Songs from Last Summer

Why was living aboard last summer, amid all the lessons and noseeums, such an amazing experience? Because of the constant connection to the natural world.

I woke up to the first glow of light appearing in the east, to water slapping against the hull, to the wind whistling through the rigging. Smells wafting in from ocean tides drenched me in sensations that are sorely missed when living ashore.

Unexpected visitations 🧡 Two swans who serenely paddled along the creek's shore almost daily were beautiful. Watching them always made me yearn for a partnership as indelible as theirs.

There were intermittent glimpses of a pair of white egrets. I thought myself fortunate to spot them until one early morning when an entire flock daintily trod along the edge of the creek. They were strung out along the shoreline and seemed to be tiptoeing through the marsh while quietly slurping minnows.

Another morning I saw a seal which at first I mistook for an otter. I admit a little thrill of fear ran through me. Why was it staring at me like that? Would this wild being attack me? What the fuck was it doing? Several moments later it occurred to me that it was probably having the exact same thoughts but in Seal.

Early during my sojourn I struck a deal with myself. No matter what happened during the day, regardless of how tired I was or what still needed to be attended to, I would stop, breathe and bask in the sunset.

My heart fills just remembering the glorious watercolors that repeatedly splashed across the sky. Such gifts, freely given.

As a Siren I could sing of the night sky that burst with stars. A blanket of immensity reflected in an ocean that seemed almost as vast.

Have you ever looked at the stars and realized that whatever all that unknowable was, you were made of it?

I recount these moments now because later, when I tell you stories of difficulties I encountered or moments (only moments) when I was terrified, I want you to know why I was out there in the first place. Why I can't wait to get back.

What I Learned from a Coral Snake


RED TOUCH YELLOW - KILLS A FELLOW
RED TOUCH BLACK - VENOM LACK

Like everyone these days, I’m dealing with the challenges of coping with the in.san.a.tee that is the Covid Crisis and our government’s lack of response to it.

The distraction of my boat’s arrival was more than welcome, although almost two weeks later, I found myself struggling with a different challenge - Coming to grips with the impending reality of living on a boat.
Was it only two years ago that I woke up in the midst of this impossible dream? Learn to sail. Get a boat. Live on it. (You can read about how it all started here…beginnings.)

The fact that there was a sweet little sailboat sitting in our driveway in Sag Harbor was beyond miraculous! Yet, there she was. I should have been euphoric, instead I was feeling out of sorts.

I know, I know…how does a Coral Snake fit into this?! 

Last week while in the house, I went downstairs to use the kitchen. I’ve bounded down those steps all my life and let me assure you, this was the first time I ran into a snake coiled at their foot.

I’m sure I shrieked before slowly backing up to a safe distance. I have no idea how long it took me to formulate a plan to safely get it out of the house but I came up with one and was ecstatic to have a nearby friend to help me implement my idea, (thanks Gabrielle!)

Exciting, yes. Kinda fun while scary at the same time, for sure. But after it was captured, released and we watched as it slithered off into an ‘is that actually far enough away’ leafy, looked-like-a-snake-would-love-it habitat, I was left pondering what the Universe was trying to tell me. Cause a freakin’ gorgeous, poisonous snake in the kitchen just doesn’t happen every day. (I hope!)

Red Touch Yellow - Kills a Fellow
Red Touch Black - Venom Lack

Ah, Google…
From Spirit Animal

”The presence of the snake in your life often means that you are in a period of transition and it points to ways (to) promote your personal growth.”

Well, read my beads! That summed up my situation nicely because I'm definitely in the midst of shedding the old skin that was my landlubber self. 

I’m just beginning to realize who I need to become to have a shot at successfully navigating this new (to me) living on a boat lifestyle and she's almost entirely different than the person I'd been working toward prior to Kit Kit's arrival 😆

That might explain why so often there’s a small knot of tension in my gut. I have to remind myself to slow down, breathe, breathe some more and release it. Surrender, evidently it's a thing.

So yeah, my nerves are a bit raw and I often find that I crave solitude instead of companionship (well, isn’t that convenient right now?) Chores on the boat give me solace. It occurred to me that living in the house while working on Kit Kit only served to increase my unsettled feeling.

So I moved on board 😲

my first sailing adventure (part 2)

(the adventure continues) after lunch we had a choice of starting for home or sailing out of the bay and into the open water . yeah, let’s sail more! 😆 .

maine is so gently beautiful, the water and wind so sweet...i really just wanted to keep going, even if it meant that the wind might not be with us when we did finally head home .

with my hand on the tiller, we headed out to the open water. the wind picked up, the waves followed suit and i realized with a gasp that i was, at long last, sailing on the ocean . the peep hen made sure that i quickly learned what shemaya was teaching me. tiller to lee to dump air when gusts threatened to push us over. let out the sheet to do the same .

it suddenly dawned on me that in order to fill the sail with wind, i just had to do the opposite and pull the tiller toward me! i know, obviously...but it didn’t occur to me until that moment 🤣 . and then i felt it. i finally was clear about how to control the vessel. it was a simple realization but it made so many pieces slam into place. i was fucking sailing 😉.

i don’t know how long we were out there with me enjoying my newfound skill. time wasn’t really happening. at some point though, shemaya said that the current was headed for home and we should take it . “aye, skipper!” . (alright, i’m gonna admit, i love sailor talk when i’m sailing. i will shout, “ahoy!” if i like you) .

we headed back to the bay and found that while we had the current with us, the wind wasn’t from a favorable direction. getting home was gonna be a long haul and the odds were good that we might not get there before nightfall when the tide turned against us as well . and no, couldn’t just turn on the motor because we didn’t have one. we had a ‘yuloh’ which is a big-ass chinese skulling oar. think venetian gondolas).

i remember wondering why i was so happy. tacking back and forth to slowly make our way home while it quickly got dark hadn’t been on the itinerary but it didn’t matter . i had been out to sea, i’d learned a key piece of the sailing puzzle (couple thousand more to go) i was on the water with a dear friend, it was quiet and beautiful...i was sailing.

(to be continued)

#sailingpast60 #sailingadventure

my first sailing adventure

i’ve got a story to tell about an unexpected journey i took this summer.

it started with a short sail to a little cove in the peep hen with shemaya. beautiful day, easy breeze for my beginner sailor self.

we stopped here for lunch and it was just SO sweet, rocking on the water, hanging with a friend, learning to sail.

i’m a long way from 10 years old but gotta admit that suzanne packed my favorite lunch...pb&j 😆

we kicked back to digest, rest and i was just happy. not a lot of thoughts just then. it was quiet in the world except for the wind, birds and water. it was quiet in my head. you know what i mean? no chatter or endless internal commentary, just silence...

so sweet...

after that, the day got really interesting 😉 (more to follow)

top photo by shemaya laurel

#sailingpast60 #learningtosail #peephen #nevertooold #blissfull