My Favorite Night Sailing!

"Day: 9

Date: August 12 2016

Time: seriously early

Thing: Night Watch

That wondrous feeling of singing sea shanties on the open ocean lasted until the singing was over. Then as the crew went to work out the night watch schedule, the ocean began to roll noticeably more. Nighttime was definitely upon us, and people began to head below to prepare for night running (ie, motor sailing through the night, rather than anchoring).

More people were getting seasick at this point. The crew members told us a few times, “Just get down into your bunks, you’ll be fine.” So it became a matter of seeing how quickly you could get ready and get into your bunk, and if you would, in fact, be fine there. I waited on deck for a while, but knew that I had to try to get some sleep, since I would be on duty from 1:20 am – 2:40 am. So below I went! (And let me tell you, if you’ve never tried to sleep in the bow of a boat on the rolling ocean, it is quite an experience. Two words: air time.)

But the real fun began at 1:20: I took over the wheel. I steered a 111’ wooden schooner under motor and sails through the swells of the north Pacific at 1:30 in the morning. The moon had just gone down and it was a clear night, stars speckling the sky like you wouldn’t believe, and the Pacific Swift cleaving a trail of bioluminescence through the waves. This was the first highlight of the night. (And yes, my watch officer and I were both singing snippets of “Wave Over Wave” during that time.)

We were nearing Triangle Island while I was on watch, so we then had to take down the sails. At that point there were three sails up (fore staysail, foresail, trysail) and five of us on deck (skipper, first mate, two of my watch mates, and myself). It was hard work! Skipper and I had to corral the trysail as it was hauled down, but the sail kept wanting to catch the wind, and it was a fight. We did eventually get it down, though, and then moved onto the foresail.

And then the ship’s alarm went off.

I looked around to the nearest crew member (another watch officer had joined us at that point), but she didn’t seem too concerned. I thought, “It’s a good thing I’m already up on deck and not in bed.” And I just kept on pulling the sail. Then five or six of the guys appeared on deck, having heard the alarm, which ended up being great because they helped us tie down the sail (the foresail is one of the biggest sails on the ship). The alarm had stopped by then, and as it turns out, it was the bilge alarm. By taking down the sails we had upset the balance of the ship, so the bilge water (nasty water that gathers in the very bottom of the ship) sloshed and triggered the bilge alarm. In the end, it was all okay.

Then the guys went back down below, and one of the watch officers and I went to tie down the fore staysail. We had hauled it down earlier, but it wasn’t tied very well and it was flapping obnoxiously. So there I was, at the bow of the boat, straddling the bowsprit, holding down the sail and untangling the line while the watch officer tied it more securely. And I looked up at the unbelievable array of stars overhead, with the pitching of the ship beneath me, feeling integral to getting the sails down, and I had one of those rare moments where you really appreciate exactly what’s going on, and how wonderful it is. Taking down the sails was the second highlight of the night. 

And then we arrived at the lee of Triangle Island, about 3:00 am. Our least calm anchorage yet, but quite nice after the open ocean. We lowered the anchor until it was just sitting beneath the surface as we manoeuvered into the right spot, and what a sight that was, to see the bioluminescence trailing off the anchor. And then again from the anchor chain as we lowered the anchor. And then—a lightning bolt of green slashed through the water: a sea lion. And there it was, the third highlight of my night. Bioluminescence is cool."

~Nicole E.

Off to Triangle Island!

"Day 8. August 11 2016 (still).

After our morning romp on Calvert Island, we weighed anchor and set sail for the long-anticipated Triangle Island. Some background: When we boarded the Pacific Swift in Prince Rupert, the crew basically told us, “Well, we’re in Prince Rupert, and in 10 days we need to be in Port Hardy, but between now and then, we don’t really need to be anywhere.” Yes! So we planned our route as we went, deciding where to go based on what we thought we might find. (How about Grenville Channel? It’s really cool. How about Princess Royal Island? That’s where Spirit Bears are most often sighted. How about Calvert Island? White, sandy beaches.  And how about Triangle Island?)

