On the Go: Travelling in a High-Tech World

OK, I’ll admit it. Finally. I love my iPhone.

Here I am, sitting at Gate 31 at Ronald Reagan National Airport, trying to get airport Wifi (does it ever work, anywhere in the world???) and appreciating the ability to whip out my tiny machine, prepare an email, or jot down notes for the blog. Or, catch up with friends by phone.

Pope and I bought iPhone 3s to use on sailboat cruises. Even though the model is out of date in the Apple world, and connected via the substandard Sprint network, the mini-computers have enhanced our communications immensely. Pope calls from Chesapeake Bay or Cape Cod—or, this weekend, Fort Pierce, Florida--where he is off proving his worth as an old salt. The blogspot app allows me to add photos of sailors or whales or –or airports--to my blog.

During the years I stubbornly stuck with a Virgin Mobile flip phone ($5 a month), friends insisted a smartphone would become “my best friend.” They were right. (At a substantial cost, of course.)

When technology really comes in handy is when I am busily multitasking, running to 3 or 4 events in one day, trying to meet up with others and at the same time help Pope decide what to cook for dinner.

But you know all that.

What I really wanted to say is that, on the cusp of another cruising adventure—moving the sailboat up the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) toward home—the usual fears are cropping up, though on the whole I am looking forward to the adventure.

I had a mild anxiety attack last night, even while sitting in a spiritual center chanting mantras. Amateur psychologists are welcome to jump on board with us, to analyze my twisted brain waves--while serving as Second Mate, of course.

Unlike the ocean passages last summer, fall, and spring, we have an easy trip ahead--travelling in the US and docking at marinas. Enjoying shoreside dinings. Meeting fellow cruisers heading home before hurricane season.

Today I join Pope in Fort Pierce to begin yet another journey on the high seas and inland waterways. Despite the occasional shiver, I am anxious to reunite with boat and Captain and find out what’s in store.