Hotspur in the Sea of Cortez |
Not ours
sadly. As appealing as it is would be we, haven’t slipped the lines and set off for
somewhere new. But we have had the privilege of following our dear friends Jim, Meri and Carolyne aboard Hotspur as they crossed the Pacific toward the
Marquesas.
Evan
provided them with weather routing and as seasoned shellbacks (ha!) Maia and I
emailed them with tidbits of information and encouragement. Reading their
emails and blog posts brought back a lot of memories of our own crossing three years
ago. One thing that felt familiar was their initial unease followed by a palpable joy and excitement as they found their rhythm and discovered just what
a wondrous experience crossing an ocean is.
It’s not
always easy—like us they had their fair share of breakdowns and testing
moments. But I think joy comes from not being knocked out by them—by reaching
down through the fear and frustration and discovering you really can make it to
port on a broken rudder (us) or that you have the skills to fix an autopilot
without directions, several times (them). The fun also comes from being a
family out there—you’re together, alone in the middle of the ocean, every
minute of everyday, and somehow sometime after you arrive and the world gets
busy again, it feels like it may not have been enough.
It might be a long way to come for a play date--but Maia hopes they catch us somewhere |
I’m excited
and envious for the hours, weeks and months that Jim, Meri and Carolyne have
coming up. Making landfall can only be described as magical. Despite our modern
technology: the radios, GPS, heck, the charts(!) it still feels like you’ve
reached back through the centuries and crossed wakes with the navigators when you sight land.
It’s not
often you get to sail into your dreams and live them full on. As I picture them
making landfall I can smell the floral sweet tiaré mingled
with warm heavy jungle; I can hear the drums back in the hills and kids laughing
on shore; And I can recall my own giddy excitement as I stepped on land after several
weeks at sea only to have my legs wobble as though they were giggling in glee.
To celebrate their accomplishment I’ve been
playing sailing music and dreaming about our next landfall, wherever
it may be.
4 comments:
How sweet to see such wonderful friends; I hope Maia's playdate happens in a really fun location. Always lovely to see your photos and the family looking healthy and cheerful.
Hi Ceilydh crew - we last saw you in La Cruz a few years ago. Our boat is in Vuda Point, Fiji. We've been in QLD the past 2 weeks, as a reconnaisance prior to sailing here next year, if we still have the boat. Glad to see you are still enjoying Oz. - Mark and Vicki, Southern Cross
Hi Mark--we definitely remember you. If you're in Brissie let us know--it would be fun to see you! Thanks Lynda! It would be quite the playdate ;)
Hi, Nice blog. Sailing party with friends is very enjoyable. There are many ways by which you can spend a holiday in a sea. I hope your family have a nice time in sea.
Thanks for this post..
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