Pure Joy! Irena

As we sit here in Black River Bay, one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world, each morning Cress and I rise at about 6am to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee in the cockpit together. It’s a time for us to check in with each other and talk about our plans, both short and long term and just generally spend a few minutes in gratitude for the life we are living. I suppose since Canadian Thanksgiving has just passed I have been thinking of everything I am thankful for and one of those things is the wonderful lifestyle we have created.

Yesterday morning as we watched a few fishing boats head out of the anchorage I watched them go by and waved to the excited tourists as they anticipate a fun filled day. As my eyes followed them out of the bay, I noticed some splashing activity out near the reef. With binoculars in hand I saw that they were dolphins – a pod of dolphins in fact, likely 25-30 of them! One or two small boats were following them, keeping their distance and allowing them to jump around to their heart’s content. I called Cress to have a look, and he immediately said – “Let’s get the dinghy and head out there – get your swimsuit on - quick!” At first, I objected… No, it’s too cold, they will be gone by the time we get there, too many other people around….. But Cress was not taking no for an answer – and finally my heart got the better of me and we were in the boat in a flash. We motored gently toward them and watched them swim and jump around for a few minutes.

At Cress’s urging, I was on the bow, with my feet hanging over the top ready to jump in if the dolphins allowed. One tourist from another boat jumped in, and I followed with mask, snorkel and fins.

Of course we could not swim to keep up with them, but within a few minutes, the dolphins came over to us. They were swimming under me, around me, beside me – so graceful I could barely breathe. I was talking to them through my snorkel, and just floated around keeping quite still as they literally swam circles around me! It was magical…. They simply exude grace and well-being – pure joy. I felt like they were hosting me in their kingdom. They were patient, curious and friendly, and it was a wonderful experience to be among them.

How fortunate I am – just one more thing to be thankful for! One of the things I especially value about the life we are living is that we are able to share it with so many other people. Since we set out from Vancouver in 2005 we have had about 50 people on board with us in various parts of the world! Some for a few days, some for a few months, some with sailing experience, some land lubbers, some close friends and family and some complete strangers (now friends!). And just as we enjoyed having all of them, I am quite certain that all of them had a unique and memorable experience.

And we are not done yet! How fun is that! Cress and I think of it as our gift, something we can give back and share with our community. So if you are thinking about it – stop thinking and start talking. If not now – when?

With heart and gratitude,
Irena