On Sailing

"The ship beneath your feet is not a toy, and sailing is not a game, respect that and we'll all do fine." - Captain Sheldon of the Albatross

Today I finally booked my plane ticket that will carry me out of a verdant ocean of leaves and needles and reliable precipitation to a land of parched soil, palm trees, cacti, and sapphire waters.

I look forward immensely to the conclusion of this school year, as it marks the culmination (for the moment) of essentially 16 years worth of preparation and learning, and yet after all that time, I am still unsure as to what path I will follow afterward. Still, hopefully I won't have to worry about that too much this summer while I'm working perhaps one of the greatest jobs in the world, running a summer camp sailing program. This will be my third year working at this camp, my second as lead sailor, and my fifth summer as a camp counselor. In those action-packed summers I feel as if I have lived more than the rest of my life combined, and each day seems to feature more substance than a week spent anywhere else. Sailing is so unique, as every day seems to hold new adventures and challenges. The direction of the wind, the height of the waves, the flow of the currents in the channel, the character of the kids I'm teaching, they are constantly shifting and keeping me on my toes (or at least nine of them, my right big toe has an ingrown nail and is causing me extensive pain whenever I stub it). I was struck by the beauty of this place today as I was walking down the dive deck after the lifeguard swim, and Howland's peak soared up before me, like the throne of a god. However, nowhere is this vista more impressive than from the deck of a sailboat, crashing into a smooth slope of blue water. I'll have to try for some pictures this year... Anyway, the short version is, I like sailing, and I like Catalina. Life is good. Wish some of the old guard were here though, Stephen, Kevin, Danny, Rafa, Brad, know that you are missed.

I'm searching for some more good stories to tell at campfire this summer, so far the search has yielded minimal results. Storytelling is a difficult thing to do well, and finding a story that is interesting and engaging is equally problematic. I am also grappling with my own strong inclination toward horror as the primary genre for campfire stories, which really presents to many risks to be worthwhile.

Will write more as it occurs