Where is Royce? Click to sail along! ⛵ It’s 5:30 on our last night at sea. Barring some unforeseen iceberg, Orca attack, or unsupervised helming by our friend Jeff, we will make landfall at first light. It will be Friday morning, 5/12, nearly 18 days after departing from the Canaries.
We are all lounging in the cockpit, as the last of the crew finishes their shower. The event has turned into a spectator sport. I can’t decide if the communal dialogue while scrubbing my privates is worth the open-mouthed stares and picture-taking. Oh well, the dye has been cast. That was the last cleaning - the third in nearly as many weeks. I’m reading a novel set in 10th century, England, where bathing occurred twice a year. Our weekly cleaning would be considered a wasteful extravagance back then, though it seems way too infrequent in our present state of boat grime. But then, we’re not battling Vikings, so are we just wasting water? All hands were on deck for a meeting to discuss tomorrow’s landfall. We covered the short list of cleaning duties to be accomplished, a boat care checklist, flag raising, and quarantine rules. Alejandro clarified for all of us that we need airline flights booked, a hotel reservation lodged, and a note from our parent or guardian before Chris will release our passport and allow us to leave. I wonder if my TSA pre check will allow me to get off this boat faster - I’d hate to be 8th in line to step ashore and order a beer. Mia highlighted that this will be our first landfall: “Don’t let the moment be lost by burying yourself in your phone, now that service as been restored after nearly a month” she said. Something about the comment reminded me of the enormity of what we just accomplished. Though almost overtaken by a squall last night, we encountered very few acute dangers during our crossing. There have been no reported cases of scurvy. None of us were chained and locked in a hold, mid-decks. No injuries outside of my damaged pinky, a few scraped shins, and perhaps a sunburn. Sure we ran out of fresh fruit and vegetables a week ago. Yes, there have been sleepless nights, sweaty bunks, and the occasional short-tempered remark. On the whole, though, the trip was somewhat benign. But, how many humans over the millennia have made that passage? Do we need battle scars or stories of sea monsters, burials at sea or pirate attacks to justify our adventure? In short, does this count? Is the adventure worth sharing with friends or future generations of little sailors carrying our name? Is that long awaited tattoo justified? I’m finding it harder, with each passing year, to appreciate the present moment. I try so hard to recognize a first, or exceptional experience. But it is never as sweet as when time has passed, and I yearn to be back in that moment. Nostalgic for that first. That exceptional. I’m sitting here, watching the little patches of seaweed float past our stern into the oblivion we just covered. I know this is my first, and may be the last time I make this trek. And still, it’s hard to appreciate the enormity of it all. What will I remember most? What will I wish back? What hardship, not yet appreciated, will elevate in my mind and in the stories I’ll tell? Who will I remember and whose face will fade away like the numerous sunsets we observed? What lessons have been learned? Time will tell. Some of the experiences, thoughts, feelings will follow our wake and make landfall with us, bottled-up and stowed safely for future recall. We’ll embody them and they will impact us, perhaps influencing a future path. And certainly there will be moments, conversations, sunsets that will be left at sea. They will remain, lost in our wake. “Land Ho!” Chris announced. I look, and sure enough. A small piece of land, two peaks, emerging from the sea some 30 miles off our bow. It’s 6:32pm, almost exactly 18 days after departing. All of this contemplation has to wait. I have some packing to do. And a tattoo to design.
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September 2024
We're the Zimmerman Family!
Home Base | Denver, CO A family of six that
LOVES to sail! Follow our crew (Royce, Tara, Avery, Charley, Nora & Ruby) as we blog our sailing adventures Upcoming Trip:
9.4.2024 | South Africa Previous Trips: Set Sail 4.22.23 Las Palmas - Across the Atlantic - Island of Antigua Set Sail 9.22.21 Sweden - Germany - United Kingdom Set Sail 7.18.19 Newport, RI - Martha's Vineyard, MA - Nantucket, MA - & back! Thanks for reading ! |