Preoccupation at Sea!

Three weeks of doublehanding from Hawaii to California brought its share of learning. The passage included both good and bad, but a single thing preoccupied my mind. We left in the sloppy wake of Hurricane Daniel, and on day one had our fresh laundry drenched with saltwater that came through an open hatch.

The vessel was well outfitted, due to its owner being the overseer for Port Supply’s entire Western Territory. Our radio installation was one of the best in the Pacific Cup fleet, so the boat was chosen to run the rollcall on the way over. The owner had volunteered us for the same honor on the return trip, with me ending up as the primary radio operator.

The rough going lasted about a week before we were able to settle into a smoother, more easterly course. I had to remind myself that I had chosen this, and had no business complaining. Nothing too horrible happened to us. I was constipated for the first several days, so I forced myself to drink glass after glass of warm water until it cleared up. At one point I had to jump in the water with a knife to clear a fishing net we had wrapped around our propeller, and for the last few days we had to hand-steer, due to both our primary and backup autopilots failing. That was about it. Uncomfortable; not life threatening.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. — Cicero

Other boats in our fleet weren’t so lucky. One boat lost its steering, and another had a piece of its rod rigging fatigue and fail. But by far the worst calamity was the Santa Cruz 52 that dismasted 1,000 miles from California, breaking the spine of a crew member when it came down. As the net control, I won the task of coordinating a rescue between the boat, the boat’s owners, and the Coast Guard.

On the other hand, we had tons to be grateful for. The owner’s girlfriend had helped us to provision the boat with great daily meal packs, and the owner and I would try to outdo each other in the galley. The night sky was phenomenal, there was bioluminescence galore, dolphins spent hours surfing our bow wave, and I saw the green flash, not once, but three times!

Still, I obsessed. It wasn’t until we reached California that I was finally able to satisfy the preoccupation I had had since early in the trip. It’s strange how good a long, hot shower can feel when you have been cold, damp, and salty for three weeks. I was certainly grateful for other things, including our safe arrival and building a new friendship, but it stood out for me how we take for granted little things in our daily lives—like a hot shower—that really make a difference. It’s true what they say: you don’t appreciate them until they’re gone. I appreciate a long, hot shower more today because of the experience.