Blue Horizons


somehow capture and share with those who ask ‘why?’” Beth continues, “But such moments


I have been scrubbed clean by the stinging salt spray and the howling wind. Te sea, the gale, the emptiness, the sky—they have once again shown me my proper place…I touch the place inside myself where my destiny dwells, and I know that only when I have been humbled can I grope toward the divine. What’s cruising really like? It’s marvel- ous and terrible and scary and exhilarat- ing. It’s not for everyone, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Time is the price we pay to know our-


selves, to find out who we really are, to grow into who we would hope to be.


No one has a perfect life; there are only fleetingly perfect moments. For Beth Leonard and her partner Evans Starzinger one poignant moment was the pursuit of a dream: to sail above the Arctic Circle, north of Iceland, during the summer solstice in order to witness a day without a night. Unfortunately, for the crew of Hawk,


a Van de Stadt 47, things were looking dim because the sun was obscured by uncooperative clouds. To accomplish their goal, “would take perfect timing, calm weather, good visibility, and a good deal of luck.” But sometimes God smiles on sailors,


and as Hawk plows the icy ocean, the sky miraculously becomes completely clear. The sun sinks to the horizon where it hovers for nearly an hour, and then it liſts lethargically, denying night its darkness. Such sublime experiences are indelible. About this mystical, magical moment,


Leonard relates, “I know that this hour will live on in our memories long after our sailing adventures have ended. Te birds, the cliffs, the light, the sluggish sea, the mist from our breaths—all have coalesced into a defining moment of this voyage and of our lives. These are moments we hunger for when we return to shore. Tese are the moments I would


48


come only after the discomfort, the tedium, the fear. Tey come out of the challenges and the hardships and cannot be separated from them. For neither fear nor wonder are enough. It is the sum total of both that makes us whole and real and alive and keeps us out here, in search of more.” Beth Leonard’s book, Blue Horizons:


Dispatches from Distant Seas (Interna- tional Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2007) is a collection of columns published in Blue Water Sailing magazine. Each “chapter” is essentially a short stand-alone piece of about 1000 words dealing with a specific experience or memory as she circles the globe. She is also the author of Te Voy- ager’s Handbook: Te Essential Guide to Blue Water Cruising. Odd things happen to us as we sail


because such voyages entail two types of trips: a literal journey, for Leonard and her partner, of some 36,000 nautical miles. And then there is also “a figurative voyage that tore up our roots; challenged our values; and tested our boat, our rela- tionship, and our deepest selves.” Furthermore, any nautical narrative


is essentially about dreams: “…about setting your sights on a goal, then turn- ing that abstract vision into something real and tangible. It’s about pulling your dream over the horizon to you, one sail change, one course correction at a time. It’s about living your dreams, dealing with their discomforts and disappoint- ments while celebrating their magic and milestones. It’s about going somewhere and–once in a while, for a few minutes or a few hours—getting there.” Evans Starzinger says that “every suc-


cessful cruising couple consists of an op- timist and a pessimist. Te optimist gets them off the dock; the pessimist keeps them from losing the boat.” My wife and I are embodiments of this idea. For her, while at sea, all clouds are ominous. While making landfall, Leonard re-


flects, “A pleasant mixture of emotions swirls through me—satisfaction at the completion of this leg of our voyage, pride in Hawk’s seamanlike condition, pleasure at the beauty of this intricate coast, deep affection for Evans, and an abiding contentment with my life. Te voyage has renewed me by refilling the


As I near the dusk of my own life, my proudest mo- ments are those when we all sailed together, work- ing our ketch toward a distant waypoint, toward a horizon shimmering with tropical promise.


wellspring at my creative center even as it emptied me of the need for anything beyond the sweet intoxication of each indrawn breath. I would be content to live this moment for eternity.” Beth Leonard concludes with a sen-


timent many of us share: “If there is one thing that our years aboard…have taught us, it is that ordinary, everyday people do the most extraordinary, inspirational things. If you’ve dreamed of casting off the docklines and sailing for far horizons, don’t let your chance slip away. We’ll be out here, where the sea meets the sky, waiting for you.” As I write, I reflect that I buried my


mother yesterday—a cold, grey, rainy Tuesday. She was 90, and she had died peacefully as I sat next to her. Perhaps funerals are catalysts for contemplation of our own mortality, our trajectory, our purpose, our successes and regrets. Tankfully, all five of my boys were pres- ent as pallbearers, and I take heart that they actually like each other and relish the rare occasions when we all gather. As I near the dusk of my own life, my


proudest moments are those when we all sailed together, working our ketch toward a distant waypoint, toward a horizon shimmering with tropical prom- ise. Offshore, there’s always someone keeping watch, someone down below cooking-up something, someone looking at the chart-plotter, someone watching weather, someone trolling a line, some- one willing to launch a dinghy, someone napping, or someone taking pictures and thus forever freezing in time a few flawless moments of our ephemeral lives.


Paul Guajardo, PhD, is back at the Uni- versity of Houston aſter two years of teach- ing in West Afica. •SCA•


SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR


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