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.
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
‘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?
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.
Samyaza is hot, sexy and naughty angel! He's fallen out of grace and is in eternal punishment! He's so tired of being confined and punished. He wants out!
It's available at most online retailers, but here's a few links to get you started with this series.
The pure exhaustion of eternal punishment as a fallen has left our sexy but naughty angel, Samyaza, desperate for companionship…desperate to be set free and only you hold the key.
What would you give for one night of unbridled passion? Samyaza gave his life, his freedom…everything. After thousands of years of pain and punishment the fallen one thought he’d seen it all...not even close.
Now evil threatens the world and the Watchers are our only hope. Falling from grace was easy, eternal suffering has become common place, wishing for death an everyday occurrence but when faced with a chance for redemption Samyaza fears he could fail.
His test for heavenly grace comes in the form of a beautiful, confident, modern woman who captures the fallen one heart and soul.
Strength he has. Faith in the God that sentenced him to a life in chains he holds close but all may be lost with just one look from this very special woman.
With his life, his soul and his heart on the line, can Samayza save the world or destroy it?
The Watchers are waiting, wanting…needing you. It’s time to live life on the dark side.
Time is running out. Evil forces threaten the very survival of the human race. Our only hope…The Watchers.
The fate of humanity lies in the hands of these twelve stunningly sexy, sinful fallen angels.
Only destiny knows if they will save us or doom to hell.
Enjoy The Video Trailer For The Angels Of The Fallen.
Created by best-selling author P.T. Macias
Published on Mar 27, 2016
Angels Of The Fallen, The Watchers
It's Time, Live On The Dark Side
A Delicious Ride That Consumes And Enslaves . . . .
The Oh So Wickedly Fiery Sexy Worlds of P.T. Macias!
The fate of humanity lies in the hands of these twelve stunningly sexy, sinful fallen angels.
It’s time to live life on the dark side.
“Ok, Yazy, take off that jacket and walk into the shower stall. The water should be nice and warm. You’ll love it!”
Samyaza raises his eyebrows, looking at the water spraying from the shower head. He looks at the steam swirling around.
“Ah…yeah.”
He shrugs his shoulders and the jacket falls off his shoulders and slides down his wounds. He winces and closes his eyes. He takes in a sharp breath.
“What’s wrong?”
Crystal quickly steps around him to look at his back. She gasps, outraged, and her color drains from her face.
“Omg! What did they do to you! Your flesh is totally shredded. How in the world have you been able to tolerate the pain?”
Samyaza clenches his jaw and turns around to look at her. He narrows his eyes and nods.
“Sweet Crystal, I’ll be much better as soon as I eat a meal. I would heal quicker if I have more blood.”
He watches her closely, watching her pale complexion.
“Yazy, are you serious! Look at your back!”
She points to the mirror, frowning, and turns him around.
Samyaza turns around and looks into the large bathroom mirror.
He frowns, and nods. He closes his eyes.
Yes, that’s what flogging does to you but I’ll be ok. I understand why she’s so upset. I need to convince her that I’m going to be ok.
He opens his eyes and gazes into her eyes. He raises both hands and rests them on her trembling shoulders.
“Sweet Crystal, please believe in what I’m going to tell you. Remember that I’m an angel. Well, a fallen angel, and most important immortal. That means that I usually regenerate but I was without sustenance for such a long time that my energy is depleted. I need nourishment or blood to boost my energy. My body will regenerate soon as I have the power that I need.” He looks deeply into her beautiful hazel eyes, reaching her soul.
She blinks rapidly and her tears fall down her face. She shakes her head, trying to understand what he told her.
“Yazy, I don’t understand how someone could hurt you so. It’s too painful to see. I hurt for you.”
Her tears continue to fall down her face and he pulls her into his arms. “My sweet Crystal, please don’t shed your tears for me. I don’t deserve your tears. I promise you that I’m going to be ok.”