This may have been helpful earlier, but here is a map of our route: https://my.yb.tl/PacificSwift/3359/ 

Triangle Island is the western-most island in a chain of islands off the north point of Vancouver Island (island island island). It’s the south-western most point on that map. 

It was always a possibility that we would visit Triangle Island, but since it required a long stretch of open ocean sailing (10 hours), it was always a weather-dependant destination. But the weather was great (for the entire trip, including the one morning of light rain) and so we decided, yup, it’s off to Triangle Island!

Those were 10 very enjoyable hours. We ended up motor sailing (ie, moving under both motor power and sail power, as each seems to stabilize the other), and it wasn’t the greatest ride for everyone on board (“Barf Fest 2016,” as one of my watch mates called it). But it is definitely something, to be standing at the bow of a rolling ship as it crests each wave and sinks in each trough in a rather unpredictable manner. Trying to balance on the deck became the game of the afternoon.

This is all great, and it all leads up to one of the amazing moments on the trip. Each evening we would gather in the hold and sing sea shanties and other well-loved, more modern songs, but this night some wise soul thought it would probably be disastrous to cram a bunch of sea-sick people into the hold, so we sang up on deck. (Exhibit 1: This picture. Not the greatest quality, but the ship was rolling and I was enjoying myself too much to bothered with pictures.)

So here is the indescribable moment. Imagine being up on the afterdeck of an old, wooden schooner, motor sailing across the open, rolling ocean to a remote destination as the sun is setting on a clear evening. You’re surrounded by a group of your fellow sailors, all belting out sea shanties and well-loved songs with guitars and a cajon, grinning like lunatics (some of us, anyway) and thoroughly appreciating the rarer moments of life.

We were singing sea shanties! On the open ocean! Miles away from shore!

“Wave Over Wave” was an entirely appropriate hit (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk9xIw6-aUg). 

“Twist and Shout” was fantastic. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, as only SALTS does it, “Don’t Stop Believing”, “Brown-Eyed Girl”…

Even as I was experiencing this, I knew it was a fantastic, unlooked-for and spontaneous blessing."

~Nicole E.

 

A Beautiful Beach

"Nearing the end! There are still many, many stories from this sailing trip, but only a few more that I’m going to share. This one is significant, though, because it is the first of three amazing things that happened within about 17 hours, making for the clear highlight of my trip.

Day 8. August 11 2016. Part I. After an open-ocean sailing the day before, we had anchored in Pruth Bay off Calvert Island, home to the Hakai Reseach Centre (more remote than Bamfield!). We rowed ashore and tied up at the docks, then took a nice 5-minute walk across the island to the highly-anticipated white sandy beaches. Oh yes, an expansive, surprisingly white, and wonderfully sandy beach on BC’s west coast, warm and perfect for swimming. An isolated beach in the grand scheme of things, yet clearly popular with anyone on Calvert Island. It was incredible to come out of the forest to this. I just wanted to run! It was beautiful. We played a massive game of soccer and Ultimate Frisbee on the hard-packed sand, port sleeping side vs starboard sleeping side. It started out as a large game of soccer, and then after a while we added a Frisbee, so you had to decide what you wanted to chase. It brought back long-forgotten memories of PE class (only this was clearly more epic). Our team got crushed, but I had a blast (my journal says, “Ran a lot. It was glorious!”). And then we went swimming! So great to relax and float on the waves, or try to swim with the waves to get some good speed.

Overall, it was most lovely, and a great beginning to the day. I do love the BC coast."

~Nicole E.

