hmmm...Mexico

So 2 days ago we left thinking we were going to Hunduras, thinking the wind was perfect, thinking all our technical problems were over, thinking we were set. We set sail in the evening and locked our heading on the full moon. It couldn't have felt more perfect.....Well around 3am as I handed the wheel over to Rob, the wind decided to take a break. No problem we'll just start our now "working" motor and keep on chuggin, right? About a half-hour into me sleeping the engine got a temper and began flooding the cabin with steaming anit-freeze. Well with minimal panic and confusion we found ourselves completely immobile about 9 hours off the coast o Mexico. Anyway the next 30 hours we sweated around the deck and cockpit praying and eying for a speck of moving oxygen. I think the 3 of us all know what its like to be in the desert, but this is like a weird version where you can't go anywhere. Its all up to God. I'll admit though that it was a good time to do some thinking. I started reading The Alchemist too, a perfect follow up for Miller's book.
So it took a while and sortive depressingly were back in Isle Mujeres. No worries though people here are great. Theres all sorts on interesting people to meet here. A crazy awesome 25yr old woman just sailed here from Key West single-handed and im pretty sure without autopilot either.
So its not lookin like my schedule is gonna let me go sailing any further..but i still have a few days to kill. Im thinkin of goin backpacking for a bit across Mexico. I'll go further if I have time, but goin off to some old Mayan ruins sounds pretty cool I guess.

I want to mention that I believe I have learned more in the last two weeks then I could have in a whole year of college. Theres so much to learn from people. Everyone has a story. Some are beautiful, some are heart-wrenching, some are mysterious, and some are completely ridiculous. I think Americans forget to do that. We forget about who is out there and care more about when the next episode of The Office (not bashing, I love The Office) comes on rather than taking the time to go meet someone. Theres some little "wharf-rats" (kids here who grow up on sailboats) who get tutored twice a week maximum. However, they are extremely smart, witty, and know how to have a great conversation. I think it because everyday they get to meet people who sail in from places all over the world. Funny how that works.

Spanish is fun too, its nice to brush up.

Isle de Mujeres

There is a picture of Mario's family up there. They came out on the boat to say goodbye before we left last night. He was one of our great helper's over the last few days. They have taught me so much about life. I think I will write more about them in another post when I have time.

We sailed a little further in the last 24 hours but it seems are electrical gizmos are still strugglin a little. We're currently stayin the night in Isle de Mujeres somewhere near Cancun. Funny I think I subconciously believed everything in Mexico would be yellow? Must its because its always yellow on the map. It actually is way alot more colorful. Also, its lookin like I may not make my due date in Panama and may have to be dropped off in Nicaragua or Honduras which is totally fine with me. 

I finished my book and just started another.

I also met a really cool dog named Samson today. He jumps 6ft off the dock to fetch coconuts.

.

¿Yucatan?

    After about 8 days of sailing across the Gulf of Mexico in the most inconsistent weather conditions imaginable and without one drop of land in sight, we have taken refuge in the small fishing village of San Felipe, Mexico along the Yucatan Peninsula. (the most perfect place on the place)
    Sailing has certainly been an adventure to say the least. From dodging oil tankers to engine failures to exploding wind gernerators, its definitley been interesting. The first 3 days were completley windless so we were forced to motor day and night.  At one point the winds became so glassy  we decided to just stop for a swim about 300 miles from the nearest shore. It was nice but I kept imagining scenes from shark films embaressingly enough. The next 4-5 days it gusted up to about anywhere from 10-20 plus nots. Oh yea and this is right when our alternator broke and left us without any power until we arrived here, so thats like fiveish days. Yea try untangling the genoa from the spinnaker lines at 3am in 7-8 foot seas with just a flashlight...
   The night shifts are about as great as imagined but they can be tough. A friend once told me the stars are the best at sea. He was right. I can usually find Orion´s Belt pretty easy, but out here there must be 50 Orion´s Belts. The milky way is pretty sweet too. The first 3 hours of the shift are usually nice, but I think we all find ourselves nodding off a little by the fourth. A dolphin might come by to wake you up sometimes.
   Anyway our charts and gps failed us in bringing us to an inlet relativeley well. Does the make sense? We probabably got stuck 12 different times on sandbars somewhere last night off Mexico. We were eventually somewhat rescued by our new friend Juan in his panga.
   The people here in San Felipe are the greatest human beings I have ever met in my whole life. Several guys committed their enitre day to getting us fixed and under way. Chucho, Mario, and Juan, and Flaco are few of the names I can remember. Flaco´s wife just got elected president of the village. So we got a new alternator, recharged our batteries, got more diesel, etc. Were in the process of patching our main sail. Tomorrow I think were gonna sail a little more east if we can get Shibumi off the bottom. Its only about 2.5ft deep everywhere we go and channels are nonexhistent, so leaving will certainly be an adventure.
   Okay Im running out of time so I hope whatever I just wrote made sense. I want to thank everyone for their prayers. God has been so awesome in this experience. I apologize for not posting any photos. I have tons but I forgot my camera connector chord thinger. Otherwise things are good. The adventure is real and everything is rediculous.