She buries her face into his sculpted chest. She rests her hands on his waist, sobbing. A few seconds later she pulls back to look up at him and blinks rapidly.
“Yazy, take more of my blood. I don’t mind. Please.”
Samyaza raises his black eyebrow and his violet eyes glow.
“Sweetness, are you sure? I don’t want to hurt or scare you.”
A Delicious Ride That Consumes And Enslaves . . . .
The Oh So Wickedly Fiery Sexy Worlds of P.T. Macias!
Romance of Mythical Empires By P.T. Macias
P.T. Macias (Patricia), resides in Sacramento, California with her loving husband, children, and family. She adores her four beautiful grandchildren. She was born and raised in San Jose, California.
Patricia loves going on cruises and to concerts, white peaches, pistachio ice cream, and margaritas. She’s an avid reader and enjoys reading romance, paranormal, intrigue, suspense thrillers.
Patricia loves the paranormal genre. She finds this genre an exciting challenge and enjoys writing about sexy vhampiers, werewolves, dragons, and other entities. Her greatest thrill in writing the paranormal genre is the limitless range of characteristics, powers, and weaknesses available to develop the characters' and entities' realms.
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Multi-Genre
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Thank you for joining us today! We hope you enjoyed all the information we provided on Angels Of The Fallen: Samyaza and the author, P.T. Macias. Get your copy of Samyaza today and enjoy this sizzling hot romance!
Been there, done that – there wasn’t much that Eli Walker hadn’t experienced as a cop. Even working in one of the better precincts in New York City didn’t help dispel the depravity he saw on a daily basis. It was all part and parcel of his mantra of living life in the now, not worrying about the future.
And especially with women. No strings, no attachments, and he made that perfectly clear before he ever bedded them. Relationships were not on his agenda – not now, not anytime in the near future. Women flocked to him and he could take his pick; himself exiting the encounter with what he’d wanted and leaving them aching for more, left dreaming of his curly locks and bronze body.
A chance encounter pulling a mugger off of a woman changed his whole world. She was blonde and beautiful – Eli didn’t care about any of the interracial politics that would surround any serious relationship. He just knew he had to have Ainsley, like an alcoholic needs his next drink. This was all new territory for Eli and could he stay to the path, all the way to its end? Or would she be like all the others in his life …
About The Author
· Jeanine Binder grew up in a small town in California on the outskirts of Palm Springs, where the Hollywood celebrities liked to vacation. After thirty years, she packed up, moved to Arkansas where she still lives today. Her hobbies include her writing, reading good books, and seeing exotic places (loves to go on cruises).
Writing has always been a passion and hoping the next twenty years will bring many enjoyable books for others to read.
· Other books (all on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited) – Real Time, Prime Time (Books #1 and #2 of the Time for Love Series); A Fine Line, Arresting Hearts (part of the Love and Order Novels – Holding Fast is a part of this standalone group); Ashes to Sparks
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Love and Order Novel By Nicolerko on May 1, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition This is the first book that I've read by Jeanine Binder. Some people may have a tough time warming up to Eli because he's very alpha, but does have some anger issues. For me he worked for this story because even though Ainsley is an independent woman she can use someone like Eli in her corner. Eli has a new girl every night and he doesn't do relationships, but all that changes when he gets a call on a mugging case. Ainsley has a horrible abusive ex and she's hasn't tried dating since, but there is just something about Eli's presence that makes her feel safe. Ainsley and Eli are an interracial couple so you do see the difficult that a real life couple would face, sad as that it is. These two characters work for me because they bring light into each others lives and they care deeply for one another. You really do get to see the ugly side of being a police officer in this one because some of the cases Eli deals with a pretty gruesome. This has the romance with the suspense because someone is stalking Ainsley. It gets pretty intense. One of my favorite things of this book is watching big bad Eli fall for Ainsley. You get to see another side of him he doesn't let out often.Over all a very good read.
