a few days ago a friend and i went on an overnight sailing trip to a nearby island. i have only been sailing for a couple months so this was a pretty big deal to me. we had a great time!
we left at 11:00am, sailing out of budd inlet with the wind, our sails wing on wing. it drizzled off and on, and my friend and i ended up pretty wet, but because of our adventurous spirits we welcomed this. we arrived at the island at about 5:00 and barbecued some burgers. they were absolutely delicious. we then went into the cabin and warmed up in our sleeping bags, thinking we were going to get to sleep. it was definitely too early, and the weather cleared up, so we went on a great evening sail. as it began to get dark we moored once again and felt pretty sleepy. we climbed into the cabin and warmed up in our sleeping bags.
we then played shadow puppets. i was absolutely delighted by the hilarious, obscene, and clever shapes we could make on the walls. simply with out flashlights and our imaginations, we entertained ourselves in the most undignified, childlike of ways.
the next day, after sailing back, i realized how much of an experience the trip was to me. it was simple, and i’ve been on much more epic adventures than that, but that one had a profound affect on me. it was absolutely humbling. when you’re on a boat, what i usually care about doesn’t matter at all. social prestige is useless, high concept intellect has no place, and vanity is only a boon. what matters is the material, the immediate, the present. all you have to do is stay warm, stay aware of the situation, keep your boat going, and stay fed. in these circumstances, even the simplest pleasure (like shadow puppets) was an absolute joy. from the trip i expected merely a good exercise of my sailing skills, but i also got a small lesson in humility and simplicity. :-)