bye

So after a few days of getting the boat ready its ready. We have been preparing everything down to the smallest pulley bearing. We also went out today and got our food or "provisions" as they seemed to called.Oatmeal cream pies stashed away. Its all good to go.
The crew consists of Captain Rob, Georgia, and myself. Its a good mix. Its been really cool getting know Shibumi and the crew. Tomorrow morning were heading out by 10am! Bye

Getting ready...

Tomorrow I'll be flyin into Texas to meet Captain Rob and be introduced to the mighty Shibumi, my home for the next few weeks. I have had about a month to think about this trip now and I find myself about ready. There has been some interesting events in my life recently leading up to this departure. I'm not gonna touch any details but it seems God wants me going with some people and bits to think about. 

I am bringing along some books that will hopefully wisen me up some as I am sure they hold some significant value to the adventure, one of which is Donald Miller's A Million miles in a Thousand Years. I look forward to starting this one most as soon as I finish C.S. Lewis's Surprised by Joy. Reading is such an awesome thing. I also have a theme song I plan to use, a French song. Ask my roommate, John Taylor if you want to know about that. 

Worries are out of the question now as I have found it is better to expect to be surprised than utterly disappointed. I think Sondre Lerche taught me that one and so far it helps. I was thinking about "death at sea" the other day and although I don't prefer it at the moment, I have come across discovering that it would not be so terrible I guess. I mean, what a way to go, right? It just sounds so intense, disappearing in the waves and all. Anyway thats just a bit of mind rambling. If you decide to read or view any of these posts, please keep me in your prayers. It will be thoroughly appreciated and I promise to keep you entertained. I hope and pray that I will find myself completely challenged in some way this summer. I want this time to mean something. I want to grow. I want to find myself closer to God at the end or at least witness it. 

incredible music video: Noah and the Whale

The First Days of Spring Official Trailer from charlie fink on Vimeo.

sweet

Some things are really sweet. Chocolate, music, good friends, and heavily sugared coffee are a few worth mentioning. It seems that as days sweep over, I either knowingly or subconsciously have begun to collect these fixations in some spurt of neurological function. Its like zoning in and out of a lecture and waking up just in time to catch the most important part. Of course there too will always be inconsistencies we wish to forget. I am not saying I wish to be rid of those altogether, just perhaps that they would ache less. One can argue they add more flavor to who we are. So I guess that there's anomal(not sure if thats a real word) value to the negatives we collect. They carry lessons. I find more though, that its those sweet bits that keep me going presently. Don't just let them pass up, thoroughly take note of them. You are gonna want to smile about about them later, less they go sour. Anyway I am not really sure what I am going with this, thanks for reading if you did. Well, you obviously did if you got this far. Right?

sailing trip... take two

Awww summer, what greatness you behold. Every summer has its completely ridiculous adventures and moments. Its a time to completely lose yourself, or find yourself. It depends I guess. I decided a long time ago I would try to do something different every summer, no matter how incredible or terrible a previous one may have been. So of course being in Florida would be out of the question...

This summer I have made some general arrangements for myself. Its important not to get too particular with plans because like waves, they change. Through a crew-finder website, I was able to get picked up by a captain and his 36t sailboat called Shibumi. I know this sounds familiar....I tried to do something like this last summer in the Sly Dog but it ended in disaster. Second time's the charm eh? Definitely an interesting name for a boat though, Shibumi, kinda fun to say too. If all goes well we will be sailin from Texas area, through the Panama canal, and up the Pacific coast of Central America to Mexico...hopefully. From there, there being wherever I get dropped off, I have to find my way solo up California. I actually really look forward to this hike in the trip, being international is such a curious place to be. When I get to the great Californias, I will begin my pre-arranged job as a sailing instructor on Catalina Island. My actual title will be specialist and which sounds way sweeter, so maybe I'll just go by that description instead for now on. Ill be there until about mid-August. Funny that sailing seems to be the theme this year.

