I can be so eloquent. ‘Let’s head back to the dinghy,’ Noel suggested. ‘And how do you propose we do that?’ I asked with my knees knocking. I had found the thing scared me silly. I didn’t like any of it – the thumping adrenaline or trembling limbs. Blind panic and tremendous fear wasn’t something I experienced often; now it was becoming frequent! I searched around the area and found two three-foot sticks to carry. I am not sure what I could have done if the blacktip fancied a munch. Perhaps poke him a bit and give him the hump? But it made me feel better. 
My defense! 

Much to Noel’s amusement, I swam back to the dinghy in circles, so I could keep an eye on anything that lurked behind me. That moment changed my enjoyment of dipping in the oceans forever, but I didn’t know I’d be gleefully jumping into shark infested water again… soon.

For more stories on our current escapades and more pictures: click here
Our boat is for sale: click here to have a good look at our 1920s Dutch Barge. 

Author blog: www.jackieparry.com 
Travel blog: www.noelandjackiesjourneys.com 
Horse: http://helpinghandforhorses.weebly.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackie.parry.7543 
Travels: https://www.facebook.com/NoelAndJackiesJourneys Horses: https://www.facebook.com/pages/For-the-love-of-horses/1048526295173146 
Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00OT9CWV8 Amazon book links A Standard Journey: viewBook.at/astandardjourney 
Of Foreign Build: viewBook.at/OfForeignBuild 
Cruisers’ AA (accumulated acumen): viewBook.at/cruisersaa

This Is It: viewBook.at/thisisit

Audio Excerpt Of Foreign Build: http://goo.gl/AnsKRr  
Twitter https://twitter.com/NandJJourneys https://twitter.com/StandardJourney 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7157763.Jackie_Sarah_Parry?from_search=true 
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jackieparry7543 
Linkedin https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jackieparry 
Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/u/0/113148478675680852619/posts/p/pub Photo album of A Standard Journey: http://goo.gl/1QgMp2 
Photo album of Of Foreign Build: http://jackieparry.com/of-foreign-build-photo-album/ 
Photo album of Cruisers’AA: http://jackieparry.com/pics/ 
Photo album of This Is It: http://jackieparry.com/photos-this-is-it/ A Standard Journey FB Page: https://goo.gl/uV7NGY 
Cruisers’ AA FB Page: https://goo.gl/2vEnkB 
Of Foreign Build FB Page: https://goo.gl/VvLT3M 
Listen to me chat to Carol Graham (Never Ever Give Up) about sailing, pirates, adopting horses, and surviving life! http://app.stitcher.com/splayer/f/69073/41215218