On January 21 we embarked on a tremendous adventure. It was to be a fun filled day of friendly competition amongst sailors. I anticipated lounging for hours with my mother & my friends on the trampoline of the catamaran, sipping fancy cocktails & devouring appetizers, as we waved to the other dazzling sailboats while we blew past them. None of this happened. Well truthfully I did have one fancy cocktail at the end of the journey. But that was more of a celebratory “thank God it’s over” kind of cocktail.

We were invited as passengers on our friend’s 58 foot catamaran (Catana 58), “Safari”,  for the annual sailboat race around the island. My parents, also avid sailors, had the good fortune of being invited as well as they were here visiting. We all love to sail. I grew up sailing and have done several sailing vacations in the Caribbean so I was excited. Collin just learned to sail this summer so he was game. My father has been racing his sailboat every summer for the past 30 years and has been the captain on my parent’s yearly sailing vacations. Our friends could not have invited a more seaworthy crew. Or so I thought. We have sailed around islands before. No biggie, right? Wrong. Our island here is unique. And there is a reason so few boats sign up for this annual race. We are living on a tiny speck on the map, 166 square miles our island is. But being 111 miles east of the Caribbean plate, our island sticks out like a thumb into the Atlantic Ocean. With no islands to block the wind, this place is a haven for kite surfers, windsurfers, serious sailors, & surfers. We’ve got wind here, folks! And just like Hollywood shows us, when you are bobbing along way out in the Atlantic Ocean, there are some serious swells. As luck would have it, on January 21st, the swells were unusually large and the wind was unusually strong. You see where I’m going with this, right?

There were 17 souls aboard the Safari. Three Germans (our dear friends & hosts), a captain from Grenada, A captain from Greece, a sailor from Norway, a sailor from California, a couple from Hamburg, a chef from Greece, a local Bajan, my parents, and us.  We arrived on the dock at 9am, I swallowed my first 1/2 dramamine at 9:05, and as I boarded the vessel my bag containing all the things I needed (including more dramamine!) dropped into the sea! One brave passenger risked his arm, literally, and retrieved the soaking bag. Perhaps this was a warning sign? We set sail and during the first hour as we made our way up the smoothish West coast, we enjoyed the conversation & the scenery. It was wonderful. Complete with a vibrant rainbow seeing us off. There was laughter & smiles, adult beverages & chicken sandwiches. The kids were running up and down the deck – loving every second. It was so exhilarating to be aboard this gorgeous sailboat, cruising so fast! Until it wasn’t…  The wind and swell began to increase as we neared the tip of the island. This is when I took my other half of dramamine and administered a few to other now ailing passengers. At this point my girlfriend (& host) said she wasn’t feeling well and was going to lay down below deck.  I didn’t see her for 7 hours. But legend has it she vomited/dry heaved 8 times.  For 6 hours no one really spoke. No one ate much. No one drank. The captains (there were 2) were focused but unafraid, both having crossed the Atlantic too many times to count. Once we were at the Northern tip we had to continue sailing very far north well beyond the island, so as to not have to tack multiple times going south east. There were few other boats to watch as many turned back around due to the conditions. “Ruth”, a gigantic gorgeous schooner with a deep blue hull, graced us with her presence a few times. Despite her size, she was being tossed side to side in that swell and it was a wonder to me how the crew & passengers stayed aboard! It was suggested by one Safari passenger, a seasoned sailor himself, that we turn back. But our fearless leader, our friend, is German. If there is one thing I have learned about Germans this year its that they always do what they say they are going to do. You have to respect a man/woman of his/her word! In hindsight, I’m glad we stuck it out. The swells for the next 6-7 hours were up to 12 feet in size. The wind was up to 35 knots. We were like a toy boat being tossed around by an angry ocean. We were floating up and down these hills of ocean and for the first 4 hours the swell would hit us port to starboard. Its amazing to be in the trough of a wave and see a huge wall of water ahead! We were rolling something fierce & I really felt awful. Most of us felt awful. I sat in the same spot in the stern (was too rough for anyone to be on the bow of the boat), staring at the horizon, for 6 hours straight. I just did not want to vomit. My mom felt fine but it was unsafe for anyone to move about the boat so she stayed put. My dad was a rock the whole time. My kids took turns being sick with Dan holding onto them as they held their heads over the stern of the boat letting their lunch go out to sea. At one point I had the presence of mind to take a photo of one my kids hurling. Posterity? Proof? Who knows – I was probably just delirious. Then I had to pee & couldn’t hold it any longer & had to descend into the cabin to go to the head. I made it into the bathroom using my arms to brace myself the entire way. My fear that I would very easily get knocked unconscious superseded my fear of vomiting all over the cabin. I honestly don’t know how I did it. It was like the wacky stairs in a fun house – rocking and rolling – trying to navigate around the boat.  Once we were sailing along the South coast the seas were calmer, the passengers began engaging in conversation again, the chef presented appetizers, and the mixed cocktails were flowing. ALL were relieved to have smoother seas. The last hour of our journey, watching the setting sun with my family and friends, is one that I will always be grateful for. Never once was I afraid but feeling nauseous for 6 hours is not fun I will admit. But for the entire adventure, although not previously on my bucket list, and in simply participating in a race of this kind … I will always be grateful.

The race results indicated that many boats turned around & opted not to finish due to the extreme conditions that day. For the first time this year there were also 4 kite surfers on foil boards who attempted to complete the race. Only one made it all the way around. He is now a legend around here!

The lesson: Anytime anyone offers you an opportunity to go on any kind of adventure…the answer is always YES!