Slowing Down

Santa Catalina, Monzerratte and Danzante Islands across from Carmen Island

I didn’t recognize the pace at which we were moving in our lives until this past week when we were sitting at anchor in a beautiful cove on the lee side of Carmen Island (East of Loreto) in the Sea of Cortez. The cove is just off Punta Colorado and it is nestled on the north end of San Francisco Bay, of all places. I felt time begin to open up and slow way down. I drew a deep breath as I sat facing the expansive sea, reflecting on things as the sun light glistened on the water. 

This year would have been our 25th year living in San Francisco. We had such full lives in the city by the Bay. So many friends, so many activities and events. We wondered whether we would be as happy living any place else. But given the demands of such an expensive city, we really wanted to know if there was a way we could live with a little more freedom and balance to our lives?

The answer began to germinate when we decided to learn to sail about seven years ago. We took classes, we partnered on a boat, and we joined South Beach Yacht Club. Our lives continued to move fast, but we felt more alive with energy to keep up. Then one night as we sat in our living room after dinner, Peter asked me a question, “would it be possible to live full time on a boat and sail to different places?”

Close up of Monzeratte Island

I thought it was interesting, but I couldn’t really imagine doing it at the time. I was in the middle of building a full-time psychotherapy practice, so I was completely distracted and engaged in what I was doing. Peter was excited about the idea. He started reading many books by people who lived that dream as well as books about sailing on the ocean, boat engine mechanics, electrical systems and how to navigate sailing around the world. He talked to me about it often. He shared books with me and information he was gathering. He was dreaming of having our own boat one day.

We took all the classes needed to allow us to charter a boat so we could spend our 20th wedding anniversary in Sardinia, Italy, sailing around the islands there. It was an exciting and challenging adventure and we learned how much we loved it.

When we got back to San Francisco, I joined Peter in looking at boats. In fact, at the 2018 Richmond Boat Show, it was me who looked him straight in the eye and asked, “why don’t we just buy this boat?”

Punta Colorado

In Colorado Cove, I was enjoying the solitude and space that surrounded us. Time seemed to stretch out. It was incredibly quiet. After many years listening to others in my practice, I finally had the time to listen to myself. With so much space, I found myself lingering in the pause between my thoughts as the warmth of the sun slowly moved across my skin. 

Another sailboat came in and anchored in front of us. We waved. They pulled right in close to shore, jumped into their dinghy, landed on the beach, and immediately started hiking up the large cone on the land that extends out to the point. The land protects us from the north wind that was forecast to blow up to twenty knots that night. 

We listened to the wind building through our rigging, creating a low humming sound. Salacia started rocking back and forth from a small swell which wrapped around the point from the waves building further out to sea. We put out our flopper stopper, which is a device that hangs from a pole on the side of our boat into the water to slow the movement down. We were cradled and gently rocked to sleep, waking up at times to check on our anchor, then listening to the wind as it hummed through the rigging, hypnotizing me back to sleep.

We woke up the next morning to a beautiful day as the wind began to soften. The water was glistening outside again. Peter was out sun-bathing while I finished getting ready to join him. Then I heard a different sound from down below.  I was curious as it had a familiar pattern to it. I jumped up past Peter to look out and I saw black and fairly large, finned fish. I mistook them at first for whales, but no, they were dolphins and they were swimming across the Bay. They were so peaceful and elegant.  We decided to stay for a few days.

Later that morning, the couple who had just anchored was already preparing their boat to leave. While they were putting up their sails, I was reminded of who we were when we were living in San Francisco. We were so busy with our jobs and our goals. We had so much to do to prepare for a life of sailing. A huge undertaking. We had to sell our home, most of our possessions, plus get our boat ready for ocean passages. Now we aren’t ticking things off our list any longer. We finally have the time to just be, to sit, relax, listen and experience the beauty that surrounds us. No more need to rush.

Recently, we were feeling a little stuck with my health situation and now surgery scheduled in mid-February. We’ve stayed north where it’s cooler and the winds are higher because we need to leave our boat in Puerto Escondido to catch a flight to San Diego. After spending this time at anchor, I view it differently. I remember getting sick in the past and thinking it’s my body’s way of telling me I need to slow down. Well, I am slowing down, which is enabling me to take in the full experience of where I am.

We are now living our dream. It’s taken so much effort to get here. I don’t know how long our travels will last, but I do know we’ve found a different way of living and it’s been incredibly good for my soul.

Sunrise over Santa Catalina Island on our last day in Colorado Cove