 

Canada Sailing Pt2

"Here is it: the story of Klemtu.
On Day 6 of the trip, August 9 2016, we made our way to the tiny seaside town of Klemtu. Located on Swindle Island, the only way in or out of town is by boat or float plane. We loitered just offshore while our intrepid First Mate went ashore to inquire about docking… and came back to tell us we were all invited for a tour of their bighouse! So we were ferried ashore in the zodiac, and were greeted by some greatly appreciated drumming and singing by George Taylor (https://www.aboriginalbc.com/corporate/profiles/directors/george-taylor).
After everyone was ashore, we went up the hill and into the bighouse, a most impressive building that smelled beautifully and unforgettably of cedar (!). Wooden benches lined two of the walls, and the floor in the middle of the building was sand (one of my first thoughts when I saw it was, “It would be so cool to dance here.”). There were four large totem poles inside the building, two at each end (deliberately made to be asymmetrical to see if anyone was paying attention… my kind of craftsmanship!). The summer worker there gave us a history of the area, and showed us some handheld drums, handmade woven hats, and an amazing group drum made of a hollowed-out cedar log (in the picture, the log drum is between the two totem poles, just behind the bench).
And if that weren’t exciting enough, we were invited back that night for a canoe-blessing ceremony. They had a canoe that the Klemtu youth were going to take on a historical pilgrimage, and the day we were there was the day they were giving it its name. So we came back that night and got to witness the canoe-naming/canoe-blessing ceremony. It was great! I don’t recall the name they gave the canoe, but translated into English it means ‘Peace Maker’. And then after that… we got to watch a song and story performance in the bighouse by the Klemtu youth! How fortuitous is that? This was one of my highlights of the trip.
The youth performed a number of different songs and dances, and told a few of their traditional stories. Two of the youth, a boy and a girl, also received their traditional names that night, so we got to be part of that as well. And then (it just keeps going!) there was a Friendship Dance. It was the last dance of the night, and it was introduced as being “a dance for everybody… That means that we won’t stop dancing until everyone in the audience is dancing with us!” So cool! I wanted to be part of a dance since I first walked into the building, and here was the invitation! It was a whole lot of fun. Lots of laughter and mistakes and most surely some embarrassment, but such a great experience.
And then.
Remember the boy and the girl who received their traditional names? Well, since it was their celebration, they both got to pick a song for the night… and they jointly decided to do a Challenge Song (if you can see where I’m going with this, oh yes, it was magnificent). This was a competition between all the women and all the men in the room. That’s right, all of them. More audience participation! We all gathered around the hollow cedar drum, the men sitting around it drumming, and the women standing. And we would sing a line to them, then they would sing a line back to us, then we would row back with another line, then they would come out with their line again (the women’s lines varied, but the men repeated the same mantra the whole time…). We varied the speed, and whether or not the drum accompanied us. This was amazing! I can’t explain how enjoyable and satisfying and inclusive this was.  It went on for quite some time! (In the end I think it was considered a draw.)
Such a good night. And one of the most special things about it was that it was unplanned. We just happened to stop in Klemtu that day, and they happened to be having a canoe-blessing ceremony and a performance night, which they invited us to. This is what I appreciate about life."

~Nicole E.

My Canada Adventures ~ SALTS

This summer was filled with excitement as I traveled around Canada for 18 days! 10 of those days were on a sailboat, over my birthday, which was a dream come true. I wanted to share some of my adventures, and my fellow trainee in my watch, has written about our trip perfectly. She has given me permission to post them here. I hope you all enjoy reading them! Mahalo, Nicole!!!! 

"This is the Pacific Swift! She is anchored here at Klemtu, a small town where we stopped for a night (and that is another fantastic and slightly surreal story… I’ll get there!).

 If you want to see her under sail, check out the SALTS website: http://salts.ca/media2/images/850/pacific_swift/james-maya-swift3.jpg. 

She’s a topsail schooner (the Pacific Grace is a gaff-rigged schooner, like the Bluenose on the back of the dime). Her sparred length is 111’ (that’s the length from the tip of the jib boom at the bow to the tip of the main boom at the stern) and deck length is 81’. Her beam is 20’ 6”, her draught 10’ 6”, and she displaces 98 tons. She has 3316 sq ft of sails (and the trysail was stowed beneath my bunk…). 

