My Sailing Firsts...

As I started my adventure as a sailor - beginning with zero experience - I remember a few of my sailing "firsts".  The memory of my evolution and growth as a sailor will always be punctuated by the time before and after these events:

• The first night I slept aboard my ship
• The first time leaving the dock - without crew to help 
• The first time setting the anchor
• The first time spending the night afloat, relying upon my anchor to secure the ship
• The first time sailing out of sight of land
• The first overnight passage
• The first sunset at sea
• The first sunrise at sea
• The first arrival at an island
• The first arrival in a foreign port
• The first bit of stormy weather encountered while at sea
• The first time climbing the mast
• The first time needing to dive under the boat to clear some flotsam from the rudder
• The first encounter with a whale
• The first encounter with dolphins dancing off my bow wave
• The first encounter with sea lion pups 
• The first encounter with a micro-burst

Those moments and memories are precious "firsts".  No matter where I am - or how busy I may be working on some project - opening those mental files can instantly transport me back to the deck of my ship...and I can smell the salty wind and waves...