I think the people is what I look forward to most. I love people, especially ones I havn't met yet from other cultures. I think that making a story for oneself, first involves hearing the stories of others.

writing to write

I think writing is one of the greatest inventions humans have. Well writing just to write is one of the greatest inventions humans have. It teaches us. It can be done on paper, a journal/diary, a computer, on our passed out friend's faces, on our hands, on the sidewalk, on a wall, in a note, in our heads, or anywhere. Think about all the ridiculous peculiar things you've written on. I personally prefer to write in my little trendy moleskin. I do write on this blog now and then but if you scroll down you'll find the dates are few and far between. My moleskin definitely gets the most attention it seems. I fill it with thoughts, stories, ideas, bible verses, laughs, drawings, whatever. Yet I still don't feel I write enough sometimes. Its weird how writing something down, especially a feeling can clarify what is really going on up there in the noggin. I'll start writing about surfing and a few sentences later, I'm discussing some word or heartache or school or an adventure. I think writing just to write is crucial and can really illustrate one's train-of-thought. Thats a funny saying: train-of-thought, but I guess its pretty accurate, like there is a miniature train steaming through my head gathering and piling up every load of ridiculousness my brain throws at it. I imagine its similar to those little trains that go under the Christmas Tree, the ones that fall off the track so easily. Writing can kinda be like that I guess.

For me at least, I like to write for boatloads of reasons. The biggest probably being just that it keeps me sane.

a thank you note

I had a fun writing assignment in one of my courses the other day. The idea was to write something anything short but first choose the audience, choose the format, and also choose the topic. I figured I'd write a thank you note from a pencil to its eraser:

To my close and faithful Friend,

I want to really thank you for all your dedication and years of commitment. I realize that at times I have regrettably taken you for granted, but truly it is you that completes our purpose as a bi-purposeful instrument. Oh how the years have gone by, what great writing we have created together! Without you, my work would be only a scribbled bumbled mess of grammar mistakes. You allow me to start new and forgive an errors so easily. How swift is your grace!

As the years have passed, I have been warn down to almost nothing, and you a mere nub of your once magnificent self. Day by day we become less, but how close we have grown. Alas, we are a tribute to the greatness of writers! I will never forget you for the humility and hard work you have contributed to our efforts. How marvelous it has been! It is an honor to have served beside you. Thank you dear and close friend, I am truly grateful.

Sincerely,

Pencil

Life can be funny...

Life can be funny, radical, exhausting, soaked, dramatic, ridiculous, hungry, ambiguous, and joyful...but mostly funny.

I say funny because if you take time to observe your daily life it can be very funny, just don't apply pressure. I think about the person who honked and screamed at me, the teacher who gave a lesson that made me actually think, the person who I thought was waving at me, the chair I thought I could stand on, the friend who tripped on my leg as I slept, the guitar string that broke, the band I believed was cool, the new haircut, my neighbor's annoying yapping little dogs I want to kick, the scar on my wrist (not suicidal), the British accent I sometimes pretend to have, the roach in my pantry, the card game I "won", my valentine's day, my patchy facial hair, that times I drowned, the car accident I witnessed, the job I got fired from, the ridiculous voicemails, the jump off the St. Augustine pier, the attempt to take pictures with a bull and a bucket headed surfer, the girl I fell in love, the girl who broke my heart, the useless things I own, my permanently broken finger, the kite string that snapped, the test I thought I passed, my 6th grade first real fight experience at the bus stop, the words I wished were actual words, the sailboat I wish I was on, my flickering laptop screen, my un-made bed, the mysterious smell coming from kitchen, the disastrous first kiss, the family that loves me, the leprechaun I can't find, the jacket I thought was warm enough, the fire I thought was big enough, the things Im gonna wish I included in this post, my reliable bicycle, my empty wallet, the sister I wish I could see more, my roommate singing to in the next room, and the person who decides to read this writing. I think its funny.

good

I remember waking up this one morning to go surfing. The waves were real good and I had class in a few hours. I was up 5:ish am gettin ready. Its always hard to find friends willing to come along that early but its okay, I've never really minded surfing alone.

It was still dark out as I was walking to my car. I had parallel parked pretty far from the dorms on one of those ominous little roads where the trees form a dark cocoon over it all. They block the moon light from their short strip of dominion. I was carrying my board with a towel and wetsuit draped over it. The only sounds came from my leafy steps and the ghosts escaping my mouth in the 30 degree night. I noticed the shadow of a man and his dog under one of the trees, ok there's my car.

I think there is something rather romantic about driving to the beach early before the sun is up. The streets are empty, everybody is asleep, Im awkwardly sitting at a street light waiting for invisible traffic so I can go. Those that are awake are are leaving their hotel shift, hunched at the drawbridge, or chugging coffee making the commute. Im just going surfing.

