Like many others I have met in these past months, I am about to face off with the immense power of the Pacific to sail from Panama to French Polynesia, the longest stretch of ocean on this planet.
He turned to port to get a better look. And there it was – a very narrow, very doglegged pass with a couple of pole markers as guides. I zipped back to the cockpit as we circled round ready to take the ‘leap.’ It would have been easy enough if there was either some room or a straight run. I realised, as Matt gunned the engines, I was inadvertently holding my breath – as if somehow that would get us in unscathed.
Boats are like potato chips, it’s hard to have just one. My husband Jim and I have lived aboard boats for decades and at one point we owned three boats of 40-feet or greater (yes, we have the boating bug badly!) However, in the last few years we whittled our “fleet” down to just one 40-footer, a Willard trawler.
While attending the Gloucester Schooner Festival a sweet schooner with a family seemingly having the time of their lives caught my eye. I had to meet them and thought you should too… here is their story:
Admittedly, I wasn’t thrilled on arrival. We sailed into the large anchorage just west of Big Majors Cay across from Pig Beach, and there were a ton of boats. I emphasize a ton. Preferring the more secluded anchorages, I begin to worry we have plopped ourselves in the center of a tourist trap.
I always thought I’d die out here. Not like you’re thinking—more metaphorically. There is nothing that has given me more pleasure or sense of accomplishment than the feats of human endurance I’ve faced at the hands of our favorite mistress.
There are songs about sailing, but not about golf. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Beach Boys, Lyle Lovett, Jimmy Buffet, Phish, and Christopher Cross are amongst those whose song lyrics have imparted important life guidance delivered through sailing (or boating) metaphors. Sailing and golf can each be described as sports, hobbies, or passions and they are, similarly, both significantly impacted by the weather.
As Christian’s sailing story led to the beginning of mine, I have written about him over the years. And, here we are again, perhaps writing a final chapter, which will hopefully lead to a new beginning.
Quick recap. Christian and my father immigrated to the US in 1966, several months before I was born. My father was Swiss, Christian was what was called Yugoslavian in those days.
The Excess 13 is a cruising catamaran, a true sailboat capable of ocean passage-making. The boat’s potential is felt as soon as you leave harbor, giving you a dizzying sense of freedom.
The very direct helm allows you to feel the connection with the sea and fine-tune everything. Sensations are increased exponentially. The forward-facing chart table keeps you in touch with the elements and allows you to navigate with pinpoint accuracy.
We spent the better part of a year designing and planning a “Sea-bbatical”, which for us, was the odd combination of one month sailing the islands of Guadeloupe in The Lesser Antilles, followed up by flying to the other side of the earth for six weeks of exploring Thailand by all modes of transit, including sailing. We have been fortunate enough to sail the Caribbean waters several times, so the piece-de-resistance of this adventure was to be spending the last few weeks sailing the Andaman Sea of Thailand.
