Carol Wildbird

This blog describes the journeys of the yacht "Wild Bird of Fowey" and her partners in crime - me (the wild bird Carol), my dog Skye and fellow travellers who join me on the way.

June 2010: Susie and I sailed down from England via France, northern Spain, Portugal, Southern Spain, and across to the Balearics. I'm about to set off for Sardinia, Sicily and Greece - a summer of cruising with my new crewmate, Sylvia.

The art studio afloat!

Part of my journey is to develop my artist-self. I aim to spend time recording my journeys in watercolours, paintings, photography and other media, as well as offer my artistic services to others we meet on our journeys.

See the links section for a link to my website "Wild Bird Arts" (OOpsss - not live at the moment!)

Wild Bird of Fowey

Wild Bird is a Bowman 40. She's a Yacht designed by Chuck Paine for bluewater cruising: she's cutter rigged and has a relatively shallow Scheel Keel.

By modern AWB- "average white boat" standards, she may seem a tad old fashioned - no sumptuous aft cabin and a relatively small cockpit - but great for passage making. On their launch back in the late 80s, Bowman 40's were described in a Yachting Monthly review as follows:

"Over nearly 20 years, Rival- Bowman have carved themselves a niche for producing no-compromise cruising yachts. Their quality, both in materials and workmanship, is the genuine variety rather than that claimed universally at boat shows and in brochures. Whilst one can chose from a number of 40-footers sporting greater volume interiors, extra cabins and more fashionable styling, the Bowman 40 has the same sort of attraction a Mercedes has over a similar-sized Toyota sports car."

"With this background and the considerable skills of Chuck Paine, the Bowman 40 has everything going for her. She has to be regarded as the near ideal ocean cruising yacht for between two and four people capable of passage-making to anywhere in the world without modification."

Carol

I've recently been described as an "Educated Woman from North of Watford Gap" and that probably is a good one sentence summary.

I originate from Lancashire in the UK and that's where I'll go back to when this journey is over(or that's the plan).. but that's along way off. My past career includes things as diverse as working for the UK space programme; directing biotechnology research; being a CEO in Venture Capital, being a Finance Director, being a trainee integrated arts psychotherapist and serving burgers on Helen Browning's Flying Pig!

Apart from the sundry science and management degrees I've picked up along the way, I also have a strong interest in the arts and personal development and have trained as an integrated arts psychotherapist (but not practising) and done all sorts of other "alternative" things such as drama therapy, mask work,and puppetry; workshops with Marion Woodman; drumming, 5 rythms workshops, voicework (Jill Purce, Frankie Armstrong etc) and some basic shamanic work as well of course as various alternative holidays in Skyros and Cortijo Romero. I'm currently exploring both Yoga and Tantra.

Why "Wild Bird"?

Apart from the general image of a wild bird soaring free in the sky, I'm also inspired by Reading Clarissa Pinkola Estes...

"Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered species. Though the gifts of the wildish nature come to us at birth, society's attempt to "civilize" us into rigid roles has plundered this treasure, and muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls. Without Wild Woman, we become over-domesticated, fearful, uncreative, trapped."