The sun still hasn't stirred yet, I pull up to the coast line. I can make out the large bold silhouettes of the swell coming in. The moonlight spins off their faces and the offshore breeze forces them to spit water from their backs. Not a single human in the water. Its good.

My wetsuit is still wet from the other day, it feels like ice all over my body at least until I can get into the ocean. Getting down the rocks is easy, not too many barnacles, theres a couple of fisherman out at the end of the pier. I think dipping my feet in the water is perhaps one of the best parts of surfing, at least during dawn patrols. I stood there about knee deep and prayed a bit before paddling out. Thank you God.

At the line up I didn't take the first wave that came to me, not even the second or third. I stayed still, observing every sound, shimmer, and ripple around me. I looked up in the night and saw one of the fisherman hanging over the pier railing staring at me. He looked kinda like the shadow of an old pelican. "Good morning, " I shouted. "Good morning, " he chuckled. It was good.

soaked..

I sat down to try and write a song but instead found myself writing this post. It seems kinda ridiculous how quickly things can change altering one's mood and ultimately one's perspective. I have been listening to a bit of A.A. Bondy lately. One of his songs, "Black Rain" has a part he sings:

Black rain, black rain
Don't fall on me
Can't you see I'm doin' my best
Black rain, black rain
Don't fall on me
When I lay to take my rest

Well I wish that black rain would quit. I'm so soaked from it, I feel the constant weight of it, like I jumped in the ocean wearing full clothing. Funny how when bad things happen, they generally occur in threes. Im not gonna touch any details, Im just sayin, I'm beginin to see a trend. Everyone keeps saying that when you feel broken, that is when God speaks to you the most. I guess I believe it, I just wish I didn't have to wait so long... I do find myself wondering what to do with myself pretty often lately. Pray I presume. In hope to get away for a bit, I posted another ad to be a crew for a sailboat during winter break. I think that if I spend sometime thinking about what to think about and then think about it, well maybe I can overcome my thoughts that seem to be hurting my thinking.

note

There it is all around me,

The sound of the ceiling fan wheezing up above,

The hollow groan of a classical guitar short its bottom string,

The gritted nipples of wax combed on my surfboard,

The lingering scent of sweaty roses from an old bottle of Fe-breeze,

The chatter of my keyboard as I type this note,

The staring bottle of rum that beckons me,

The echoing reflection of myself in the unplugged television,

The soft orchestra of crickets humming just outside,

The emptiness that sits just in front of me, deep within a box of animal crackers,

The calling of my warm bed barely in the other room,

And the security of God's hands holding me, His breath all around me.

unexpected

It is funny how one decision can effect or affect your entire expectation of a period of time. I attempted to find another boat but and the internet and marinas have proved rather useless in finding that. 

In the mean time I have been back and forth between home and Annapolis, Maryland where I am now again. But it is funny. I spent about a month planning my summer with adventures and wild escapades in hope to get myself completely utterly lost and away from society. Instead I have found myself planted quite useless in busy upside-down towns with cars, potato chips, a cell phone, and my only income coming from the mowing of my girlfriend's grandparents yard.

However, I can say that even though my plans have completely changed, I have definitley enjoyed myself. It has been pretty "different," yea I guess thats the word that I think best fits how I feel. Anyway, its just that spending over a month living at my girlfriend's house with all her family has been kinda new to me. Oh and when I say all her family, I mean mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, grandparents, and don't forget the step family bits all mixed in living a short drive from one another. There is always someone around to meet. Its a unique set up they have and very fun one to be with at that. Just very different. Its a different flavor of adventure.

I did get to do some sailing this summer too. A bit on my Dad's boat Falcon, here in the Chesapeake and  some more on a peculiar boat called Phat. The second sailboat is short and obese like its name and has an unstaid mast, which while I was aboard had me wondering how on earth it didn't fall over. I also did a little more sailing on a small two-sail laser with Kelsey.

I think that God has really been at working in giving some sort of lesson with all of this. I believe that because I was trying so desperately to go along with my own agenda that I was in fact avoiding His. See, I realize that God has a plan for all us and I'm sure everyone has heard that. The whole "there's no such thing as coincidence" and "everything happens for a reason" sayings I know aren't unfamiliar to anyone. But, how often do you really think about that? Like, when I began this summer I didn't ask, "I wonder what God has planned for me?" It was more like "So what do I want to do this summer?" 

