The birthday-girl Afloat

27 April, 2007

We are in Virginia, water in every direction and rain saturating our decks and swelling them to plumped up perfection, I've just come down from the helm where Ben gently apologized that there was not better weather for my birthday and that we have to run with the engines instead of purely sailing. 'Silly! I'm just happy to be on a boat!' We then did a merry little dance in the rain and he gave me a tremendous hug from behind in the general spirit of enjoying whatever life dishes out. By no means are we a frou-frou crew but rugged as we all are, there is no fear of affirming touch. Joan is a massage therapist, Sarah is very free with hugs... in fact, everyone is. Ryan picked me up, giving me a very acrobatic foredeck hug. I was both delighted and peeved that I'd be the cause of some awful future backstrain, for as much as they love me, I am no flower. Rewind all that blather though! I was chit-chatting back at the helm with Shllama when a great blue heron heavily flew from the clogging mist. Its wings were enormous and he overtook us to land on our bowsprit. How envious I was to see him stretch his neck all unruffled and settle into that forwardmost place, the bow not evn cutting the water yet, the wind as yet untasted. Our friend the blue heron stayed with us for quite some time and I would venture to say that he blessed our ship by alighting on our bow... yawn... enough of that. By the way, sailing on a wooden vessel is tremendous. She is solid and strong and yet I hear her stretching and settling into her couse. As the boys brought the anchor aboard this morning, she winced and trembled like a child when there is a sliver to be pulled. I've loved my time on Inland Seas and Liberty Clipper, both of them steel vessels, but even so, I start to understand another dimension of value- no, not value... there is a sense of spirit in wood. It came from the earth, gre over time and was chosen, timbered, milled, shaped and formed into this book I sail in... ...Huzzah for us... Jacksonville-bound.