The heat accumulates. It became thicker, more intense and the air absorbs the temperature and begins its journey. It becomes warmer, lighter, and starts its race toward the sky. Spirals of warm air ascend skyward creating a vacuum effect sucking in the surrounding masses of air, absorbing everything into its ascending vortices. Everything happens very slowly, but continuously, rising up and accelerating in its ascent.
The ocean below the giant mass of air in movement starts to sense an instability. Something is happening on the surface. The wind irritates the ocean. It puts it in tension, curls it and agitates it; alters it. It starts slowly at first. The ocean feels an almost imperceptible breeze, but something is happening in the atmosphere above. The ocean knows something is about to happen and gives the first hint to the sailor.
The sailboat sails the ocean as a part of it. The sailor is in harmony with his boat, the ocean, and the wind. They all work as a team, organized and in rhythm. All sails are up. The energy created by the wind is trapped by the sails and transported by the rig to the hull which returns it to the ocean, generating movement. All is one, a team, working in harmony until something disrupts this balance.
The sailor notices a change on the surface of the ocean. A vibration. He knows that something is happening. The ocean always gives out warning signs. The barometer indicates that the atmosphere is changing, the air pressure on the surface drops. Some clouds are appearing over the horizon. Another warning. Something is about to happen. A storm is coming.
The sailor starts to get ready. He moves to the lower deck and he gets on his foul weather gear. The storm jacket and pants, the harness, the life jacket. He closes all hatches and put everything that’s out in a safe place. There can be nothing left out. He takes notes and transmits his position. He prepares the storm sails and then goes back out on deck.
He checks the weather situation one more time and estimates the winds intensity. He decides to change out the Genoa for the storm jib and reduce the main with two reefs. He checks that everything on deck is tight and secure, tidies up all the ropes, gets back to the helm, and clips in the harness.
The storm arrives suddenly, the clouds competing above and crashing between them. The ocean suddenly begins to be desperately pushed by the wind; wind gusts alter its surface. It replays angry, becoming bigger, blowing foam, breaking in sounds that compete with the thunders above.
The sailor standing at the helm fights to keep the boat on course. The waves crash against the ship; angry. The foam tries to cover it all. The ship resurfaces behind every wave trying to recover, but falling again into the mouth of the next wave. Everything is chaos. The harmony that existed between the elements has disappeared. Everything is altered now. Nothing seems to have any logic. There is no answer. How can it think the sailor? A few minutes ago everything was organized and in harmony, but now…
He closes his eyes and breathes. One wave passes and he starts counting 1, 2, 3..., The next wave arrives at 10 seconds. He starts again, 1, 2, 3,..., again at 10 seconds. He notes that out of every five waves, the third wave appears bigger than the rest. There is an order to the chaos. The wind is keeping its course which is good. There are gusts and these gusts have 15 extra knots on top of the already 30 knots of the storm, but they too have a rhythm. There is an order there as well. The sailor starts to follow the new rhythm marked by the ocean and the wind. The boat begins to find its position in this new structure. The harmony that disappeared, reappears again but everything is different. Different, but at the same time beautiful in its own way. Now the elements are working together again, as a team, in rhythm. Everything starts to feel natural. The stress has passed, the traumatic situation has disappeared and there is a new order. The sailor begins to enjoy what the storm is offering.
Suddenly everything changes once more. The last cloud disappears, the sun is back in the sky and the ocean calms. The boat sails along pushed gently by a slight breeze over her sails. The sailor unclips his harness, takes off the life jacket, the storm clothes, and he gets ready to change the sails again.
The journey follows, the adventure continues.
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Notes from the author:
We are living difficult times, we are in the middle of the storm. This storm has grabbed some of us more prepared than others, but we are starting to see the rhythm in it. We are beginning to understand its nature. It is essential to look at it, understand it, feel it, adapt to it, and sail it. I know it is difficult, but it is important to find and enjoy the good things this storm might be offering. As sailors, we know that at any moment the storm will be history, the sun will be out again, and our travel will continue.
