The mates wondered much the same things themselves. Something would have to change.
Distance. That’s what made the difference. No revelation. No refining of our personalities. Just the crush of miles beneath the keel. It’s embarrassing in retrospect – we had hit the wall. Landfall actually meant peace of mind.
The morning of the sixth day. We stood roughly fifty miles off the entrance to Baja Naval, the Ensenada harbor we’d chosen as our mooring, and suddenly life seemed so much brighter. It would still be hours, maybe late into the night, before we made the breakwater; but to be so near made each of us feel so much better. An unspoken easing of tensions permeated the ship. Still the winds were not inclined to cooperate, but we were almost within fuel range. The day passed slowly, we threaded our way toward port. When evening came we accepted it – daybreak would see us tied up. And we could find a bit of respite from one another.
For most of the day the sails luffed. Nearer shore with evening coming on, however, we broke a little bow wave. It became flurry of white toward early morning. When I came up for my shift we were almost there. The breakwater lights, flashing red and green, were finally visible. Brian and I brought the Faith around the western break under power, laughing at the gaggle of seals crowed onto each channel buoy, barking as we made our entrance. I’d checked the messages on the cell phone as soon as we’d come into range of the city, and been rewarded with the insistent voices of both Stacy and Eric encouraging us to BE THERE. Oh, my friends, here we are! I’d left several approach messages over the intervening hours (“Wake up! We’re almost there! Hello?? Go to the marina!!”) They hadn’t called back yet.
Brian left his own wonton messages: “Doni? Yeah, we’re almost in….Yes, head down NOW!” Donisha, in LA, was ready to hustle across the border ASAP as soon as she heard we were safe in. Well. We’d have a veritable party on our hands!
Crossing the break, I radioed the Baja Naval Harbor Master and for once got a quick response telling us to tie up at a specific place! Huzzah! Could it be that all would go smoothly – that our tribulations were effectively over? Time would tell, and in very little of it we’d be tied up in port! Wheeeeewwww!!!