Life is Like Sailing

“Hark, now hear the sailors cry, 

smell the sea, and feel the sky 

let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic...”

― Van Morrison

Wild seas tear the hatch open while crossing from Bahamas to Turks and Caicos

Life is like sailing. 

I am writing this blog as we make our way from the Bahamas to the Turks and Caicos.  This leg of the journey, about 300 nautical miles, has been difficult. The trade winds out of the east have been robust and the sea swell has been relatively large, and we had to make our way into both.   We took seas over the bow that rolled into the cockpit, none of us could stand up without being tossed, the wind howled, a couple hatches were opened and bucketful’s of green sea water drenched bedding and galley, and we sailed through two days and two nights, with nights being hardest because you could not see what was coming next. On board Sea Angel are seven; Weston my first mate, close friends from California with their son, my son Colton and his girlfriend.  Early in the passage a few of us discussed how we like this sailing stuff and there was a consensus that some only desire “fair weather” sailing.  It was posed as a question to me, as if I was an anomaly, if I liked the difficult conditions. It got me thinking. Most on board are fair weather sailors. Myself, I am a sailor and I know there are days that are perfect but there are days that are not; there are certainly days that challenge me.  As a sailor on a long journey I have to accept it all.

The Sea Angel fights through choppy waters

Water on the Deck!!! "Quit that!" 

Sailing is like life.  We start somewhere and we finish somewhere and along the way there are periods of beautiful calm but there are the storms too. If we consciously choose to reach a destination, be it a position on the globe, or the place we challenge our hearts to be when we “finish”, then we have to accept  and yes, even be thankful, for all the parts of the journey, even the uncomfortable.  Each turn of the rudder, shift in wind, condition, event, or relationship along the way when put it together form our unique path from our beginning to our end. So do I like sailing in crazy uncomfortable conditions? No, not particularly. To me, sailing is a journey between cultures and people.  It is ultimately about human relationships.  Reaching new places and people.  Sometimes it is beautiful, sometimes painful, and sometimes difficult.  Sailing and life are a lot alike.  I personally love all of it.

Sunrise brings an end to the uncertainty of wild seas.. for now.

The comfortable life of Turks and Caicos

Life's little blessings, smooth sailing and happy. 

The Sea Angel is sailing to the South Pacific for a cause- Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. Read more about Sea Mercy's 2014 Impact.

 

If Sea Angel's journey resonates with you, we welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - there are several ways to get involved. 

 

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees in the spirit of social responsibility and provide a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. The more we sail, the more we understand how important it is to foster these types of relationships in everything we do. Our journey still has a long way to go, and we thank you for being here with us.