I notice that I make a lot of bad choices in a lot of things I do. I am smart, but I'll admit there are times where I can lack some serious common sense. Not too long ago I was spear fishing a wreck with a friend  and we spotted some lobster. With very little consideration of the law or the years in jail we could face, we shot and ate several of them for dinner. Incase you're not aware of Florida's lobster penalties, shooting one with a spear out of season is about the equivalent of selling a pound of heroin to children and then buying guns for them.  

It was delicious, but it didn't sit well with me.

If I am going anywhere with this, what I think I am attempting to say is that maybe when I do what I want, what I want is not always what is best for me. My choices can tend to be selfish and careless. I did not even stop to consider that a God who is willing to die a terrible undeserving death for me is certainly going to have my best interests in mind. I mean he created me, he knows me better than I ever will. He delights in me using the gifts and traits He created me with. Is it so bad to give yourself over to him? 

didn't happen....

so yea the trip got delayed again... .......i am leaving and jumping ship elsewhere

setting sail??? Were off!!!

Okay so it has been a long two weeks gettin the Sly Dog ready for sail, but alas it is done. A South African friend on the anchorage, Yaku, and I celebrated by finding several lobster and spearing a few snapper for dinner. There was no argument that this was one of our better meals out here.

I am so stoked to get out of Miami!! I very much dislike this town especially since having to walk miles everywhere to do anything. A bike would have perhaps made things a bit nicer... I think it could just be the traffic, I feel like hitting pedestrians here is a sport or somethin. Anyway I'm very much looking forward to setting sail.

Sunday night we plan to leave for the Bahamas in order to arrive durring the day to avoid any inconvenience with the reefs. The crew and myself are all out doing their personel stuff before we hand ourselves over to the sea. From the Bahamas we'll be headed to Bermuda, over to the Azores, and then up to England. I think its a good plan.....

If you are following....please please pray for us

Could be outta here soon, fingers crossed

Been gettin plenty of work done lately. Roller furler is all in place. The boat is all cleaned up and its lookin like we might actually be going sailing. (wierd.. I know). Today we got to hoist Grant up the mast which was pretty exciting and funny to watch him climb like a monkey/lizard to the top then yelling about wanting to come down or somethin.

The whole crew has been here for a few days now and we all seem to be gettin along great. The two new guys, Alex and Tofer just showed up graduating from Villanova with their enginerring degrees. So there is the captain, Grant, two engineers, are professional but not designated cook, Demitri, and myself of course. I feel pretty good about our group.
I went and snorkaled about some wrecks by the islands today as well hopin to spear some lunch, but I didn't see much other than a few small jacks and barricuda. Despite this, it pretty sweet to swim around for a few hours .

O yea we also got a guitar to go with our harmonica now. Its spectacular to here music again. Well all is good and hopefully we can set sail soon, I am very much looking forward to leaving the land of the "mossies", Miami.

still doing some boat preparation...

Theres a pic of the Sly Dog herself and another of Demetri stacking cards in the boat, kinda phenominal really. The boat was rocking the whole time. Anyway, we got the chain plates all back togethor now, were making slow but good progress. Hopefully we'll be outta here soon, last night we got attacked by the "mozzies" (mosquitos) and we were foced to sleep on the deck to avoid them. I actually really enjoyed this, I think I might continue to sleep on the deck, its much cooler and nicer as long as it doesn't rain.

Arrived at Boat

Met up with Captain Grant and one of the crew yesterday here in Miami. Demetri, the other crew is a nice French dude. He has no experience sailing but hopes to make it back to France(home) after almost a year of traveling. Grant the Australian, seems like really good guy. He is determined to have us shipped off in about a week or less. Two other guys will be meeting up with us on Tuesday to join the crew, so altogethor there will be five of us.
There is plenty of little jobs that need to be done before we leave. A lot of it seems to be filing down bits of mettle to make parts fit better. Rather borring but whatever its got to be done!
Last night we kicked back and drank a couple beers on the boat as we got to know one another. I am pretty excited about everything. I think its going to be agood trip.

Pictures of the boat will be coming soon.

sailing soon

In about a week I leave for sailing. The boat I'll be on is a 36ft catalina. The crew includes the captain Grant Sooby, two or three other guys, and myself. We ship off from Miami to the UK via the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Azores. I have not met any of the crew yet, only spoke with the captain by phone and email. Anyway I am pretty excited. I think this adventure will be a good chance to get away, to grow in my faith,  to learn about myself, and to be absolutely ridiculous. I have sailed a lot with much smaller racing boats growing up, but I've never done any real "blue water" sailing before and its soon about to be hurricane season... I think I'll bring a couple good books.

so it begins...

I am thinking good thoughts and enjoying them