Monday, July 05, 2004
Rock the Boat
The vastness of the ocean is inviting...and we are ready! Maria, Emmo, Ivo, Asyo and I headed out to open sea at 10pm last night. Less than an hour into our journey, as we are completely engulfed by the black void of the night, we hear the engine shut down. The only sounds we hear are the splashing water on the side of the boat and our own breathing. Silence. Darkness. Middle of nowhere. Below us - the magnificent depths of the ocean. Above us - the infinite space of the skies. We are stranded. But this is adventure. Asyo loves the challenge. He identifies the problem, has pirate Emmo clean a filter, and in no time we're up and running again. We are reaching for the deepest darkness ahead of us. And we all feel as if we are on some great super important mission. We are to conquer new land and discover the unknown. (OK, not really, but it feels that way)
I was keeping Asyo company until around 2am. The guy's been sailing boats since age 10. The ocean is his playground. He is almost as excited as I am. The other 3 pirates are asleep - rocking in their crib that is the boat tonight. So I am asking Asyo all kinds of questions about sailing, fishing and the ocean, and he explains everything to me. Fascinating.
I wake up at 7am and the view outside the window of the cabin is fantastic. The waters of the ocean extend for as far as the eye can see. We're combing through the waves. On our way to wherever. As I step outside the view is breathtaking - a 360-degree scenery of only water. The horizon is as straight as a laser beam. The air is crisp. The breeze is fresh and it feels as if it pierces my body and flows straight through me.
We are getting closer to our destination - the Butterfly Bank at coordinates 32.22.00 118.15.00. I had no idea that we actually had a destination. Cool. We spend the next 8 hours trying to catch some fish. No luck. And the 8 hours seem like 8 minutes really.
Asyo is exhausted and finally goes to sleep. So do Ivo, Maria and Emmo. I am the only one awake, now at the big wheel, holding a steady course at 10 degrees North.
When you are in open sea and it's just you, your vessel, and the ocean, you can't help but surrender to your uninterrupted random thoughts. They say that right before you die, you see your entire past flash before your eyes. No need to die to experience this. Just go sailing. Scenes from your childhood are played out on the ocean stage in front of you. And your present existence is as vivid as it can be. You realize what a drop you really are in the ocean of life. You are just a click on the swing of the seconds hand on the clock of the passing of time. You have the time and comfort to think about anything and everything. You can remember every person you ever met. You can remember events from your life that you normally never have the luxury to think about. And your mind is a blank canvas, if you wish, as empty as the open sea, where you can paint with the brushes of your imagination. Inspired.
Sailing has such a great effect on me. It's a healing experience. It puts me in a meditative state. It makes me think. Makes me fantasize. Makes me relax. Makes me dream. Oh, and makes me want to catch some fish. They say that the trip is more important than the destination and today this is more valid than ever. Lost in the middle of the ocean, all I can do is make the best of this experience. The Now. The destination is far away. I cannot see it. Can't really know how far it is. Hell, can't even be sure I'll ever reach it. All I can do is keep the course. Fighting shifting winds and restless waves, no matter what, I have to lock the wheel at 10 degrees North. Steady.
The crew is up again and we are on a mission. Listening to radio communication from the other boats in the area, we keep looking for that spot of shallow water with a bird hovering around. No bites. No luck. But we're active and we're having fun. Yet again I realize that it's the trip that matters and not the destination.
I take a nap and when I wake am told a whale just passed us by. Grand. As we approach the shores getting closer and closer to Point Loma, we spot some dolphins, pelicans, and even a shark. We drink Rum like pirates now (especially Emmo who called his cup of mostly rum with a splash of coke "a cup of tea") and talk fast and loud and feel alive. We own the ocean.
And you know what else? I have a newfound hobby. Can't wait until the next time the ocean will take me in its unpredictable bundle of time and space and teach me more about life.
The vastness of the ocean is inviting...and we are ready! Maria, Emmo, Ivo, Asyo and I headed out to open sea at 10pm last night. Less than an hour into our journey, as we are completely engulfed by the black void of the night, we hear the engine shut down. The only sounds we hear are the splashing water on the side of the boat and our own breathing. Silence. Darkness. Middle of nowhere. Below us - the magnificent depths of the ocean. Above us - the infinite space of the skies. We are stranded. But this is adventure. Asyo loves the challenge. He identifies the problem, has pirate Emmo clean a filter, and in no time we're up and running again. We are reaching for the deepest darkness ahead of us. And we all feel as if we are on some great super important mission. We are to conquer new land and discover the unknown. (OK, not really, but it feels that way)
I was keeping Asyo company until around 2am. The guy's been sailing boats since age 10. The ocean is his playground. He is almost as excited as I am. The other 3 pirates are asleep - rocking in their crib that is the boat tonight. So I am asking Asyo all kinds of questions about sailing, fishing and the ocean, and he explains everything to me. Fascinating.
I wake up at 7am and the view outside the window of the cabin is fantastic. The waters of the ocean extend for as far as the eye can see. We're combing through the waves. On our way to wherever. As I step outside the view is breathtaking - a 360-degree scenery of only water. The horizon is as straight as a laser beam. The air is crisp. The breeze is fresh and it feels as if it pierces my body and flows straight through me.
We are getting closer to our destination - the Butterfly Bank at coordinates 32.22.00 118.15.00. I had no idea that we actually had a destination. Cool. We spend the next 8 hours trying to catch some fish. No luck. And the 8 hours seem like 8 minutes really.
Asyo is exhausted and finally goes to sleep. So do Ivo, Maria and Emmo. I am the only one awake, now at the big wheel, holding a steady course at 10 degrees North.
When you are in open sea and it's just you, your vessel, and the ocean, you can't help but surrender to your uninterrupted random thoughts. They say that right before you die, you see your entire past flash before your eyes. No need to die to experience this. Just go sailing. Scenes from your childhood are played out on the ocean stage in front of you. And your present existence is as vivid as it can be. You realize what a drop you really are in the ocean of life. You are just a click on the swing of the seconds hand on the clock of the passing of time. You have the time and comfort to think about anything and everything. You can remember every person you ever met. You can remember events from your life that you normally never have the luxury to think about. And your mind is a blank canvas, if you wish, as empty as the open sea, where you can paint with the brushes of your imagination. Inspired.
Sailing has such a great effect on me. It's a healing experience. It puts me in a meditative state. It makes me think. Makes me fantasize. Makes me relax. Makes me dream. Oh, and makes me want to catch some fish. They say that the trip is more important than the destination and today this is more valid than ever. Lost in the middle of the ocean, all I can do is make the best of this experience. The Now. The destination is far away. I cannot see it. Can't really know how far it is. Hell, can't even be sure I'll ever reach it. All I can do is keep the course. Fighting shifting winds and restless waves, no matter what, I have to lock the wheel at 10 degrees North. Steady.
The crew is up again and we are on a mission. Listening to radio communication from the other boats in the area, we keep looking for that spot of shallow water with a bird hovering around. No bites. No luck. But we're active and we're having fun. Yet again I realize that it's the trip that matters and not the destination.
I take a nap and when I wake am told a whale just passed us by. Grand. As we approach the shores getting closer and closer to Point Loma, we spot some dolphins, pelicans, and even a shark. We drink Rum like pirates now (especially Emmo who called his cup of mostly rum with a splash of coke "a cup of tea") and talk fast and loud and feel alive. We own the ocean.
And you know what else? I have a newfound hobby. Can't wait until the next time the ocean will take me in its unpredictable bundle of time and space and teach me more about life.
Krassy Can Listen To It: "Army Of Me" by 
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