Just when my irrational sailing fears are subsiding and I am
looking forward to each sail, the reality of the dangers come crashing into my
face, in front of my face to be precise. There I was, innocently sipping a Diet
Coke, surfing in some wifi zone, my face illuminated by my computer screen, when
JW pointed out an article he’d found on noonsite. The 38’ sailing vessel Serena
had been abandoned at sea off the coast of Spain….
It struck me with a sinking feeling in the stomach, that we
know that boat, in fact the crew of Serena are good friends we’d last heard
from when they set sail across the Atlantic, headed for Europe a couple months
ago….
“Oh my god! Are they ok?!”
I read the article with quick breaths, looking for the key
words, and found them – ‘rescued’, ‘safe’…. Sigh of relief. But they had
suffered through a gargantuan storm and they had lost their boat, having been
lifted into a helicopter and watching their home and precious vessel dwindling
into the distance among the crashing waves below as they flew away….
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It’s been on my mind for days. They were/are the sweetest
people! They had already done an ocean crossing. They were so friendly and calm
and knowledgeable. How could this happen to them?! To someone we know!
And the truth just sits there, like a quickly eaten warm
donut in your belly. It is doughy and makes you uneasy as it’s hard to digest.
The truth is that this can happen to ANYONE on a boat. No
matter how nice or what an expert you might be, a storm can strike and your
lives can be in danger. Your life can change in an instant. And if you are
lucky, your experience and all your preventative gadgets will be applicable,
accessible - to help make the difference between life and death.
Luckily for Hentii and Arja, they were able to access their
EPIRB, and help came. But it took the rescue team 8 hours. That is 480 minutes
in 20 meter (60 ft) waves, clinging to the remnants of their boat, smashing,
crashing, water washing away their dreams…. Terror unimaginable previously. But
they survived.
They are not the only tragic story we have heard lately
either. But they hold a special place in my heart, and so it was this story
that hit me so hard.
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| Serena's salon table - set for supper |
As clear as if it were yesterday, I remember coming down
into Serena’s warm homey salon. Arja had decorated and filled the boat with the
cutest European charm, and the whole boat was filled with the aroma of her
home-cooked creamy mushroom soup. And though the swell rocked us through
supper, we laughed and ate and drank, and afterwards Hentii set up his microphone
and amp and serenaded us and the nearby boats with his amazing Elvis
renditions. It was a lovely evening. It’s unlikely I’d ever forget it.
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| Great food and great friends - supper on Serena |
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| Elvis is in the house! |
And as I sit here now, imagining Arja and Hentii in the
aftermath of their disaster, soaked and possessionless, without passports or
dry clothes, I wish we’d been there to lend a hand. And a hug. And just to let
them know how brave and great they are.
And deep down my hug would mean even more. That it’s such a
wonderful miracle they survived, and how they are an inspiration above the fear
that their ordeal has generated.
It’s humbling more than anything else. We play and frolic in
these waves, we call the ocean home. But we are truly small and powerless in
the face of the unpredictable giant.
It’s easy to forget, when I peer over the edge of the boat
into the clear turquoise that invites me to jump in and cool off.
But it’s a relationship of respect, admiration and
forgiveness it seems.
I wrote to Arja this week and she explained that they are
now living in a tiny apartment, fighting with the insurance companies, trying
to find jobs. She is blogging... The search continues for Serena, which may be floating or beached somewhere along the coast of Portugal...
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| What could be the fate of Serena... |
But in their heart of hearts, the sailing dream is still alive.
And one day, they will be out here again. Sailing the ocean blue.
