A Quadruple Big Day

Unbelievably, it was three years ago today that Maggie and I left the dock at the Etobicoke Yacht Club for the last time to begin our voyage.  Only three fantastic years have passed, and I say "only" because it seems like we have lived far more than three years since July 1st, 2010.  Reminiscing over our past blog posts and photos taken since the beginning of our voyage, we really appreciate the opportunity to live and travel on our boat, the experiences and adventures we have had, and the many new friends that we have made.  While we have worked hard to achieve this, we must also give credit to our home and native land because the dream we are living can only ever be a dream in many countries.

So.....HAPPY CANADA DAY!  Our big flag went up today to honor the country that gave us so much.  Despite our disastrous governments, the people and the land make Canada the place the rest of the world wants to live in.

Up goes the Big Flag

A happy 3rd anniversary

One of those countries is Croatia but today it officially joins the European Union.  In its fifth year of recession, with 20% unemployment, life is harder here and to many citizens here owning and living on even a modest boat like ours is impossible.  But I believe that their future is bright judging by the national flags that we see flying on boats here in Dalmatia: those of Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Romania, all of which were former Iron Curtain countries that have since joined the EU and prospered enough to enable some of its citizens to live their dream.  Fair winds, Croatia.

Finally, it is also a big day because my cousin Branko, his wife Sanja, and their two children, Dora and Domi, whom we spent the winter with, will be spending their holidays with us on H2OBO for the next ten days.  I am sure that will be another one of those experiences that makes our lives so rich.

Branko