09/01 –> 09/02 – Eureka to San Francisco (Todd)
“Holy XXXX!” were the only words that came from my mouth as I drove the wheel hard to port. Shelby and Jen our crew mate looked up at me in fear that we were about ready to wrap our prop in the dreaded crab pot lines. For me, it was one of those moments that I was both in panic and amazement simultaneously.
“Whale!!!” finally came from my mouth as Jen, Shelby and Shay sprung to their feet. There, not more than 20 feet directly off our bow, at twelve o’clock, was the fin and back of a massive humpback whale. She crept slowly forward as the momentum of us motoring carried us even closer. In moments that seemed minutes, her back rose out of the ocean and with it, her beautiful, majestic and powerful tail. It loomed there, ten feet out of the water, in mid-air for seconds…she was allowing us time to appreciate just how amazing of an animal she is and then she dove deep into the ocean in search of solitude and peace.
While everyone jumped for joy, Todd was left with my hands shaking…like not even metaphorically, kind of shaking…my hands were actually shaking. We had come within ten seconds of running into a full-sized humpback whale. While we were likely in no danger, visions of Captain Ahab chasing down Moby Dick somehow danced in my mind. Maybe it was just me hoping I was more of a “salty sailor” than I really am 😊. There is something primal…ancient…wise…mysterious and kind about a whale. She had gifted us all with her presence and reminded once again of the treasures found on planet earth.
One of the interesting parts of life for me, is that memories that sink deep into the spirit and that are imprinted for a life time can happen instantly and without warning, while the vast majority of my life is spent in what feels like a blur. Experiencing our first whale sighting, only feet from our boat, fifteen miles from the shore is a moment I won’t soon forget. Watching our eleven-year-old daughter unable to contain her excitement as she experienced one of nature’s most incredible creations in their natural environment was priceless!
Over the next day of travel from Eureka to San Francisco, we must have seen another two dozen whales. Truly an amazing part of our trip to date!
And so I have decided that for me, my number one goal for this trip is to string as many spirit imprinting moments as I can fit into a one year period. These moments can be as simple as shucking fresh oysters with my daughter on a dock…or seeing Shelby pull the boat into a slip for a perfect landing. Life is too short to not “pet the whale”. (reference to be explained in a future post)
Todd
08/28 –> 09/01 – Eureka CA “Enjoying the fruits of the sea” (Todd)
“Todd did you notice the fog is getting pretty think out there?” were the words spoken by our crew member Scott. “Yeah I guess it is…we better jet sooner than later”. We picked up the pace to run down our standard departure routine, cast off the dock lines as we waved goodbye to our new and good friends Adam and Laura Nash.
We pointed the nose of The Answer out into the open ocean, as the sea fog rolled over us in thick, damp, cool clouds. Again, that feeling of nervous calm starting to arise from my gut. On the one hand, calm as I trust our boat and our team. But on the other, the nervousness of heading out to sea blinded by mother nature and left only with our basic senses to guide us. Oh, that and more electronic navigation gear than I know what to do with. Yeah, the senses sound all cool, but hard to beat a good radar, chart plotter and AIS when the fog rolls in!
The goal was to get far enough away from shore to put us out of the range of crab pots before the darkness fell. In 5 to 8 knots of light breeze at our back, we motored the entire 60 miles to Eureka. We were finally able to appreciate the investment in Radar we made as it clearly gave warning to non-AIS transmitting fishing boat of which we saw a few. As we approached the bar inlet to Eureka in the dark, we slowed our pace to an idle to await the light of day, and a safer passage into an unfamiliar channel.
We have been in Eureka CA since Monday (08/28) morning and have truly enjoyed this laid back, salty fishing village. We have been docked among off shore tuna trawlers and crab fishing boats since we arrived. Walking the docks, the smell of old boats, bait and drying trawling nets brought back childhood memories of going lobster fishing with my uncle Ray, Conch fishing for the summer with my cousin, or walking the docks of Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard. While they may not be all polished, I find old school fisherman to be a refreshing combination of brash kindness…they are real, unpretentious and true sea going Men. What I’d give to know a small percentage of their sea knowledge.
