Friday, December 3, 2010

THINGS I SHOULD NOT DO

St. Augustine, FL 29º53.153N | 81º18.319W

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Me freaking out.  ©2010 Tammy Kennon

Yesterday I used the bad weather as an opportunity to be productive. Today, to mix things up, I tipped the other side of the scale. Really, really unproductive.

I was reading another cruiser's sailing blog, and apparently we read all the same news, because it was a discussion of two articles I had been obsessing over. First was the experienced sailor who was killed near Bermuda last week when his boat rolled 360º in heavy seas, the details of which I will not scare you with, but his crew of two survived. Then in a separate incident the Coast Guard has called off the search for a woman missing after her sailboat was swamped in the Abacos -- yes, the Bahamas. Again, no frightening details, but three other people onboard survived.

The blogger followed this recap of the dreadful sailing news with a thoughtful discussion of how he might improve the safety equipment on his own boat to avoid such disasters.

Dang, I respect people who can react in such a sane and practical way to this type of news.

After having read the same news stories, I had a thoughtful conversation with myself that ran more to WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING!!?!!?!?!

With several days in a row of sitting on a mooring listening to the wind howling and the mooring ball cracking on the side of the hull, my nerves are shot, my confidence low. The very thought of heading offshore seems remote, ill-advised, insane. Disaster seems certain. Dismasting inevitable. Death imminent.

Then I listened to some Christmas music and reminisced about fun times with the kids, who we won't see this holiday season, about friends and family faraway, probably sitting in front of fireplaces sipping eggnog.

Tomorrow, I'm planning a few paper cuts in the morning and severals drops of lemon juice in my eyes after lunch while scraping my fingernails on a chalkboard.

St. Augustine, FL 29º53.153N | 81º18.319W      <-- TIME TO GO!!!!!

2 comments:

  1. In my attempt to prepare for our getting back on board again after Christmas, I too have been doing a lot of reading. So far most of it has been dreary and slightly depressing but I had not read about these two incidents, so forgive me for not thanking you! (Please realize that I'm just kidding!).
    Anyway, we're always going to hear about the bad stuff and let's face it, how many people are killed in car accidents every day yet we still jump into cars without really thinking about it.
    But I know where you're coming from; there's nothing worse than day after day of crappy weather leaving you with way too much time to think!

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  2. Ain't it so? And then the next day dawns all bright and beautiful -- and turquoise water beckons. Everyone here in Vero was out reveling in a warm, sunny day yesterday, happy to be abovedecks.

    Thanks for checking in. I so love your blog! It's fun to read somebody else's ups and downs, triumphs and mishaps. Kindred spirits.

    For those who haven't discovered this awesome blog:
    http://knottycattales.blogspot.com/

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