A story to share
27 November 2012 | Dry Tortugas
Chuck
Just got back from 5 weeks sailing Perrovida around the Florida Keys and South Florida. Great fun was had and I got to spend a week sailing with my 29 yr old son. He pretty much disapearded into a drug thing for a good part of his twenty's. Sometimes I cant believe I am now using a word like " Clean" but he has been "clean" for 3 years. When he was at his worst I was convinced we would lose him, in fact prepared myself for it
Our Auto Pilot quit a few days previous so we were hand steering from the Dry Tortugas to Fort Meyers Beach , a 24 hour sail. The sky was clear but the horizon was obscured by water vapor, visibility forward was only a couple of hundred yards forward just before dark. I have always found it very difficult to steer using just the compass for long periods with no horizon. With no sky it is much worse. Luckily this night had stars but a ways above the horizon. I am just setting the scene for you.
With 3 aboard we took 2 hour watches, . I slept in the cockpit to keep an eye out and help if needed. It was dead calm at sunset but by 2 am when my son was due on deck the wind had picked up a bit stirring up a stiff chop in the Florida straights. The wind of course was mostly on the nose so no sails were up. I knew he would have a difficult time at the wheel. I told him he could use the compass or the GPS but it would be probably be easier to pick a star and follow it and just check the course line on the GPS every once in a while. I laid down in the cockpit and watched as he struggled to hold a course using the GPS. At some point I dozed off.
When I woke up what I saw was magical, brought tears to my eyes and does again as I write this. My son was standing behind the wheel , the soft glow of the GPS and compass light illuminating his face. His chin up , eyes forward and locked on to the night sky. A huge grin on his face. The wheel moved gently back and forth in his hands, small corrections.
I could not help it, I softly wept . I was so happy to have my son back. I knew earlier in the trip that the darkness was behind us for good as we sailed, fished, snorkeled and SCUBA dived in the warm turqoise blue waters around the keys. But this was a defining beautiful moment, I let the pain go, the anger go, I let the dark scary past go. They had no place in me anymore.
I watched for maybe 10 minutes while my son steered by the stars before I moved to look at my watch. I was very surprised to see I had been a sleep for 2 1/2 hours. As I stirred my son noticed I was awake by taking his eyes off the sky for a moment. I asked " How you doing" " Good " he said " It is much easier steering by the stars" " This is good " I said to myself " Very good"
Thanks for listening
Chuck S/V Perrovida 1978 IF36