Thursday, September 1, 2011

sailing along on Moonlight Bay

I could have stayed in Bonifacio for days more than just a few hours.  But the sea beckoned and we couldn't leave it waiting. (Plus, I had a flight to catch the following evening).

Once the skies darkened, our bellies were full, and one extra person came aboard, the 5 and a half (the dog) of us set sail. The stars were out in abundance and we all sat on deck, with our faces to the wind.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man, Saramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango!" we sang.  "Send a bolt of lightning, very, very frightening me."  Simon, our most recent boarder, even singing the instrumentals.  Queen would have been so proud.

Later he sang us songs from his native French tongue.

Tim taught us the basic navigation skills needed for the night skies, the flashing lights in the distance, and how to determine how far we were from each.

When the hours drew on, the air got cooler. I could no longer stand on deck without shivering, so I ventured below.  On the captain's desk sat the nautical chart.  I watched as Tim moved his tools around on the map, unsure of what he was doing.  He explained that the tool I lovingly called 'the ruler thingie' was technically referred to as a Portland Plotter. He gave instructions on how to read the map, use the tools, and provide the exact degree the boat should be pointing to the person at the helm. Then, he left me to my own devices.

Talk about confidence.  So in between playing an off-shoot rendition of scrabble with Sarah, another passenger, I safely led us to the marina.  And, just to toot my own horn, I even (correctly) informed everyone of the precise arrival time.  That is mad navigating skills right there.

1 comment:

ReL said...

You have such a cool life Claire :-)