Chicken Soup for the Soul by Amy Newmark & Kelly Sullivan Walden

Author:Amy Newmark & Kelly Sullivan Walden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chicken Soup for the Soul

Sailing into Danger

Never apologize for trusting your intuition. Your brain can play tricks, your heart can be blind, but your gut is always right.

~Rachel Wolchin

My sailing knowledge was limited to an occasional trip around a park pond in a pedal boat. In spite of this, my friend Peter, an experienced sailor, insisted I was an ideal candidate for his crew. We would be relocating his boat to Florida from Ballantyne’s Cove, Nova Scotia.

With visions of Christmas in the sun, I happily signed on for the trip. The crew would consist of Peter, me, and two others.

We spent almost a week preparing the boat. Then, when we saw a break in the unpredictable fall weather, we set sail for the south. Unfortunately, the other crewmen decided to bail at the last minute so it was just the two of us. The good news was that we had lots of surplus food supplies, meaning we would not have to make many port calls to restock.

We quickly blew our way through the Canso Causeway, aided not only by the strong winds but a lack of boat traffic. As we traversed the south coast of Nova Scotia, we faced our first bout of bad weather. That night, we stayed at sea as heavy winds and short daylight hours made it impossible to make a safe harbour.

During these first few days, we faced numerous trials. On one occasion, we got lost in a river system while seeking shelter from a storm. Then, as the weather improved, we ran aground trying to make our way back out to sea.

I was beginning to find my sea legs, and my ever-present nausea was diminishing. I came to admire how Peter dealt efficiently with our various problems despite crew limitations. We both had to take multiple shifts at the helm, and there just didn’t seem to be enough time for sleep.

Finally, we made our weary way into Halifax Harbour. In the cabin, on our first day in Halifax, we discussed the next stage of the trip. The plan was to leave the coast of Nova Scotia and head due south. Peter’s intention was to gain the U.S. inland waterway as soon as possible. This system of channels would afford us protection from the worst of the Atlantic weather. Looking at the forecast, we saw an imminent clearing period that might give us enough time to make the open water crossing safely.

Moored alongside us was a boat of similar size piloted by a lone sailor. Listening to his tales and adventures left us feeling like neophytes. He had sailed extensively and now spent his time following the seasons with his boat. Over dinner that evening, we found that he was also heading south. He planned to stay away from the coast and make his first landfall around South Carolina. His boat was impressive, equipped with the latest navigational and safety equipment.

We exchanged contact details and arranged to meet up in Florida. We were all leaving the next morning.

Around midnight, however, I woke in a cold sweat.

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