Resilience
As the fierce winds picked up to over 30 knots, the ocean swells grew into angry six-foot waves and our 41 foot Beneteau Oceanis sailing yacht bashed forward, scrambling our brains like eggs! I thought to myself, “you wanted to be a better sailor LDub!”
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
At this point, I was certain the bashing forward was far worse than any heeling left or right could ever be. Funny, it was only now that I recalled Captain Al telling me all about the Baja Bash, which is an actual thing!
Although the insane Baja Bash is when sailing from Baja California north up the Pacific coast,
I thought holy shit! This FEELS like how the Baja Bash is described!
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
I thanked Neptune for our fearless leader and sailing instructor for the week –Captain Al – as I wondered what really rough sailing conditions he’d experienced in his lifetime on the water. The good news, is this also meant WE WERE SAFE. I mean, this wasn’t The Perfect Storm or anything!
Our motley four-person sailing student crew hung tough and worked well as a team. The helm was managed deftly by one student skipper, with the remaining three of us releasing the clutch for the jib sheets, winching and furling the jib as fast as we could.
For you sailing novices out there, this means we got the sail in the front down FAST, followed next by the big mainsail, so we could depower (slow down) the yacht.
The mainsail was already reefed and as we released the halyard, we needed a hardy soul on the foredeck to help flake the sail to stow in the lazy jack boom bag-enter courageous Captain Al, as none of us wanted to try to hang on for dear life with all the wind and constant bashing of the waves! As the huge sail came down, it got caught again in the lazy jack!
I swore under my breath…goddamned lazy jacks and swept-back spreaders! And made a mental note to NEVER buy a boat with either configuration, considering all the problems they cause! Even without being powered by the wind, we continued to bash forward, as the waves were close together and our destination, Isla San Francisco, was directly into the wind.
Wind beating our faces, waves pummeling our boat, we motored several more hours, our bodies coursing with adrenaline. This afternoon was our second ASA exam 103, Coastal Cruising. I wondered how the hell my brain would be able to function after our wild day on the water!
And then I thought back about how lovely our day began…
Sun shining, we left our anchorage in light winds and three-foot seas, headed to Isla San Francisco, on the coast of Espiritu Santo in the stunning blue Sea of Cortez.
As a crew, we took turns as skippers at the helm and each of us led the crew through tacks and jibes. As sailors, we became intimately attuned to wind and water, as we felt the subtle shifts on this seemingly tranquil day and confirmed the changes on the instruments.
And then it all changed…
Making Dreams Reality
Do the oceans call to you? Do you love water sports, boats, visits to tropical places? The sun shining, waves crashing, the sand between your toes…how I feel is summed up perfectly by the great Jacques Cousteau:
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”
– Jacques Cousteau
On a road trip down the California coast with the kids several years ago, they asked why we didn’t live at the beach, since we all loved it so much. My answer was that I had no idea…Fast forward to today, as I begin this new exciting chapter in my life…
A couple years ago I made the choice for us to live on a marina – at last! Every day the sight of the water and boats out my windows fills my heart with peace and joy.
My next choice was to make sailing a bigger part of my life. Who knows, it may even become part of my next career…So in typical LDub fashion, I dove head first into researching sailing schools – not just drive your car there, sail and drive your car home type sailing classes, because I already took one of those courses.
What I wanted to find was a way to really experience sailing! The answer was a week-long live aboard sailing course – because living on a boat is when shit happens!
As you have read, shit does happen living aboard, given our harrowing afternoon I just shared with you!
I found Nautilus Sailing, with their week-long live-aboard programs in gorgeous places around the globe, on a great fleet of yachts and catamarans. They provide both on the water and book study experience with seriously skilled instructors to get ASA 101, 103, and 104 certifications!
I WAS ALL IN!
Going Overboard
Do you know how life puts things in front of you when you’re all in? No sooner did I begin my sailing mission, than a buddy of mine and I started talking about the fact he was in the process of buying his own boat!
The empty slip in front of my place needed a boat. Not just any boat. MY BOAT. The LDub boat. It was time to get serious!