We had 35 souls aboard (oh, what a splendid sight)—5 crew, 4 volunteer crew, 26 trainees. The trainees ranged in age from 13 to 25 and the oldest crew members were 28 (we celebrated 4 birthdays during the trip… lots of cake and spontaneous singing!). We sailed a total of 543 nautical miles through inland waters and on the open ocean, with 2 nights at sea (another great story there).

Here’s a plug for the program: If you have kids between 13 – 25, or you’re between 13 – 25 yourself, I will unreservedly recommend SALTS. If you want to hear more, just ask me! Their website is here: www.salts.ca."

~Nicole

 

Journal Entry #1

A Journal Entry of My Life
February 3, 2016

Today I spent time with a youth group leader of mine. We talked for hours. I let things out. She encouraged, she gave insight, she prayed, and she listened. I was relieved. I had never talked to a friend like I did with her before today. It was encouraging to know that I have a friend like her. Someone I can trust and someone who can help me in times that I don't know what to do. I cried as I let out things that I have been holding in for so long. I was able to let things out that have been hurtful in the past year. We laughed and had fun together in between the serious conversations. I also had times of disappointment on looking back on choices I have made, but I learned. And I continue to learn. I have been learning that my relationship with Christ is the most important relationship to focus on in my life right now. I know it will be hard because I can't see Him, hear Him, or feel Him all the time. I know that I have friends to help me through the tough times in creating this relationship with Christ though. I know that I will have better relationships here on earth if I have one with Him. It will not be easy, but it will be worth it. Today I made some tough choices. I made choices to focus just on God and me. I'll go on dates with God. I will find fulfillment in Him. 

To sum it all up...


Today I was encouraged. 

Today I cried. 

Today I laughed. 
Today I was disappointed. 

Today I learned.

Today I made choices.

But most importantly...

Today I am me. 

And I am content with today.

Join me as I start building a close and long term relationship with Christ. I know it will not be easy, but I know it will be worth it.

In His Hands, 

Riely Marie W. 

Revived

My ears are being filled with the worlds words.

I easily fall into the thoughts of the world when it is so subtly put in my ears.

I become a lost person and lose sight of who I am and why I am over a long period of time.

I always wonder when I will find myself and find my happiness again.

It is when I am put in the healthy and active setting when I find my happiness. When I keep myself busy with things to do, and when I fellowship with other Christians, my spirits lift up again.

It is the beginning to finding me again.

It is not long after I start the activity of life when I start to care about what is going in my ears and into my mind.

With the help of friends, they suggest good Christian music that I start to listen to again even though it has been a long time since I entered that genre. 

They may not know how they are helping me by suggesting Christian music, but I have been learning that music can affect my mind without knowing it.  And once I start to listen to Christian music again, I realize why I once, a long time ago, only listened to that genre. It keeps me focused on who I am, why I am, what my purpose is, and the faith I have deep down.

I feel like I may be on journey to happiness in this point in my life. I may not understand why certain things are happening or why I am where I am, but I have learned that I need to focus on where I am right now. To be a friend to others, to not worry about my future but have faith and hope in Christ, and to always continue to learn.

From this moment on, I will make the best of where I am in life and live each moment as my last.

With Progress,
Riely Marie W.

A Fall Journey

New places,
New people,
New friends,
And my courage is gone.

I feel weak and nervous. I do not know what to say or what to do.
I feel like the odd one out, yet I am no different than any other new comer.
I am shy and I need not be.
They do not know me.
I do not them; it scares me.
Where is the old me that used to not care? I just went to have fun.

It is hard to be so far from home in a place that is not home to me. It is beautiful here, but it is not home. I do not know how to get over the homesickness. I know I will not be away forever, but it seems like forever.

When will I start to make friends and not just meet people?
When will I just be able to go do things to explore this new place?
When will I be happy again?
When will I know what to do each day?

I wish I knew what I could do. I wish I knew how to survive. I wish I knew who I am.

