The Catamaran Adventures of Noel and Ceu

Bucket List

We all have a bucket list somewhere in our heads – the things we want to do or achieve before we kick the bucket.

Sometimes the desires are secret, at other times they are very public. But either way they are there.

My belief is that life is too short to waste time not fulfilling those dreams. You go to school, you get a job, you work for 40 years, always believing that one day, just one day, you will do all those things of which you have dreamed.

Maybe next year when you have a bit more money. Or the year after when you have saved up enough vacation leave. Or maybe when you finally retire.

Of course, next year, the year after, or retirement might never come. You might die before then. Or become too sick to do anything. Or the world economics might collapse, forcing you out of your ‘secure’ job.

So, why not do it the other way around? Why not make the priority living life to the full, and make the job and all that stuff fit around YOUR plans,  instead of the other way around?

Well, that’s my philosophy, which is why I am out here on a boat right now.

And, just in the spirit of things, here is my incomplete bucket list (which will be intermittently updated) in no particular order. Maybe you will be inspired by some of the items. In fact, if you some suggestions of really cool things I should do or learn, please leave a comment and maybe I will be inspired!

For some of these we have specific plans. Others are on the ‘one day’ list. And quite a few have been done.

Go to space Increasingly this is becoming less implausible. There is, in fact, a company that is planning baloon rides to the very edge of space. And, of course, there is Virgin Galactica. So, one day maybe. Who knows?
Write a bestselling novel I have already written a number of books, two of which (Windsurfing Race Tactics and The GOOD CHILD Guide) were conventionally published. But the real challenge, in my mind, at least, is to write a novel. And, of course, it has to be a best seller.

Trouble is, I can’t think of any good story lines. Whenever I come up with an idea, my own ‘suspension of disbelief’ fails to kick in, and I reject the idea as too implausible. Hmmm.

Go Heliskiing Almost did that last winter, but bottled out at the last moment as conditions didn’t appear to be great. Plus $11k seemed a lot to spend on one week skiing. Maybe this winter, if we visit Canada after Christmas.

Have been cat skiing a couple of times in the past but, to be honest, I found that there was a lot of time spent in the cat rather than skiing. In fact, on a good powder day at Revelstoke (like we had on the season’s last weekend in March 2010) one can get WAY more skiing, with much of it fresh tracks in powder. In fact, on both the Friday and Saturday Ceu and I did a full Everest of vertical. Awesome.

Still, a good full day of deep powder can’t be beat, so I really should do that heliskiing.

Do a multiday winter ski-touring trek, either across the haute trail in the Alps, or in Patagonia. Did a 4 day trip like that across the Wapta glacier in Alberta a couple of years ago and had a great time. Included navigating by compass through total white-out fog!
Visit Iguazu Falls Done, June 2010 – see our blog post
Visit Eqypt, the pyramids and valley of the kings. Been watching a very interesting series of lectures about ancient Egypt. As well as visiting, would like to fly over in a hot air balloon.
 Travel by Private Jet  I HATE airport security and all the nonsense involved in flying through commercial airlines. Even going first class doesn’t help – you get a nicer seat, but you still have to endure the anal probe and security spanking machine. Time to fly private, methinks.

Leave a Reply