Day 14
30 May 2016 | It's a long story!
Rod
Monday, May 30 Day 14. I left you yesterday with light air. Well, it finally gave up, and we spent yet another night drifting away in Alison's rock and roll. Thank you Alison, that was a very nice song to remember. We looked at the gribs and forecast this morning, and thought, crikey, if we could only get north and a little, east, there might be some wind we could sail with on Tuesday morning. Otherwise, we were looking at Wednesday before we would get a breeze. The seas was flat, the wind was very light, but again, maybe if we hand steer..... So, we raised the main and rolled out the genoa and gave it a try (after a delicious pizza breakfast). We havd steered all day in shifts of one hour each, and it worked. We made it to Latitude N28 30, which was our goal. We will try to sail through the night. Wish us luck. It is still very light.
Soul Sailing. This light air challenge has got us thinking. We have met many cruisers over the years that do not particularly seem to like sailing or long passages. To them, the sailing and long passages are simply a chore, and life is over until the destination is reached. Then they can start living again. We simply do not understand, but as I said, we have met many. For us, it is quite opposite. The sailing is why Elisabeth and I are here. This passage is huge. It is a passage of a lifetime, and I doubt we will ever do another one like this. So, it is a "once in a lifetime" experience. A chance to do something really magical that few will ever get the chance to discover. We are enjoying these challenges. Yes, we like it when we get it right and make good time or when milestones are met. But like today, meeting the challenge of the light air and hand steering, because it was the only thing that worked... What a triumph. And the drifting at night. That was a very special experience as well. We will remember these times forever, and feel very lucky for these experiences. Just some thoughts that we spoke about. Soul sailing. It is truly magic and special. I just read a book about Valentina Toreshkova, the first woman in space. There are so many parallels between what a cosmonaut experienced and what we do. Totally cool stuff. Bernard Moitessier got this magic too. It's in his books. Ah, I ramble. Did I say it was beautiful out here today? Beyond belief. Even when the sea is blowing and angry, there is still an undeniable beauty in its majesty. Yep. We love to sail and are having a great time!
We send our best to all of you.
As always, be excellent to each other.
Rod and Elisabeth, "Your Rock and Roll Argonauts" "Les Pirates d'Honneur"