June 29, 2010

Tonight I will remember and tomorrow I will celebrate

Here I am in the cockpit in the pitch black on my last night of our voyage. This last day has been everything we could of hoped for in a last day. I woke up to the smell of fresh whole wheat buns and bread. Graham had been busy during his watch. Love starting my day with a hot bun with butter and honey on it. YUM.

Once Graham was off for his sleep, the kids and I dug into school work and guess what???? THEY FINISHED!!!! yipeeeee. They are done their school year. I am so happy for them and me. Two whole months off. Glorious!

As soon as school was finished and I had just closed my eyes in the cockpit Graham poked his head up and said....."We have got a fish." I sat up to get ready for the onslaught of activity and noticed that we hadn't just caught one fish....we had TWO. I wish we were able to take a video of the craziness that ensues once we have hooked a fish. Alex, Amelia and Graham are struggling with both the reels and pulling in the fish. I am running around grabbing tequila, camera, shorts for Alex (or else he won't let me post any pictures), the gaf, the pliers, the leatherman. We also have to bring in the head sail to slow the boat while trying to hold the reels. Pure craziness. Oh and the seas are totally crazy at this point. We are all being bounced around from one side of the cockpit to the other, so I am trying to tether the kids as they are reeling lines. With one hand I am holding on and with the other I am trying to hook their harness. They are also moving, so even this small task takes way to long. Two fish is craziness times two.

Graham landed one of them and Alex gaffed and landed the other. They pulled them both up onto the back deck and for the next hour they had to steak and fillet them. They have it down to a science now and I am noticing that Graham is having Alex do more and more of the gutting and cutting. At the end of the ordeal Alex exclaimed, "What a perfect ending to our voyage!"

Once the fish was safe and sound in the fridge Graham and I had a few minutes in the cockpit together as the sunset. We are both really excited about making landfall tomorrow. Excited doesn't seem like a big enough word. I want to climb to the top of a mountain and scream, "We did it!" I feel so proud of us. How does impossible become possible?

Rewind to January 2006 to the Toronto boat show in the convention center. There is the Perry family standing inside the first sailboat they have ever been on. Amelia says, "look at how big the wheel is". Alex says, "This boat is nicer than our apartment". Julie says, "I could totally live in here". Graham says, "We won't be getting a boat this nice guys". That day seems so like only yesterday. What a whirlwind the past few years have been. I remember telling everyone who would listen, "We are going to sail around the world". Saying it seemed to give it power for me. I remember our first sailing lesson in April 2006. In true Perry style we got stormy weather and high winds. I remember the first time we could take out one of the bigger boats all alone with the kids. I remember taking my sister Chanty out for a sail and getting hit by a small storm and scaring the shitaky out of her. I remember chartering a boat for a week on the ocean and catching a glimpse of the possibility of actually sailing around the world. I remember seeing Artemo for the first time. I remember moving on board. I remember all the countless goodbye's. I remember the months and months of elbow grease...blood....sweat...oh there was sweat and of course tears. I remember our first anchorages, our first snorkels, our first fish, our first sunsets, our first sail. I remember the fear. I remember it all and it makes me feel so good and so proud.

Here we are just as we had envisioned so many years ago but secretly I may not have believed all the time. I don't want this feeling to fade. I want to remember Graham coming home with book in hand and telling me he wanted to sail around the world. I want to remember how ludicrous I thought this idea was. How I dismissed it so quickly. How fear overtook me when I thought of leaving land behind with my two kids on board. How the hell did we do this? How are we here? This is so totally whacky. I AM going to scream, "We did it" when we arrive tomorrow. From the top of my lungs. You know there are going to be tears. I am already tearing up.

Tonight I will remember and tomorrow I will celebrate!

7 comments:

  1. Awesome blog. You guys rock!
    I feel like I should be writing something profound for such a wonderful occasion, but what I really want to know is, why do you grab a bottle of tequila everytime someone catches a fish?

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Acreage - Fort MacleodJune 30, 2010 at 4:44 AM

    You have no one to credit but yourselves. Congratulations on the first of many South Pacific landings.
    Remember the sea-sick pills when you first go on land!!!
    L
    Dad and Cheryl

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know there will be tears, I have them right now. I remember too, your first word, your first step, your first school day, your first date, your first job, your wedding, Alex arriving, Amelia's dramatic entrance right here, your home in Lacombe, Toronto move, then sailing, now your first Pacific crossing, wow. Celebrate and yell for me to, YOU DID IT! You four are amazing. Enjoy the fish feast. Love you Mom

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your blogs.

    Congratulations on a fabulous feat of sailing!

    Can't wait for the pictures,

    and... Happy Dominion Day!!
    -Lauren

    ReplyDelete
  5. Woot Woot!!!

    Congrats guys. Have an extra special Canada Day!

    Rob

    ReplyDelete
  6. You guys are Star Wars Episode IV just after Luke blows up the Death Star. You guys are Locke just after he opens the hatch. You guys are Trustee from the Toolroom, just after the crate arrives at Keith's home. You guys are Elliot just after he E.T. goes home. You guys are... well, you are one of my favourite stories of all time.

    Julie, Graham, Alex & Amelia, congratulations on this monumental achievement. You said what you'd do, and did what you said.

    Chris

    ReplyDelete
  7. Awesome! I remember those planning days! Congratulations to all of you to making it happen and keeping us up to date with your journey! Like Chris said, this is one of my best stories of all time :D

    ReplyDelete