Sailing away….
September 15 2017
TODAY IS SAILING DAY!
I’ve grown up on boats, but never a sail boat. I’ve never even been on one- and it’s scares me. Why? I don’t even know BUT I’m doing it anyway because I’m here for adventure and to challenge myself outside of my comfort level.
Gordon, the captain and boat owner, was awesome. We set sail at 10am - just he and I. He showed me all the aspects of sailing and how to do it. When he asked me why I was on this trip, I told him why and that I was here to challenge myself. He then told me it was my turn to sail the boat. I initially said no. He laughed at me and said you JUST told me this trip is to challenge you, so you can’t say no. Let’s do it! I couldn’t argue. I literally had JUST said those words. So he had me guide the boat, “tack it” (meaning a hard turn and guide the sail tightly to the other side) He even had me walk up the mast for a photo! We were out for 4.5 hours….WELL WORTH the $100 this excursion cost me. I told him how I had always wanted to see a Bald Eagle in the wild …yes, I’ve gone my entire life without seeing a real bald eagle in the wild! On our way back into dock, just before really getting into the lake area near his home, I spotted not one, but TWO eagles perched up onto dead tree trunks. OMG! I yelled and pointed to them. He IMMEDIATELY turned his sailboat around and guided us as close as possible without running us aground. One flew away, but I got photos of everything. I was SO excited….even Gordon shared in my excitement by high-fiving me.
He brought water, snacks, chips and homemade salsa for the sail back.
Gordon was a biologist and an engineer before retiring and now does these tours for some fun. He explained about native culture and the island of their small homes and church, about wildlife in the area and more. He convinced me to stay for “Pirate Time” in town so I rented a campsite for another night.
The Pirate Time had opening ceremonies in the front of the park I was in. People from the Fortress of Louisbourg were present to do musket drills and demos. The woman who taught me to shoot the musket the day before was one of the people participating. We sat and chatted abut our single mom stories and lives for about 45 minutes. So many people dressed as pirates - it’s super cool.
I love that along my way, I’ve gotten to learn about the lives of so many strangers!
