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April 10, 2006
Peace & Plenty Inn, George Town
After a lovely day of sailing with David & Marian, we returned to the anchorage off George Town. Wonderfully wicked thunderstorms began rolling through just after sunset, and we watched the light show and listened to the thunder. As West Coast Canadians, David & Marian had never seen such an incredible display of Mother Nature’s temper. Marian, huddled in the companionway, kept hollering “holy doodle” at the flash of each burst of lightening. It was very exciting.
By the time it was over, several boats around us had popped off their anchors and set adrift in the anchorage. Many moved and reset. One burst of wind hit us broadside and heeled the boat about 35 degrees. It was sudden and quite startling. We let out more anchor chain. A lot more.
We had a very late dinner and went to bed shortly before midnight. I slept poorly, as the winds kept the boat hobby-horsing, and the anchor chain rang like a church bell just over my head. Chis, of course, can sleep on an airplane taxiing down a runway.
With our bags finally packed around noon, after a lovely run on the beach, and a healthy breakfast, we loaded up the dinghy with half of our bags and headed to town to find a room for the night. (Our flight is very early tomorrow, and the though of the 4 of us in a tiny dinghy with all of our gear at 5am was just not a good idea, particularly with the forecast of more storms).
Heaving the bags out of our cabin and up into the cockpit was more than I could handle. My eyes started to well. I am always embarrassed to cry, except around Chis, and I certainly didn’t want David & Marian to see me cry. I bit the inside of my cheek, held back the tears and carried on.
We left David & Marian to do emails in George Town while we scoured for a room. The Peace & Plenty Inn seemed like a good bet (of two possibilities). We threw our stuff in the room, and headed back to the boat for a second load.
Back on the boat, we loaded up the last of the bags, and Chis gave me a big hug. He knew what was about to happen. It hit me like a ton of bricks. My mind flooded with all the images of our journey.
15 months ago, and 10,534.3 nautical miles ago, we stepped onto Platina, and stepped completely out of our element. I am very proud of what we have accomplished, the courage we have aroused in ourselves, the things we have learned about the world, and our heightened respect for nature.
It was like losing a best friend. We will never see her again, and yet we have depended on her for our safety and security. She is as much a part of our lives and any friend or family member, and perhaps more so because we relied on each other to get us to where we want to go safely and unharmed.
I wept. And wept. And wept.
In the dinghy, sitting on top of our backpacks, we kissed the ends of our fingers and touched Platina’s hull one last time. I said “please keep David & Marian safe”. To Chis, I said “I feel like I should say a prayer”. Chis said simply “God bless Platina”. I wept some more. And some more. And I am weeping again now.
Farewell, Platina.
Hello, New York City.
Posted by dave at April 10, 2006 12:06 PM