„Here we go again“ I think as I put my left foot against the opposite wall and my left knee against our Genoa with which I’ve been sharing my bed with for three weeks now. As another wave hits us from behind, I am wondering once again whether I should get up or not. My bed is the safest space for me to be in right now as the boat is continuously being thrown from one side to the other. My father is outside observing the changes of the wind and the boats sailing close to us. The current is turning and as soon as it calms down a little, the smell of warm ragout draws into my cabin. That’s enough motivation for me to jump up, somehow put all the layers of my sailing gear on and make my way outside. I remember the last time being so grateful for food was when we had been scrapping off our anti fouling for three days in a row to put copper coat on our hull.
Now we are done with all the to-do’s that we decided were must-haves for our departure. Now we are finally on our way south where we hopefully are going to have better weather as it is actually going crazy right now. We had cold northerly winds for four weeks straight now which is a very rare happening.
When the weather forecast finally showed a day with less strong winds, we decided to go for it and sail from Bologne-sur-Mer to Cherbourg which is a trip of about 30 hours. Still, we have up to 33 knots of winds and huge waves. Our last night sail wasn’t as wild as this one. I remember waking up for my shift and standing outside feeling on top of the world. All around me raindrops hit the calm sea, bio-luminescence making it light up like a sky filled with stars. When everything around you is dark, it feels like you are the only person in existence. That’s what I love about sailing. As soon as you leave the dock all problems disappear and all that matters is you, your boat and the worlds elements surrounding you. It’s a feeling I wish for everyone to experience but I guess that many people are too much consumed by the fear of what could happen, they forget about what is actually happening in that very moment. I have been sailing the open sea since I was about 8 years old and never ever have I felt unsafe on a boat. I always knew everyone made sure that all safety requirements were fulfilled but as I am getting older, I slowly learn about the dangers which sailing includes. Most people first must face their fear before experiencing the real beauty sailing can offer. For me it’s the other way around. So far I still don’t get scared but I do realize what I am really putting at risk here. Though all the amazing things that this trip enables me to do are making it totally worth it.
What scares me instead is the fact that we are going back to Germany now and leave the boat behind for a few weeks. By now we got into a great rhythm onboard. I love listening to the sound of the waves crashing, each in its own way. I love watching the movement of sunlight falling through the small windows into the boat and I love listening to the sound of the wind whistling through the rig. I always hated to leave the boat since the ocean is pure joy to me. Returning home now is like going back to a life I already left behind. So many things I still have to do, while all I want to do is continue sailing.
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