Out for the duration

How different is cruising when you are 'out for the duration' or 'out for 18 months'? It's very different, Johanna's Gram reminds those lucky enough to not have to think about it;-)

With some reluctance, I have left Cartagena behind. True cruising is a delicate balance of time and distance; it takes time to become familiar with and learn about each place we visit and more time to mine their best features, yet there often arises a sense of a need to move on. While it seems that we have a luxurious amount of time, most every other boat out here is out for the duration. Itineraries are measured in multitudes of years, or built around cruising seasons and where to leave boats for planned return trips home. Our 18 months actually pales in comparison…but I am not complaining. Not really, anyway!