Sea Change

Moon rising over Big Sur, Ca

Our time in Monterey was coming to an end and I could feel my heart beating faster.  I wanted to leave but transitions are hard sometimes, especially from land to sea. 

A week in Monterey reminded me of living on land full time.   The grocery store, restrooms, showers, washer and dryer, restaurants, and stores were all within walking distance. There was even a beach right next to the marina to take our daily walks.  These comforts began to seep into my skin. Land is where I’ve spent my days in life.

This passage will be my first time standing watch on my own, and it will be during the night.  I know there will be many changes on this journey.  I need to move with them like I have so many times in my life. 

The feeling reminded me of when I first learned to sail on the bay in San Francisco. It was my turn to be at the helm and it was a stormy day. The bay had a lot of short, standing waves that were crashing over the bow of our small sailboat. As soon as I felt the rudder in my hand, and the waves pushing against it, I felt a sense of responsibility flood my nervous system. If I didn’t handle the boat correctly, would we all end up in the cold sea?

The day before we were scheduled to leave, our new friends Patti and Tom on Triæna departed with another sailboat that was next to us. They were continuing their journey south.  As I stood staring at their empty slips, waves of sensations moved deep inside my belly.   It was sea time.

Peter was wrapping up his last day of work the day of our departure. I finished doing all the provisioning, putting the food away, taking out the trash, organizing, making sandwiches, and checking out at the harbor master’s office.   There was nothing left to do but wait. 

Peter finished his last call and then he could focus on getting the boat ready for departure.  It was now time to push off.  The restaurant next to our boat had its windows open.  One person yelled out to us, “Hey! When’s the boat party?”   

“I’m sorry but this party is over!”

There was barely any wind and it felt like Indian summer arrived. People were celebrating the last weeks of heat before the end of Fall and Winter arrives. It seemed like a good time for us to be moving onto the ocean.

I began untying the lines.  The last was the spring line at the center of the boat.  There was a surge moving through the harbor.   Normally I jump onto the boat right after I untie, but this time, I missed getting on due to the current pulling the boat off the dock! Peter said he’d be right back as he accelerated forward and turned the boat around to pick me up on the way out of the harbor.  He was coming up to the dock. I looked around and could see a number of people watching us. They were used to our boat being there, and they were now looking to see us leave.

The boat is at the dock where I am standing and I only have a few seconds left to jump on. 

Peter yells out “Now!”

I barely get my body onto the boat since the life lines on this side were not open, holding me back! I managed to lift my upper body over the lines while the lower half was sticking out. The patrons at the Sand Bar restaurant across from us must have been amused. I guess the party wasn’t over.

We’re finally on our way.

I tried to relax once we were out of the harbor. It took time for my tense muscles to release and my nerves to calm down. Peter encouraged me to lie down and relax my whole body while he stood watch. I laid down in our pilot birth at the center of our boat, just above the salon, taking some time under the warm blanket, just as the sun finished melting into the darkening sea.

My first watch alone started at nine PM. I sat there for a while looking ahead to make sure there were no other boats around.  There wasn’t much else to do but look, smell and listen. I became very present to everything around me.  The light of the moon danced on the waves.  It comforted me and kept me company as I took in the water’s reflections.  I appreciated the time and space the ocean provided me. 

Before we arrived in Morro Bay, it was my time to take watch again, and it was the darkest time of night, from three to six AM.  Peter had backed the engine way down, so we were gently gliding forward.  All I had was the radar to show me where any boats were. I also looked to see if I could see any lights. The only lights I saw were the two red blinking lights far off in the distance that marked the entrance into Morro Bay Harbor. It’s always darkest before the dawn. The stars were shining like jewels amongst a black velvet sky. It seemed like we were floating in space. We arrived just as dawn broke open the night sky.

We set off for Santa Barbara twenty six hours later. We needed to get fuel and there was a funky fuel dock close to the entrance of the harbor with a ladder to climb up to the platform. Peter pulled up to it gently while I climbed the line up the ladder to tie it to a cleat and find the person who could help us fill our tank. Another new experience to add to our list.

Our next leg was to round three points, one of which was Point Conception where the swells come from various directions. I was glad we chose a time when the waves were small and the wind was low. I felt my heart racing as the boat was tossed around by the chaotic wave pattern. The waves were growing in size. When I came back to the cockpit and looked out, I could see that we were fine. What I was fearing was only in my head. I slowly let go of my negative thoughts and began to embrace the many movements on the sea. Just as I did, I saw a spout of water!

“I see a whale! There are two or three of them!”

Peter put the boat in neutral so we wouldn’t get too close to them. We watched for a while before they dove deep and their tails flipped up in the air.

Point Conception

Once we finished rounding the points, we were welcomed by a large pod of dolphins. Their presence was uplifting and their movements so playful, surfing our wakes on both sides of our boat. We were entertained by them for hours. I felt changed by the sea as it changed and rolled us towards warmer, calmer waters.

Inside Santa Barbara Harbor

A surprise visit in Santa Barbara by our dear friends, The Levy’s

We left the following morning for Marina del Rey. We were accompanied by dolphins on our way out. We were also passing where the Levy family was camping in Carpinteria, South of Santa Barbara. They said they saw a very small dot of a sailboat that looked like us.

We had a very relaxing day on the water together. The day just slid by as gracefully as Salacia slid through the water. Passing Ventura, Oxnard, Malibu, Santa Monica and finally arriving in Marina del Rey. As we approached the harbor, the full moon was rising and leading our way.

We stopped in Los Angeles to meet up with Peter’s cousin, Jeff and his wife, Pinkie, and my nephew Tom and his co-worker Raphael. We also had a couple of Peter’s co-workers over for dinner the following evening. It was lovely to spend time with them all.

On our way to dinner with Jeff and Pinkie

We met new people at Wind Jammer Yacht club and our neighbors at the marina. Everyone is so friendly and supportive of what we are doing. We had a chance to be supportive too. There was a young couple who had a small baby. They just bought an old boat and outboard motor. They couldn’t get the motor to work and they were being forced to leave the marina as they were past their stay.

Our hearts went out to them. Peter helped problem-solve with them and it looked like they were going to make it. It was a great way to end our stay.