We got the news a few days ago. My husband was clearly disappointed. He had just learned that UPS – the people in brown – had delayed our shipment of spare parts, and that meant we could not leave for the Bahamas on New Year’s Day.

We have been listening to weather reports, daily. We have readied and provisioned our boat with food and spares to the point that we are close to floating beneath our waterline.

When my husband told me about the UPS delay, my eyes pinched together in all the right places, conveying all the empathy I could muster. Yet, I was conflicted and surprised by an underlying sense of relief.

Knowing that we have put so much effort and expense into our boat – yet, I was suddenly content to bob along on our anchor outside our friend Dave’s house in Florida was difficult to process.

I can be forgiven, I think, for having mixed feelings. I am new to sailing and this is my first passage. I am prone to seasickness – not minor tummy upsets – but, full on vomiting, forcing me to eat anti-nausea pills while feeding my family slabs of cheese or raw carrots for sustenance.

I dread having to navigate in shallow waters amongst reefs. But, I am consoled by the knowledge that we are unlikely to approach hazards at break-neck speeds. I will take one obstacle at a time.

In short order, I expect that facing my fears will not only give me a boost of sailorly confidence, but will expose our family to a wealth of amazing experiences.

In the Bahamas we hope to see:

• flamingos – Inagua has 80,000 flamingos. That’s 80,000 opportunities to see at least one bird.
• swimming pigs – they are wild pigs that swim – I can’t wait to see my kids’ reaction

• fish – all sorts of reef fish
• Thunderball Grotto also known as the ‘James Bond Cave’ because it appears in a scene from the 1983 movie, “Never Say Never Again”.

We might have to wait another 10 days for sailing conditions to be right. Then, we’ll make the crossing from Rodriguez Key to the Bahamas.

The crossing will take one full, long day. We will leave at dawn and expect to anchor at about 9pm. And you might not believe me when I tell you – but mixed feelings are just that – mixed. I can hardly wait.