Last evening while I was sitting on deck sipping red wine and listening to Eva Cassidy’s album, SONGBIRD, a small gaff rigged cutter came out from beyond the jetty to the north and sailed gracefully across the harbor.
On deck she is smaller than GANNET, but has a long bow sprit. I think she may be what is known as a mullet boat; but I am not certain.
She passed well ahead of us, tacking a few times in light north wind.
Leaving his mainsail up he powered close to GANNET.
I called, “I’ve been watching you. You’re beautiful.”
A dark haired man, in his thirties or early forties, gave a big smile. “My hat’s off to you, Mr. Chiles.” We had never met; and I must confess to being pleased he knew of my voyage.
I replied, “Ahh. To small boats.”
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I have written about Dan and Audrey on COYOTE, a LeComte Medalist 33, before.
They have just completed their first offshore passage from Mexico to the Marquesas Islands; and Dan has just uploaded his passage log which I find interesting and think some of you might, too.
My congratulations to them both on their successfully taking the leap into their unknown.
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Not quite 2:00 p.m. here.
The General Store starts making pizza at 4:00 p.m. and I’m hoping to row in then and get one. Not the greatest pizza, but a change; and even for me without refrigeration, dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. However, the sky is a bit unsettled and the wind increasing, so it may not happen.
Two weeks from now I’m on a bus to Auckland.
And at dusk two weeks from tomorrow, I’m standing looking down from the third floor at people walking dogs, instead of out at a small cutter gliding across a harbor.
But I will be with Carol.
