I will always remember my first sail on open sea. It was from Los Roques to Margarita island in Venezuela. 180 miles heading straight East against the Caribbean trade winds.
We had been waiting for the right weather window for a couple of weeks, and time was running short to get the jobs needed on the boat. A 42 ft frenchie on which we sail tourists around the Archipelago, feeding them mostly with the fish, octopus and lobsters the sea and coral reefs provided.
Not an easy sail ahead of us, as winds wouldn't die down enough and running seas were about a meter and a half with short periods on the nose which were more than enough to make the ride quite uncomfortable on board. Still, excitement was boarding every piece of my mind and body. I'd only heard or read of sailing on the open sea, and I could only think of those 180 miles as a start of something bigger.
Nowadays, I remember the first night out of Los Roques, as the best sailing I have ever done. The conditions were just perfect for me. Maybe less wind and waves would've been more comfortable or quicker or we could've sailed closer to the wind, but that night I've felt a boat and the sea as I've never felt it again ever since. Every bit of each wave we sailed on top of, I could feel it on the wheel. Every ripple hitting the hull gently, sometimes not so much. The wind so consistent. All my awareness being used in trying to get every little detail in, wishing not to miss any of that so new and exciting. And important, I was traveling on a boat powered by wind through the sea. Isn't it a great thing? We tend to take things for granted and fail to catch the true essence and beauty of things we do.
After different changes in weather, mostly towards the unfavorable, and calling in two different ports on the mainland, we made it to Porlamar in Margarita Island, about 68 hours later. Nearly 3 days after our departure from Sebastopol.
On the plane heading to Caracas, a couple of days later, I saw most of our route from Puerto la Cruz to Margarita passing by in matter of minutes. Mile after mile of ocean vanished through the little window and after forty minutes the plane landed in Caracas, where the chaos of the city catalyzed the mixed thoughts in my head. I felt so unsatisfied. Probably it was realizing how little it was that I've just sailed in three days. The meaningless of what we had achieved.
After a few longer deliveries on different sailing boats, it came to me that the reason of my disappointment was probably the same reason why I love sailing so much. Sailing to a new place, it's like a conquest. A battle that you wanted, fought and won, so now you deserve to be there. You can now explore and find out about this new world you've so deservedly discover for yourself.
And it's not this way when you land on a plane. Seems like you've been hypnotized and suddenly awaken where someone else has dropped you. Not suffering for the joy of traveling. Not living the actual journey but the destination alone.
We do take things for granted, and as thankful as I am of how easy is to jump around the whole world with so many different and efficient ways of transport nowadays, I can't help but think that it takes a great deal away from traveling, the actual journey.
So in this blog I'll try to document the little journeys of day to day life, sailing, cycling or wandering around. Will share my views and sights of places visited and those passed by. Will try to describe the suffering and joy experienced. And specially will try to be always thankful of being blessed with time and health to wander around such beautiful places, and never take that for granted.
