If a Little is Great....
A year later, after our daysail in Oahu, we went to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) in December of 2019. We thought if a little sailing trip was fun, a longer trip must be…..even better.
We booked a 10-day bareboat charter through the Moorings on the Sojourn II, a 38’ monohull out of Tortola. Wendy clearly stated her mantra over and over: “Just remember I don’t know anything about boats or sailing!” Peter had bareboat sailed in the Caribbean several times before, but it had been quite a few years since he had captained a boat.
Salty Captain Pete, La Choza Restaurant, Hat and Pipe a Good Luck Gift from Sam and Shane, 2019 / BVI Cruising Permit, 2019
Predictably, on our way out of Road Harbour, Tortola we nearly hit an enormous cruise ship mooring while Peter was at the mast sorting tangled lines. He asked Wendy in a loud voice to ease the throttle so that he would have more time to get back to the helm. Her response: “Where is the throttle, and what do I do with it? I wasn’t kidding when I said I know nothing about boats!” After we regained our composure, we motor-sailed over to Buck Island to get the sails and lines fully sorted. We got things organized and started figuring out how to sail together and began to experience the joy of sailing.
Oh, several days later, we lost and then regained the Soujourn II’s dinghy. Somehow, we didn’t secure it properly that evening. After a sleepless night, we stalked the anchorage quietly at sunrise in our boat and located it. Some kind souls found it adrift, attached it to their boat’s stern, and added a handy note of explanation that we could read through our binoculars. Once identification was confirmed, Peter swam over and collected it. Thanks Stella Blu!
Wendy learned that her galley skills, especially cooking bacon underway and using the gimbaled stove as needed, were quite handy.
About halfway through the charter, Wendy was sitting on the foredeck and turned to Peter and yelled, “Have you ever thought about sailing around the world?” Stunned, he hesitated before replying and said: “Really? Don’t mess with me - it is my secret boyhood dream.” We’d never discussed it.
The Split-Second Decision, December 2019
Truly, it was a split-second decision and a life defining moment. Mae West said it best: “If a little is great, and a lot is better, then way too much is just about right!” The wheels were set in motion.
The next month, January 2020, the world received reports of illness due to a novel coronavirus.
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