Nelly
I am not going to lie. Well…only a little. Even though we had sailed, motored, swam, limped, trekked and pushed our yacht all the way from Florida to Grenada I was actually a bit nervous for this trip. I mean we had done night trips before but only a short hop – leaving at midnight and arriving midday and feeling like a badass. Hell we crossed almost 2000 Nautical Miles and we saw some tough days with rough weather and wind on the nose. We even kissed the ground after crossing the Mona Passage when we reached Puerto Rico, but this trip was different. 400 miles non-stop, 51 hours and no land in sight, morning noon and night and then all over again. Yes we are planning on sailing this boat around the world but in “cruiser years” we are still just getting our feet wet. Literally. I don’t know what it was but maybe just the unknown, which we normally thrive on. It seemed bigger…more “real” and a test of our ability and resolve.
You know I am crazy
About Lennie that is. Yes I know I don’t write about her enough but you know how I feel about her by watching the videos. This trip reinforced just how lucky I am to have her as my partner, co-captain and wife. When we met 20 years ago I took her to the beach and she jumped on my back to avoid seaweed touching her legs in 2 feet of water. How was I going to break her in? The answer was I didn’t have to. Lennie’s love of adventure and sailing isn’t because “I want to do it” or worse “I am going with of without you” and believe me we have heard that from people. She went from being a somewhat “fraidy cat” to a total adventure seeker with her own passion for it. We truly do this together. She is not “following” me. Sometimes it just surprises me to see how much work she does on the boat both physically and planning behind the scenes. She knows how to do everything and she enjoys all types of weather and high fives me when we accomplish something. From Scuba diving to climbing the mast and navigating in the dark by herself she does it all. On top of that she’s okay to look at. Yep. I am lucky.
Always a Next time
When you watch the video you will see three happy people having a leisurely cruise in beautiful calm conditions with a full moon. We know better. This was a convenience for our first offshore but certainly not the norm. We will have plenty of future crossings in all sorts of conditions. Sometimes we will be hunkered down in a squall wearing PFD’s and safety harnesses in the middle of a moonless night hoping the blackness in front of us is not the bow of the Exxon Valdez. Yes we got lucky. We do that a lot. But preparedness is the key to offshore sailing and we have a large supply of it. Lets hope we have plenty of nerve to go with it.
Below is the link to Part 1 of “The Crossing” I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you!
Runo Smith
You guys have a great life and I am very Happy for you.
happytogether
Hi Dad, Made possible by you! Randy
Jim Woodall
Another excellent video! The completion of your first multi-day overnight passage is a big deal. Passage making (even relatively short passages) are one of the most challenging aspects of cruising. There will probably always be a little bit of nervous anticipation leading up to departure but that turns into a feeling of pride and accomplishment as the passage concludes. Our first big overnight was Norfolk to Red Hook, St. Thomas. We did it in just under nine days and it still ranks as a great accomplishment in my book! Finding a dot of land in the vastness of an ocean (or sea) is what memories are made of for sailors! Seeing one’s next landfall on the horizon never gets old! Congratulations to both you and Lennie and your crew, job well done!
happytogether
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your comment. You certainly understand where we are coming from with this first one based on your experience. We have now made it to Colombia without the help of the captain and our confidence level is high. The landfall always excites us! Keep in touch. Randy