And as luck would have it, my buddy had done so much work on the entire process he referred me to this super knowledgeable and trustworthy boat broker. He gave me a boat buying guide. He referred me to some must-have boat owner reading. The universe was pulling me.
So now you’re thinking, of course, everything else went smoothly and I’m sitting on my yacht right now writing this blog, right?!
Well, let me tell you…I began rabidly looking online to figure out what type of sailing yacht I wanted. Yachtworld.com was my new favorite thing! I decided if I was all in then we were going all the way!
Forget my original plan about buying my own yacht when I moved somewhere tropical in the future! I decided and completely sold one of my teens on the idea – we were going to sell all our worldly possessions, buy a yacht and LIVE ABOARD!
And I was serious…
Luckily, we made one visit to a nearby marina and looked at some yachts that were older, more worn (can you say damp and cold!), and larger than I had in mind. And I found out the year 2020 was the year anyone with spare cash bought a boat.
So there was NO SUPPLY.
I originally thought a 41 footer would be sufficient for me and the kids, but I found out on my sailing certification trip that more space was absolutely something I want, as the five of us for a week were in close quarters. Thankfully we all got along well for a bunch of strangers who just met!
As I sit here in the Bay Area in California, looking at the rain clouds, with the weather in the mid-50’s (Fahrenheit) during the day, all week long, I am GRATEFUL I put this plan on the back burner for now! There is time…
The High Seas
I booked my travel, prepped for my week of live-aboard sailing lessons by reading three entire sailing textbooks, and packed, my spirits soaring. I mean what could be better than an entire week sailing AND getting three certifications to become a skipper!
Starting out at the crack of dawn, after being delayed in the Phoenix, Arizona airport, I was stoked to finally arrive in La Paz, Mexico! I hunted down Captain Al and met the crew – an awesome couple who had also just left the corporate grind and a cool cinematographer guy from Moscow.
Boarding our new home away from home and throwing our gear into our berths (envision a bed inside a large coffin!), our first job was to get out of the insane spot we were docked. This was the first of several occasions I was thankful we were with the rockstar Captain Al!
We made it out of the marina under motor without hitting anything and learned what motor sailing was, which means you hoist the mainsail and have the motor on in order to reach the destination before nightfall.
Visions of snorkeling in bountiful reefs teeming with colorful fish, a daily swim in the sea, paddle boarding and soaking up some sun on the deserted beaches – let’s just suffice to say these visions were not reality! The week was so windy and chilly, I made it into the water only once for few minutes! Weather note for those of you heading to the Sea of Cortez in January…
I was thanking Neptune, I brought convertible long pants and fleece, which I wore every day. It was probably better it wasn’t warmer, as we heard about the stifling heat during the hot months on the Sea of Cortez.
Eager students we were, soaking up the nautical language – which, as you have read, is a language of its own for sure! Did you know that a painter is the rope attached to the dinghy? The dinghy is the small boat to go ashore, attached to the bigger boat.
We learned in detail the engine parts and how the diesel engine operated, to tying knots like the round turn and two half hitches and what these knots are used for, to learning how to navigate using paper charts and electronic charts!
And we ALL passed all of our exams – phew!
I guess I should probably share that I’ve lived aboard a sailboat before, but always for vacation. And living aboard, as I mentioned before, is when shit happens!
Our fantastic voyage ended with docking practice in La Paz. We had such mixed emotions being back; parts of us were dying for a long hot shower, but parts of us were going to miss it all – the wind, the water, living aboard, sailing to deserted anchorages, the little family we had become…
Have you ever not had something for a while, so that your appreciation for it increases once you have it again?
Let me tell you, my fellow adventurers, that first long, hot shower on land, followed by our sumptuous restaurant meal, felt absolutely decadent after the week aboard!
Love that feeling…
The night skies glistened with more stars than I have ever witnessed. The sparkling deep blue of the Sea of Cortez and the wind on my face fed my soul. I will treasure these moments always.
In the knowing words of Andre Gide,
“You can’t cross the ocean of life just by dreaming about it, you have to jump in and swim.”
– Andre Gide
So if you have a dream, make it a reality, my friend. Life is short. Take the first step! The choice is yours. Pursuing life passionately and LIVING LIFE FULL OUT! feeds the soul.
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