Crossing The Mona Passage
June 17, 2017 3:35pm
We're crossing the Mona Passage today. It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.
The only sounds are the low rumble of the engine, gentle sloshing as the boat moves through the water, and quiet music playing from our speaker which is resting at the helm. The water is a deep blue with a hint of purple, a color I know only the ocean can create. Even the most skilled paint maker couldn't match its beauty.
All I can see outside the cockpit is blue swells that stretch to the horizon. There is some seaweed resting on the surface and an island on the horizon. Clouds cover almost every inch overhead and on the horizon in front of us rain streaks the sky like gray ribbons.
All of it mixed together creates a peaceful, relaxing paradise. I can't believe that many people will go their entire lives without experiencing this moment. Sure, they can go on cruise ships or whale watches, but none of it matches this: calling this place home, just you and your family out on open seas. We are the crew, not some strangers that hand out life vests to everyone and explain what to do in an emergency. You can dangle your feet over the edge and the waves will kiss them, something you can't do on a cruise ship.
The rocking motion makes you relaxed and sleepy. The clouds create a shelter from the hot sun. The gray sky makes the water even more blue and beautiful. Everything is perfect.
The first six months we had the boat, I refused to call it home. I was angry at my parents for taking me out here. I was 3100 miles away from what I thought was my only home. Turns out you can have more than one home. The desert and the ocean. Both beautiful but deadly, both always have somewhere to explore or something to look at. Both are my home.
I realized I was happy on the water on our first real sail. Not a lesson, but a real sail. When I walked to the bow, careful not to be surprised by a wave, and sat down, my feet dangling. We were sailing from St. Thomas to a nearby island. That was when I realized that this was my home. The waves sloshed against the boat, sometimes reaching my feet. It was beautiful, but nothing like the Mona Passage.
I've heard that sailors quit sailing after this stretch of ocean because it could be hard. I don't think they were real sailors if they quit because of one bad experience. It's working opposite for me. It's made me love the ocean and sailing on it even more.