With each port we visit, we do our best to experience the local. In Eureka, it was all about the fruits of the sea. The following are just a few highlights; With a screw driver and putty knife (yes a Portege rig) Shay and I got to shuck our first Oysters purchased fresh off the docks we were on. Shelby purchased freshly filleted Albacore Tuna and made truly the most amazing Ceviche I’ve ever tasted. While short, Shelby and I got to actually have a date night and found ourselves having fun with each other for the first time in a long time. Shelby got to reconnect with Raybowls, a kind and gentle old friend she lost touch with years ago. I have found for me, that cruising in not an easy lifestyle. We live in a cramped space that lacks all but the basic
necessities, but the experiences we have and the truly amazing people we meet, have made all the sacrifices to get here worth the efforts.
Tonight, walking to the showers, I had a very bizarre feeling that to be honest, actually felt awkward and unnerving. As I walked I noticed the trees…noticed a seagull fly overhead and that the pavement was still warm under my feet. What was to some degree startling, was that I was actually not in a rush. Living a pace of life for many years where almost every movement I have made is calculated to be efficient, the feeling of not being in a rush to get to the showers was to a small degree overwhelming. So odd to not be in a rush.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to experience life from this perspective, even if only for a year. I am grateful to all the men and women out there who bring uniqueness to this world. We are looking forward to all the adventures to come and as Shelby said to me tonight, consciously being present to each moment.
08/17 –> 08/18 – Anacortes to Port Angeles (Todd)
After months of preparation on our boat, taking care of our careers and household and sorting out everything needed for our girls during our Silva Family Gap Year, we headed out of Anacortes at 5:00 PM on Thursday August 17th. A beautiful warm late summer day, bright blue skies and a fading sun that casts that incredible light that always has me taking photos of every object I see. Breathtaking really. We had “Blowin’ in the wind” cranking loud in the cockpit, relishing in one of those rare moments when life just works.
Fast forward eight hours, in total darkness and the middle of the Juan de Fuca, 20 to 25 knots of wind on our nose and The Answer cutting through the waves motoring along, I noticed commotion down below. As I descended into the interior lit only by the dim glow of the red lights, Shelby informed me “we’re taking on water”. Happy feeling gone. The sight of Jen, our crew member with a hand held manual bilge pump in one hand and Shelby a large cooking pot in the other, trying to move the large volumes of water coming from the v-birth to the boat’s main bilge was not a sight I was hoping to see.
I’m not sure there are many situations that strike quite the same feeling as taking on water, 8 hours into our adventure, 2:00 AM in 25 knots of wind and 4 hours from a port. Yeah, I’m sure for many salty sailors out there, this was a minor blip on the radar, but for us, it was an event.
In the next 120 seconds I learned another valuable lesson about our boat. It turns out that the small hole where the anchor rode passes through to the bow locker allowed more water into the locker than the small 3/8” drain could remove. With each wash of water that came over the bow, the locker filled with more and more water and drained, of course into the chain locker below deck. Gallons of water was rushing through the hawse pipe and flooding the chain locker which I also found out does not drain to the main bilge.
With every known electronic gadget I could fit onto a 38’ boat, the fix in this situation I had to pull from the “Portegue rig” repertoire that only accompanies a true Portuguese, or anyone who has ever owned a boat in their life. With the hawse pipe stuffed with trash bags, the influx of water subsided, the floor boards resettled into their permanent positions and our crew, soaked from bailing decided Neah Bay would just have to wait for another day. Port Angles bound we were.
We pulled into Port Angeles at 4:00 AM. Tired, wet, a bit freaked out, but with that underlying satisfaction that we had just faced our first challenge and persevered as a team. The funny thing about sailing is that regardless of how solid your boat is, how much you have prepared, you will be tested. The Answer was letting us know where her weak spots lie in hopes that we solve them during times of minimal true danger. We do look forward to getting the bugs worked out!