Jonny's Electric Dolphins, March 29 2011

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24 45.43N
112 15.151W

At Anchor
Wind 13 knots at 281 true
Crew: Jonny making cherry/lime pie, Cyrus, Colby & Brett whooping and hollering from nearby waves that are as cherry as Jonny's pie... Brooke is writing.

Comments:

After an incredible sail yesterday afternoon and sloggy sloppy sail/motor in the night, we arrived right after sunrise at Punta Hughes. The dome mountains greeted us like old friends, lobster men race by offering lobster and believe it or not, we are all so tired, cooking lobster just can't happen today. I was thinking of my 4am log.. remembering the sounds of the stretching and creaking muscle tissue, sinew & bone and within the stomach of the serpent that had apparently swallowed me at that moment, I began to think of the rest of the evening that was untold. The amazing thing about any experience is the fullness of it and of the opposites it presents. It is those moments when fear and exceptional beauty co-exist, when severe sleep-deprivation and magic touch each other or when you are so uncomfortable you want to cry, yet at that same moment you witness the joy of dolphins bursting in flashes of light to the rhythm of your own heartbeat.. and you are sure the two are connected.. it is these types of moments that make you take pause.

The owner of the yacht called the boat a couple of days ago. When discussing a particular aspect of our route and especially the off-shore miles, he said something I thought I would share. In his broken English he told Cyrus "Yes, I know that this is as much of an inner journey as an outside one". So as I had this in my mind and sat on deck writing, Jonny asked if he could read to me his "short story". I gave him a notebook yesterday and he decided to write today. I think his experience is a wonderful representation of one of these moments that both myself and the owner of this boat describes. This is what he read to me:

Electric Dolphins: By Jonny Hasper

"The Adventure began 7 days ago and 700 miles North. Sailing from San Diego to La Paz Mexico is the quest aboard a 70 foot flying machine called Volpaia. Many moments before this one will need to be recorded but for now, the memory of last nights sail is fresh and vibrant in my mind and I want to re-live it in this expression of cherished moments.
We have a routine of watches. Each shift is 4 hours: 2 hours at the helm and 2 hours standby. My shift is from 10-2 or as I call it "the sweet spot". Not too early or too late. My body's clock has easily regulated to it. I feel guilty as some of the team has the 2am to 6am shift, but they are young men and sleep deprivation is a part of youth and too much stored testosterone keeps them awake anyway. But this is all just a brief synopsis of how I "got here". The real guts of this story is once again, last nights sail.
We pulled up anchor at mid-day from Abreojos, meaning "open your eyes" as there are many obstacles and rocks to be wary of. The winds had picked up as predicted and we were going to make about an 18 hour jump to Punta Hughes to a surfing spot. I felt well-rested when I took the helm. Captain Cyrus was my stand-by and I felt secure and excited to grab onto the wheel and followed a heading of 150 degrees on the compass. Captain Cyrus said to "sail by the stars". In the past I have always sailed by land points so this felt like the song "A mystical magical carpet ride" making 2 stars just off the mast as my heading. The seas were building from the day of blowing winds and about every couple of minutes, a steep trough would pick up the back of this mighty yacht and try to swing her like a drunk cowboy on one crazy hoe-down. All you could do was try to counter act with quick and hard turns against the seas force. My concentration was on the stars, the seas, the compass and all was harmonizing with some heavenly music called Gabriel's Passion. I felt I was sailing in the stars. The phosphorescence was leaving a trail behind Volpaia, giving me a new definition of "blazing a trail". Then out of nowhere, there come streaks of white lightening on each side of the boat. But these were not in the skies, but in the water. Beautiful underwater meteorites zig zagging, circling and then out of the water, an electric dolphin jumps. Such glee and excitement to use our vessel as just a short amusement between their hunts for nights dinner.
I was mesmerized, frozen in a time capsule, not wanting to ever leave this moment. Finding my thoughts coming from my spirit while the mind was at peace. I could feel deep warmth, extreme humbleness, being so thankful for what life has let me witness. Living a dream sailing with "soul friends" and trying not to explode into tears and laughter. Captain Cyrus had gone to bed and Colby, my replacement comes on deck and I told him about feeling so absolutely thankful for this moment.

It is these moments when I feel exactly where the universe wants me not only to be, but I am exactly where I want to be. Not dreaming of any other place, not wanting for more. Just living deeply and fully in this moment."

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