Sunset Sailing....

Lisa and Martin bought me a 'red balloon' experience voucher for my birthday. I chose sailing as it is something Mark and I have vagely spoken about wanting to have a go at and something neither of us have done before. Ok so it may not be everyones idea of a romantic evening... exposed to the waves and the wind, stomach churning, legs wobbling as you clamber about the vessel, damp clothes, slippery surfaces but WOW what an experience!

We boarded the catamarn at Fremantle's fishing harbour. A beautiful and historic place to wander. Once all passengers had arrived (there were 10 of us and 2 crew members) we were briefed about what to do if you fall out of the boat - ha ha! and how to get into the water safely if we needed to abandon ship - eek! I nervously laughed my way through this as there was NO WAY I was getting off this boat till we were back to dry land. I am a confident swimmer and enjoy a sea swim where I can touch the bottom, but I was recently dumped by a large wave (with Sara-Jane) near the shore and it was not a nice experience so out in the open water I did not fancy my chances!

 So with cold  Sol beer (with a slice of lemon) in hand Mark and I settled ourselves at the front of the boat to take in the sights and watch the all lady crew sort out the sails. I would love to learn..it was amazing to watch how they used the power of the wind to control the speed and direction of the boat. I am guessing that it takes many years of practise and instruction considering I spent most of our trip learning how to stand up without falling over...let alone pulling ropes and clambering about from side to side of the vessel. Big respect to these two young ladies who can only have been in their 20's.

The ride was choppy and damp but the time was invigorating and intimate. So inspiring to be exposed to the elements and to watch the sun as it lowered on our 208th day of travelling. I guess our whole trip has been a little like this and we are having moments of reflection and inspiration in the most unusual of ways and places and a bit choppy at other times!

So thanks Lisa and Martin for this opportunity and thanks Creator for putting it out there for us to see... we are in awe AGAIN! Hayley x