Final Debrief
San Francisco Bay | Monday 25th of August | Local time 10:30
Well … it’s a wrap. Another trip complete. And this one was, as they always are in their own unique ways, quite the adventure.
Our last morning started with weighing anchor in thick fog. We set out for what we thought would be a four-hour motor into the Bay. Then, as if the Universe was gifting us just what we were hoping for, the sky cleared, the sun came out, and the wind started to blow. We hoisted the sails and a few miles later bore away left, sailing under the bridge, gybing back and forth across the Bay. A Golden Gate entry of dreams!
As is custom at the end of every trip, we spent our last night reflecting on the 882NM voyage we had from Victoria. This one was a touch different to normal as we opted to stay onboard and get Thai takeout for our ‘last supper’. We sat in the cockpit, clean (thanks to liveaboard Crystal for lending 11 women a key to the showers on a Sunday evening!) and cozy under our makeshift atmospheric red head-torch under-boom lighting, eating and drinking long into the evening.
I wish you could all be flies on the wall during the close of one of these trips. Last night, belly laughter, tears, and deep heartfelt expressions of gratitude ping-ponged around the crew as we looked back at our trip. Each ‘final debrief’ has its own personality—this one particularly entertaining, as every so often a song would be turned up on the speaker and the girls would launch into a sailing-inspired dance. This was followed by more roars of laughter, and then back to another grounding, inspiring reflection.
Many of the women shared how tough they had found the trip at certain moments, and how empowered they now feel after realizing—wow—“I am stronger than I thought I was.” That confidence can be a seed for new sailing dreams, and it was so brilliant to hear a few comments like, “I’m excited to go explore now on my own boat.” Because, isn’t this what it’s all about in the end? Dreams. Exploring. Discovery. For more of us to be brave enough to think up a dream and then maybe even make it happen.
As Amy so aptly put: “Find the line. Believe. Execute.”
- Nikki
NikkiHenderson
View more passage logs
Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.
Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
The brave crew is toughing it out and staying cheerful despite being tossed around. The engine is off and we are true sailing-main and jib. In the first 12 hours we saw two pods of Orca and four humpback whales, two of which were 20 yards off the starboard beam!