Peak Experiences While Sailing

[Philsboat]

Three hours out on an overnight passage from Santa Maria de Luca on the heel of Italy,and pitch black .I see a black object with waves breaking on it in 2000 feet of water.I called below for a radar check and nothing was on the screen.Submarine conning tower?Who knows?
A peak moment for me!

Phil

[Rex Delay]

Anchored off Newcastle Island, B.C., clear night with stars everywhere. Phosphoresence in the water. A strange, purple tinge to the midnight light. Sitting in the cockpit and feeling the incoming tide lifting the boat. City lights shimmering in the background.

[Palarran]

My Dad bought a 16' Venture Cat when I was 13 years old. I was on that boat every day of the summer either sailing it or paddling it around from the pontoon's. We always had a nice posse of girls hanging out on top or under the boat - great times.

But the magic moment happened when I was 16. My buddy and I had sailed around all day and a storm was running up the shoreline. The sky was completely blanked out with clouds except a couple of holes which created large "sun spots". I really wanted to make it to one so we kept sailing out as the wind and waves built. We finally made it to the shaft of light and it was like entering another world. The sun was shining and the water was blue. We laughed and shouted about how great it and we where. Then we looked towards shore and all we saw was green water and distant land. "Oh S*$t" We busted it back in some nasty Lake Michigan breakers.

That was one of the best times of my life. Like being touched from Heaven.

Great thread!!

[barnakiel]

Tonight:

We are in Las Palmas. Towards the evening a towering cloud came from NE. After a brief and extremely intensive rain it drifted off towards the ocean. In evening's half-darkness it looked like a gigantic ball of cotton filled from within with most impressive flashes of white light.

On the docks - everyone wet, a bit frightened, and full of awe.

b.

[RainDog]

New Years Eve 2006. I was sailing alone on Lake Travis. I was the only boat on the lake. There were fireworks going off all around me (apparently people who can buy $1 million houses also spend a lot on fireworks), I was single handing at night for the first time. It was cold and I was wrapped in a blanket at the helm, beam reaching down the lake as waves of euphoria washed over me. I was laughing maniacally from the euphoria with no one but my dog to hear.

At 11:45 I pulled into a restaurant. Apparently it was a flat-price, open bar, party. They did not notice me since I came from the lake side. I cannot recommend showing up sober to an open bar New Years Eve party at 11:45, but the horror of what I saw put an explanation point behind my earlier euphoria and the comparison was a turning point in my life.

[sabray]

Originally Posted by RainDog

I cannot recommend showing up sober to an open bar New Years Eve party at 11:45, but the horror of what I saw put an explanation point behind my earlier euphoria and the comparison was a turning point in my life.

I can understand that
Few halloween's back I sailed out of Manhattan heading south. I should have been heading south but I went more East as the sailing was better. The weather was perfect and I got carried away sailed more with the wind rather where I needed to be heading. 30 hours later I was on my way in to atlantic city exhausted and needing sleep. I grabbed a dock at the city marina fell asleep and set fire to a pot of spaghetti. Awakening to smoke and burned dinner I vented the cabin. Later I wandered up to the casino played some slots and fled. The contrast of the casino and where I had just been was startling never been back no desire to see it again.

[CharlieCobra]

The first one was on my little Venture 21 while sailing back from Friday Harbor at night. It was blowing 15-20, which is a lot for that little boat, and we had everything up, surfing along at 8+ down the waves. Once we got out of the Rosario Strait the seas flattened a bit and we tore through the luminescent water and the boys laughed and stomped the cockpit sole to make the plankton glow as water came in through the keel cable hole. The first night sail filled with magic as they all seem to be. Great little trip considering we covered 50nm in 10 hrs, including an hour or so for dinner at FH.

[sck5]

every time i shut the engine down and am sailing in the sudden silence.

[totemthepole]

Wow I've got about a million good stories. Want to read some? Let me write one up and I'll post it tomorrow.

[HobieFan]

Whee.

Single handing a (I think) Hunter 36 when I was 11 years old in the middle of Lake Superior in a summer squall, all night. I fell asleep a few times, but the pool of water collecting in the hood of my rain gear always woke me up pretty quick..


I wasn't entirely alone, my dad was below, but he caught a terrible flu and could hardly stand. Other than opening one eye to look at charts, I was on my own for 36 hours on the American Inland Sea. Pretty proud of myself after doing that...

:-)

[Sea Yawl Later]

Crossing the Gulfstream for the first time (bareboat) on a Seawind Catamaran.

Leaving Florida, you sail directly East away from the glow of Miami, then for 45 minutes you see no lights, soon a wink of light comes into view over the bow that later becomes Bimini!

My favorite memory (so far) forever burned into my mind is sitting on the aft steps of the Port hull looking down into the water as it churned away.... the sun filling in the awesome colors of the deep blue sea. Everybody was asleep, my course validated, nothing to do but sit and watch.....

We slid thought the night sea, I sat looking.. anxioulsy staring to find the mornings color. My dream about to unfold, months of planning and excitement about to unfold. From Black, to the darkest ink color, my tired eyes were filled, satisfied as the orange sun broke over the horizon: shards of light darted into the waking waters. The foam trail off the stern, brand new light filling in the deep blue sea.... that was my first look at Bahamian water...

I guess it was the sense of accomplishment of my first crossing combined with the smell of salt sea air as the Orange, to yellow to platimun sun painted in the morning sea just for me.... Quite a memory. Quite mezmorizing...

[creakyboy]

Only a few days ago---sailing south from Tin Can Bay to Mooloolaba--was feeling a bit down as i had wanted to get alot further north this year--i look out to starboard just as a wave picks the stern up an sends slipper rushing down the face--an theres a dolphin surfing the same wave--he/she is then joined by another,they proceed to cavort around us in between the bows, surfing down waves next to us,then they're joined by yet another...i was getting whiplash looking from port to starboard forward and aft evrytime one of them breached,at times so close i felt like i could reach out an touch em,cured my blues about retreating south