Miles and Milestones
Deja vu and yet all is new!
As I began writing this, I am also keeping an eye on the chart-plotter and the seas. Joe stepped below, so I’ll pause.
We are currently surfing down the east side of Grenada, still heading south, flying the main and jib. Currently no motor! The wind is off the port quarter(just aft of the beam), pushing us along 6 to over 7 knots; a lift occasionally bringing us close to 8 knots. All too soon, the last sail of the season will be finished.
I can just hear my mom- don’t text and drive. How about sail and wonder? Those two items go together like coffee and croissant or the sunset and a sundowner. Yup- my frame of reference remains all too constant.
The alarm rang at 5 am for our last sail of the season, Tyrell Bay, Carricou to le Phare Bleu Marina in southern Grenada, a reasonable day of approximately 35 nm. We decided to sail on the east side, away from Kick ‘‘em Jenny, which also avoids beating to windward once you reach the southern tip of Grenada.
After leaving St. Vincent and the Grenadines last weekend, we paused at Sandy Island in Carricou, soaking up beautiful sunsets and a little more time on anchor. Joe and I drew up the work list for decommissioning a few days ago. We will begin such tasks as polishing stainless and removing the sails in this highly recommended spot, an end-of-season treat to ourselves. I envision some swimming breaks in their pool and a stroll down the pier for those croissants to accompany my morning coffee. The work list looms ever long as we want to fix some things, of course, in addition to readying the boat for months on the hard(storage). Savoring small pleasures helps balance the crew’s happiness barometer.
In my pile of unfinished writing, I found an abandoned blog post dating from last summer’s cruise from Cape Breton and Nova Scotia before a lengthy yard period. Upon arriving in Maryland, I immediately got busy with a mountainous to-do list last September. The words I wrote about deliveries still ring true to me. Yet today is a glorious sail that suspends the notion of time, fostering the deep sense of contentment and oneness we sailors seek.
Much of my writing is “touchy-feely,” but since today is about miles and milestones, I thought I’d quantify a few factoids:
Nautical miles sailed since leaving MD: 2767
Nautical miles sailed since arriving in Antigua: 700.85
Longest sea passage: 8 days
Fastest hull speed: 9
Number of different flags raised: 8(including Barbuda’s flag. Some more than once).
High points: Every new island! Each became our favorite.
Low point: Dengue. Clearly.
Number of breakdowns stopping us in our tracks: 0
Biggest surprise: Came down thinking we’d be drinking rum and have discovered locally made gin.
And Number of things broken on the boat: not bothering to count. We are still out here!
Now back to that wondering. Last September:
Have you ever felt such a longing for something to be finished and a sense of melancholy simultaneously? Seeing the finish line in a running race comes to mind. The end of a school year can be like that. A change in seasons(except the ending of summer). A vacation even. And yes, a sailing passage. I’ve been sorting my thoughts all day, preparing to write another post while taking turns at the helm and swatting the many biting flies that frequent the Delaware Bay and the C&D Canal.
We are really looking forward to the delivery portion of our summer cruise being over. While overnights can have perks: spectacular sunsets, nights watching shooting stars and the super moon, a pod of ten dolphins dancing alongside the boat in the early morning, binge- listening to books, curious seals checking us out as we pass coastlines. They also mean never-enough sleep, endless diesel smell and the loud glug-glug of the engine when the wind doesn’t allow us to sail, and on our most recent passage, rocking 20-30 degrees for 40 hours in the swell created by the recent hurricanes and tropical storms on the east coast.
Back to Today: In my experience, the relief of finishing a delivery is a given. You’ve safely arrived at the place you want to be. Hot showers, sleep and relative stillness await. Finishing this sailing season though, feels bittersweet. Time was suspended for a while. Sailing days stretched behind and in front of us. Transitions are always a bit tricky, full of hard work, that sense of finality and even a bit of loss, if only for the awareness of time passing.
Yet, I look forward to hugging family and friends, being cold enough to want to sauna(yep- you read it here!), feasting on Finger Lakes produce, and oh-so- many joys ahead. It is all part of the adventure!