Prior to reading this book I didn't realize it was part of the 'A Love and Order Novel' series. It is easily a stand alone book. I haven't ready any of the other books in the series and wasn't lost at all when reading this book.
Eli (Elijah) Walker is a NYPD detective. He meets Ainsley Barnett when she is victim of a crime in her father's deli shop. She's running the shop while her father is recovering from an injury. She is actually a full time writer (love that!). Eli shows he might have a little bit of an anger management issue going on when he hits the punk that is beating Ainsley. Truth is because of his childhood he has a really hard time dealing with men that beat up women.
Eli's job is his life, through his work he has seen/dealt with some very ugly situations. He does not do relationships. He is a player. By the author's description of him he is a seriously 'hot' alpha male.
Ainsley comes into the precinct to say Thank you to Eli and to offer both him and his partner, Leon a free tab for life in the deli. She is blond, shy and beautiful.
There is just something about her that pulls at Eli. He is absolutely captivated. Neither Ainsley or Eli have been in a mixed-race relationship before.
Ainsley has an ex-boyfriend that abused her and she is super cautious. Eli does talk her into going out with him and he can sense he needs to move really slow.
We travel along on Eli/Leon's cases and on Ainsley's book tour. The author does a great job in making you feel like your are right there seeing the story unfold.
Ainsley is being stalked and Eli does everything in his power to protect her but she still gets abducted.
I was so afraid for her and cheered so loudly for her when she was so tough and got herself free and was able to call for help.
Kudos to Eli for being strong for Ainsley and stepping back so everything could go by the book with the investigation.
He curbed his Alpha Male and proved just how much she meant to him.
I was surprised by how much ugliness bi-racial relationships still have to deal with in 2016. Good Job to the author for bringing some attention to this very tough topic.
I was into this book so much that I even cried at a wedding that was going on in the book. I, Seriously was into this book. The story line was great, it was 'real'. I felt it was very, very well written.
If I could rate this book higher than 5 stars I would. It earned it! Great job Jeanine Binder! I'm a new follower of yours.
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I’m not half way there yet – almost but not quite!
I’m proud (and a tiny bit disbelieving) with what I’ve achieved and experienced in my life already. But there’s so much more I want to do. I won’t fit it all in, but I’ll have a good go at it. Believing that I’ve not yet lived half my life fills me with such motivation and joy. “This Is Not Where I Wanted To Be!” I’ve heard this phrase a few times recently. Sadly, from people who have great lives with lovely-happy-healthy children, a great job, a roof over their head, a career.
Why do so many people focus on the negatives in their lives instead of the positives?
It’s a phenomenon that I find quite despairing.
We don’t know how lucky we are!
Living in Belgium this winter and reading the local history, I am humbled and doubly grateful for the easy times I live in and what I have. I am fortunate to be healthy, I am not fighting a war, I have enough money to feed and clothe myself, I have family and friends – I have a good life.
Our Next Plans I mentioned on another blog that we had some big news/changes to our life coming up.
Well, we’re selling our boat and heading home to Australia. The reasons are numerous and complex.
It all came about while we were toying with buying a sailboat to sail home (this still hasn’t been totally dismissed!), and then I received an email.
“The boys (my horses) are fine, but I am so busy I am not spending as much time as I’d like with them, they are becoming a bit silly – would you like them back?”
YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! Sudden decision A few people we’ve chatted to about our plans said, ‘oh, that’s sudden!’
But it’s not. We’ve been chatting about swapping our barge for a sailboat for about a year… the note about my boys just sealed the deal of heading back to Australia.
Here’s the ad for our barge – take a look around - I’d love plenty of shares. Fortunately, we don’t need to rush and we'd like to see more of Europe. The horses are happy and cared for until we return.
Our boat has just undergone a two-year renovation/refit/update – someone is going to get a wonderful boat that’s ready to go (and very fairly priced).
