EBM with a very good point, some WTF insanity, and something from the “messaging failure” department…
I remember back in the Canaries when we were preparing to cross over to the Caribbean, one cruiser told us that they were going to quit cruising once they’d crossed. I asked them why, and was surprised at their answer.
Mayonnaise.
In point of fact, Hellmann’s Mayonnaise.
Yeah, this…
They could not get Hellmann’s in Europe. So they decided to go home, sell the boat, and (maybe) buy an RV or some other land-based pastime that allowed them an ongoing connection to the mayonnaise of their choice.
Seriously, I could never make up stupid stuff like this.
But, the thing is, I don’t think it was a mayonnaise issue. More likely, the Hellmann’s just represented their comfort zone and the inability to access their mayonnaise was more than they could deal with.
That was going on 31-years ago and today, in 2025, we’re talking a whole different comfort zone situation. We now live in a world where some can afford to take all their mod cons and comfort zone along with them.
Which I have to admit, I find somewhat depressing. But hey, I’m just an old fart who finds the idea of pushing the envelope and getting out of my comfort zone what appeals most in cruising. It’s kinda hard to adventure within your comfort zone.
That said, life would be even better with an inexhaustible source of mustard and brie from Meaux.
But dont all that stuff taste ever so much better when we finally get to indulge?
My go to comfort after more than a month was an ice cold coke and a Mars bar. I confess some envy at the time with boats with fridge freezers, not having found a way to keep chocolate solid in the West Indies, but certainly not an excuse to give up.
I always reminded myself that i could be sat in traffic on the M25, or quit whining about having to row ashore for fresh water and washing clothes. Curse of being raised in the affluent West.