Sailing Newletter

Get out the "FUNMETER" it's pegged on 10!

Our first day at sea was a ten on the FUNMETER. Good food s/v Friendship ready, provisioned and ready to sail

Dan King 1st mate, just out of college(holds a degree in aerospace). Dan's taking a year off before starting grad school.Dan walked up to Friendship one day while I was painting watercolors in her cockpit. He said-You looking for a crew? I said-come aboard. We sat,talked,asked questions of each other,and 45 min later I offered Dan a crew spot for a sail to Catalina Island. I've been given the name (meet the stranger and invite them in) It has worked for the past 12 years. Dan was stepping into my sailing dream after several re-starts. Once out of the San Diego Harbor we encountered 9-10 kt wind Friendship is a tall rig so she has plenty of sail to move us toward Oceanside Harbor. Dan is a master at trimming sails-constantly on vigil to keep her sail power at it's max.We were able to sail about 2/3's of the way to Oceanside. Toward evening the wind died down and we started Friendship's diesel. We moved at 4-5 kts into Oceanside Harbor. Ah,if I had the gift of words like authors of the sea-Melville, Dana, Stevensen, I'd spin a sea yarn you wouldn't forget. Instead share simple log entries that mean a lot to me. This time in my life I'm doing a lot of grieving. Just weeks ago my best friend Arlene, former wife of over 20 yrs and mother of our daughter Laura suddenly passed over. She suffered a severe stroke. A couple of days later her beautiful loving,compassionate soul left the earth plane for its journey to the light. Her passing has left a deep void and loss in my life.   I find myself weeping and grieving sometimes triggered by a thought or vision of her. She would have loved this sailboat. A non- swimmer don a PFD and enjoy with passion the dance of the hull,wind spirits,water spirits-and those on board. Arlene loved her work as a very special teacher and later a talented and successful gallery owner in Santa Fe,N.M.I feel the wind-clear air-water-sounds-and the liquid horizon filling part of that inner void. During our sail,I spent time on Friendship's bow,grieving and spreading blessing corn from her memorial into the deep Pacific. I am very grateful that Arlene came into my life 41 yeas ago.   Dan and I talked some- Dan did some reading but most of the time we were silent. I find a quality of sailing that quiets my mind,body and mouth. It feels like an inner centering and focus. A feeling of he very moment....... I could feel at first something inside of me saying "we need to be going faster" A voice coming from land-automobile travel.Then slowly the fast pace receded behind the stern. A couple of hours later it was EWOP " everything's working out perfectly" A calm would enter me and wash me under the bright sun. We spent some time working some little bugs out of the auto pilot The wind died down and we started the "Mo-Mo" as my grandson calls boat engines.With the aid of navigation lights and our powerful search light we safely entered Oceanside Harbor. Some call it a difficult Harbor to enter. We found a guest slip and tied up for the night feeling full of the ocean and it's wonderful gifts for the heart and soul. Dan whipped up a good dinner while I went up to the Harbor Masters office to check in. Good people in the office. I got a little too much sun on my lower lip.I'll us more protection tomorrow. I felt joy,accomplishment,and gratefulness to the great sailing spirits for our safe journey. It was just plain "FUN". I need to tell Dan how much I appreciate his trust and willingness to explore with a total stranger. Dan came from out of nowhere to enroll in my sailing dreams. I learned a lot from this young man. I fell into a liquid sleep full of dreams(another story). The sea gulls woke me the next morning. I went for a long walk in the morning checking boats out along the way. Two Harbors The diminishing and disappearing wake from Friendship's stern seemed to bathe the soul. A sailboat leaves no trail after the waters mix up the wake........ We sailed 80 miles today. We got to the marina at 2:30 and left Two Harbors at 7:00 am. 191/2 hrs....we did it all,following sea,wing to wing, whisker pole, broad reach,and a lot of motoring when the wind went to sleep. When we left Two Harbors it was very calm-3-4kts of wind. We motored as we left... A couple hours went by and we hoisted the mainsail to try and grab a kt or so. We had a good healthy fruit and yogurt breakfast underway. We also had an early lunch snack of peanut butter and jelly. I hope for some wind around noon. I started to have that loss feeling again. A quick moment where Arlene's spirit seemed to sweep over the cockpit. I did a bow blessing with the corn. I'm doing the right thing -I thought. Out on the ocean the feeling of loss was healing as Friendship's bow parted the waves. I listened to the sound for hours. It was washing my heart....... All went very well.We lost one thing-a fender. We ate great food with lots of fresh seafood. Dan got to scuba dive and play pool on Catalina Is. I like getting to know new friends. I also got to know more about Friendship and myself . Sailing is "Great Tonic"

There are times going to weather that the bow dips into the water and within seconds points upward toward the sky. She looks like she wants to launch straight out of the water like a rocket. I got thrown off the cockpit seat onto the floor when we hit a big one. I got my first "water ticket" as we were leaving Avalon the Harbor Patrol boat came zooming up to us. He said we had violated the time to leave in the morning. He wrote out a ticket and handed it to me saying---$5.00 please. I paid and asked if it would go on my record.---He said No. We were off to Two Harbors........   Dolphins I saw out to starboard many high splashes between the waves. Then the jumps-then more-and more. What at first looked like 200 or so dolphins began looking like over a thousand. The whole sea to starboard was foaming with dolphins playing,riding the waves,spinning,doing flips in the air,and joyfully playing on the surface. Earlier in the day I told Dan that I would "call" in some dolphins. I had just got back from teaching a dolphin workshop in Bimini with Dolphin Swim. I was very tuned in to dolphin consciousness after swimming with them everyday for a week. I think Dan was wondering if I really did call them to the boat. The color of the water was this deep blue. I think the dolphins like this water when it churns up on the surface. It perfect to play with. I have lived for years with the long wide horizon ever present in northern New Mexico. I believe it is etched in my psyche and vision memory. The N.M. horizon is vast,steady,and stable. Now the even vaster ocean horizon is out beyond the bow. It cuts a clean straight line 360 degrees around the boat. It is dark blue sprinkled with small whitecaps. A beautiful 'Liquid Horizon".

I fly the New Mexico flag.	Dog show at Two Harbors Strut your mutt.
A stow-a-away	Dan's galley delights
Isthmus	Schooner encounter

Sail back I found sailing at night very special. We took only two hour watches so we had time alone with the black sky,water,and the blanket of stars above with the bow sound parting the water. Click here to read Dan's log entry:

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