My how everything changes in only a day. Day one was as mellow and warm as can be.
On day 2 we sailed from El Capitan to Hammon Beach. The lovely Natalie Fox, co-founder of
Women for Whales, joined me onboard and helped me make the 25-mile journey with the rest of the Transparentsea crew. It was a day of sunshine, playful wind (15-20 knots), massive common dolphin pods, swell, and vomit. I had my first seasick experience. It was toward the end of the day and the wind died down as we made our way past the Santa Barbara Harbor, so peddling was necessary to make it into the beach. The sun was descending, it was beginning to get cold and I felt pretty awful. I felt each rock of the boat undulate trough my body. And out came the little fluid I had taken in during the 6-hour sail. But I felt much better afterward. However, when I reached the beach and finally took off my fullsuit, I realized that the super warm battery powered heat vest that I was wearing to keep warm had in fact burned four big splotches into my back. I was warm though. Anyway, it was a bit of a challenging day, despite the fun swell surfing that we got to do on the boats. We slept on the beach under a cool clear sky that night, met around the campfire by Jack Johnson who performed a few little ditties with one of his sons. We awoke the next morning, having slept very little, to bright skies ready for sailing.
Day three was like a perfect amalgamation of day one and day two. Beautiful sunshine, less swell and a mellow wind that still kept us moving along. We ventured past massive metal towers set about 4 miles offshore, oil rigs, and marveled at the strangeness of their form. Sailing is beginning to feel more natural now. I’m learning to read the ocean in different ways and to incorporate breathing exercises into my time on the sea. It was a day of especially sweet camaraderie and smiles. We were met on the beach by the entire ground crew ready to help us land safely at Emma Wood campground. Dinner was nearly ready when we arrived, a fire was steadily burning and the night was filled with music and laughter. Denny Aaberg (who co-wrote Big Wednesday) regaled us with renditions of classic surf songs including Crumple Car (from The Innermost Limits of Pure Fun). Amazing.
The day’s photo story here
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