Florida boat bust to San juan Paradise

[Tedsomango]

Very rough story have fun reading ::)

I sold my Com-pac long ago and abandoned the live aboard sailing life style long ago, and I re found this website and i was reminded of this beautiful little community that exists here on Sail far. So i thought id share a story about the real sailing I found once i left Florida.

Since the sale of my sailboat i wandered inland to the great midwest. "Ohio" of which i lovingly refer to as the middle east. From there i was freshly dissapointed with the failure of cutting my trip short and running out of money and retreating to my parents house. So as i often do I start looking for jobs out west. Amazingly two jobs bit onto my resume and I had a choice within a couple weeks. Work on the tallship America's Pride out of long beach or go explore the San Juan islands as an outdoor environmental instructor on Orcas island. I was stumped and i did'nt know what to do but to drive out west and decide along the way.

In Illinois I stopped to see the man who taught me to sail, my father and asked him. He also has the other aspect of being a sailor without owning a sailboat he likes the booze. No good advice there, I then decided to sit a 10 day vipassana meditation retreat.  After arriving the teachers spoke of Washington where they had there home and i fell in love with the idea. I traveled out to Washington taking my time charged with a clear mind.

I remember first arriving to the ferry landing, the voyage over to the island as the sun rose it was incredible. So fortunate as i arrived at YMCA Camp Orkila I saw them 2 retired soling racing sailboats and a J24 decked out. A sailing program of coarse. I immediately looked into it and got myself a Job for the summer as a sailing expedition leader in the San Juans and Canadian gulf islands.  For two summers i sailed these Boats getting to see over 27 different islands from Cypress to De'courcy.

On the very last day of my adventure of my second summer I was tested in a way only the tides and currents of the San Juans could test you. A 7 knot flood and a gale backing it creating house sized waves, Me on the J 24 and my crew of teenagers we were to travel from Sidney island to Rouche harbor for customs. I was blissed climbing over these waves and at one time being sucked in and totally halted bye a 8 foot standing wave that turned my close haul 40 degrees port, into a bull kelp bed. it took all my skill to get out but in that moment i knew the boat as if it was my very own body, I was officially a sailor that day I wept for joy. We went through customs with a completely soaked boat and crew to sunny Rouche harbor. The tourists had no clue what was going on out there. We cleared customs and headed north to the island i live on in the summer known as Satellite (owned by the YMCA).

I came out of he harbor and threw up the sails wing and wing headed up to turn point where it was still rough weather. Then I noticed a craft way too small to be out in the channel approaching me, it was sound watch and what did they have to say?? Two converging pods of Orcas where headed my way number over 80 animals. In the middle of the gale we sailed along side 80 Orcas, (maintaining our distance of coarse) The largest porpoise in the world some over 30 feet long. After an hour with them we road the tide to turn point. Where we experienced something know as the willy was, that is when wind comes off a mountain and directly onto your boat exposing your keel with 30 knot plus winds. We made it though that and in the end i was tested in every way possible as a sailor that day. And i will never forget it.

Fun to buy a boat but really great to use another's haha

I would say fair winds but the heavy ones are more fun!!

Theodore Emery

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[Oldrig]

Ted,

That's an amazing story. Thanks for sharing it.

Looks like you've found your path to sailing Nirvana.

--Joe