August 21, 2023-I can sail again

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I can sail again

I can sail again. I know now. 

 For the last three months I have been afraid of how it would feel to sail Wings without Judy, so I avoided that.

The boat sat in the slip, unused, since coming back from Yelapa, in April

I thought about sailing single handedly but I had said to her many times in the last 38 years; “I have no interest in sailing singlehandedly”.

Of course I meant, without her.

But Judy is gone.

Now I have decided that if I sail it will not be single handedly, but only with another. It is the closest thing I can do to honor that promise I made.

Today I took the first step.

A young new friend, Salome, joined me and we sailed Wings.

It was a good day of sailing. We put up the sails and sheeted in and the water was flat and the wind gentle and Wings sailed well. Salome had the helm but we traded off some. We did some tacks.

Up by Punta Montoga we put up the spinnaker, and we jibed, not expertly but well enough. On the second jibe we got the sail hooked under the anchor, and we tore it. But it wasn’t bad and we continued.

When we took it down we got it in the water but it was OK.

We came in after a couple of hours and sailed into the marina under main as I always do, and when the motor would not start properly, I got it going.

After docking we folded the main and put the air conditioner on board then went below. I had a beer and Salome had a coke. Salome asked about Judy and I told her the story, what happened, etc. She listened and that touched me. I felt a connection, the first in a long time.

After Salome left I poured some Laphroaig scotch. I can sail again. I know now.

In the fall I believe most of my crew will rejoin and we will find someone to take Judy’s job. While it will be painful and we will miss Judy, we will go on.

Fred, Sv Wings, La Cruz Mexico.

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