Wednesday 8/28 - Key Liberation Day
Those who know me know that my favorite day of travel is the
day I get rid of my keys. That day happened on Tuesday when Circus and I
relinquished our last possessions, including a Ford Explorer and Yamaha Virago
Motorcycle - that we are still selling via friends. We are officially vagabonds
once more, following our hearts to the ends of the earth. It was such a
whirlwind of frenetic packing, purging, cleaning, and goodbyes that I honesty
am just beginning to feel the emotional reality of leaving. I have yet to have
a big, long cry, which is certainly coming. I am really enjoying and valuing
being able to be close to Circus again without the pull of a million different
things. In the harried few weeks we left ourselves no time to just be. And as
hard as that was, there was blue sky on the other side, a light at the end of
the tunnel. And here we sit in the tunnel with nothing to do but wait out the
seas.
Friday 8/30 - Hurry up and Wait!
Today is our 3rd day on the Feral Soul, the 47’
sailing vessel that we are crewing down the West Coast. We arrived here Tuesday
evening and have been waiting out the weather in Neah Bay, a somewhat derelict
marina on the northwest tip of the US. Good weather patterns are moving in
today and we’re planning to leave in the next 24 hours for our first cruise in
the ocean. Duane and Sandy, the ship’s owners, are cutting their northwest ties
bound for San Diego and then the world. We’re pretty excited to be aboard their
beautiful boat.
Last night I had a gluten reaction, nausea and abdominal
cramping, and the exhaustion of that made me nearly release some of those
aforementioned emotions. Too tired to hold them in. I have fallen into “boat
time” again very quickly, time that simultaneously stretches into forever and
passes too quickly to grasp. Before you know it it’s 2pm and you haven’t eaten
anything. Or there’s the list of 5 things you needed to get done and it’s
already 7pm. But there is also endless time to smell the ocean, dance in the
rain (or sit in the covered cockpit) eat and drink your pleasure and share
childhood stories. We’ve had a few of those late mornings and late nights with
Duane and Sandy already and many more will unfold with the swell of the ocean
waves and – hopefully – the wind at our back.
Many have reminded us lately that it’s not the destination,
it’s the journey. We’ve tried to keep that in mind with the journey of packing
and moving and all the steps to getting here. It certainly feels like we’re
letting time unfold as it will, not
trying to control it. With the exception of a few plane tickets, we’ve got
nowhere to be and nothing to do. Which leaves us free to go everywhere and do
everything!
Monday 9/2 – Grey’s Harbor, WA
We sailed out of Neah Bay on Friday early afternoon in a bit
of a rush after the weather man told us the time was right. So we hurried to do
last minute preparations on the boat and pulled out of the dock around 12:30pm.
It was our first ocean voyage and the weather was pretty agreeable with
relatively calm seas and only 4 or 5 hours of fog. There was no wind to speak
of and we had to motor the 22 hours to Grey’s Harbor, but on Saturday around
mid-day we slalomed through the mass of fishing boats into the marina with
crystal clear blue skies and good spirits. I got a bit seasick during our first
passage and suffered a day of acclimation and total exhaustion the rest of the
day Saturday and half of Sunday. It passed, thankfully, after about 24 hours of
sleep and being kind to my belly. We were going to leave for Newport, OR, our
next leg, yesterday morning but were advised from our weather counsel to hold
tight and wait for the slow-moving low pressure system to move through. So
yesterday was a lazy day at port of napping, snacking, and walks to the
beautiful sandy beach. As my mom would say, “It’s good to be us!” We figured on
sailing down to Newport this morning but it looks like 50+ mile/hr winds are
waiting for us offshore so we’re consulting our weatherman before we pull ties
at Gray’s Harbor. Hopefully we’ll be in Californian weather soon and won’t have
to wait for this Washington weather any more.
After a few days I’ve resettled into my practice. It’s always interesting navigating a new space and new “family.” My intention is to get up a half hour earlier which will give me plenty of time to meditate in the morning although I’ve managed a practice the past few days. I usually head towards bed first so I’m alone in our roomy V-Birth with time to sit alone at the close of the day as well. And when we’re docked and it’s not pouring, I’ve found a few times to do an afternoon hatha practice which is necessary on a weary body. Time and time again I realize just how important that routine of my daily practice is and I have forgiven myself for the day or two it takes to find affirming routine in a new space. The Feral Soul is our home for about 2 more weeks and we’re all intending to make it to San Diego in that time. And our hosts are kind and accommodating and very relaxed, albeit careful with our lives and the fate of the boat under way.
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