I must push myself to grow. I must try to make friends. I must become who I am.

Even though I am not home, I must try to make the best of where I am. I am not here for no reason at all. 

Please pray for me in my journey this fall,
Riely Marie W. 

The GIANT Marathon: Life

You’re in the biggest marathon

And you can’t stop.

You keep going with hopes to finish well.

You may fall,

You may trip,

And you may want to give up,

But it is the meaning of the marathon that keeps you going.

You have hope so you keep going.

Living your life for God is the biggest marathon of all!

It is the hardest and it can be tiresome,

But it has the best trophy!

You receive a trophy that is eternal and can’t be burned.

You may be running, walking, or swimming

And you suddenly feel like you want to give up.

You fall down on the ground and just lie there saying,

 “It’s hopeless. I am weak. I want to give up.”

You feel as if there is no hope.

Although you are being cheered on

By family, friends, the church, and God.

You get back up.

You run!

You give it your all to serve God and spread His word to the unknown.

You are back on the trail.

You look forward to the reward in Heaven.

You look forward to the family you will see.

You look forward to being in a perfect place.

But first, you must finish this marathon.

So give it your all!

Run, walk, or swim at a steady pace.

Look ahead to the reward.

Stay in step with the Word to keep you on track.

Pray, hope, live, love, rejoice, and keep going!

(See Hebrews 12:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Always Cheering You On, 

Riely Marie W. 

Memorable Days of Summer

taken by Cassidy Wayant
www.cassidywayant.com

                                                    

A clear sky and crystal clear water on a June or July day

Takes every stress of life away.

The wind blows in my face as I hear the rolling of the waves.

The sun shines down and the wind blows as we get ready to launch the boats.

With the sails up and the center board and rudder down

We head out to the beauty of the Pacific Ocean.

taken by Cassidy Wayant
www.cassidywayant.com

With tacking and jibing and playing games,

It brings much joy to sail and be free on the open waters. 

To see the beauty of the graceful dolphins, intimidating sharks, and the flying fish, I find myself in awe of Gods creation and I am extremely grateful of the lives we have. 

All the people I've meet, and the fun times we've had out sailing, are the days I will never forget! 

More than a million thank yous to everyone who made sailing camp possible! 

taken by Cassidy Wayant
www.cassidywayant.com

                                                        

Thank you, Rob Balloch and all the other instructors, for teaching me so much in a short time. I loved every minute of camp and learned so much! Thank you! 

Thank you to Alicia Starsong and Big Island Sailing Foundation for making it possible for me to learn how to sail! It has  been an opportunity that I will always treasure. I look forward to being back on the water again soon! 

And thank you to all the other sailors who made camp memorable. It was great to meet new people. I hope to see you out on the water again sometime soon.

taken by Riely Marie W.

                                                  

Seas the day, 

Riely Marie W.

Side note: Please check out Cassidy Wayant's photography at www.cassidywayant.com! She is an excellent photographer who catches the natural beauty in people.

God Answers

It’s a wonder the way God works sometimes. He tells us things in the most unimaginable ways. He makes us think about things, or do things, so that we can discover what He is trying to tell us. Malachi 3:7B was a verse that I repeated in my head for months.  

 “Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.” 

I came across this verse one night as I was having a difficult time winding down after a long day on vacation. I guess you could say that I was testing God. I prayed and asked Him to have me open to a verse in the Bible that I could ponder, and something that had meaning to me. When I opened my Bible with my eyes closed, I ended up in the book of Malachi. Since the book of Malachi is a short book in the Bible, I decided to just read the entire thing. I remember reading it, and thinking about how much it applied to me. Shortly after starting I stopped dead in my tracks on Malachi 3:7b. 

 “Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.”  

I had been working on returning to Christ, but something was still missing… My hope in the Lord was not strong, but weak. I trusted Him, but not fully. I needed hope. I needed to trust. I needed God more and more. I asked, "What am I doing wrong?" "Where is my hope in God?” "Where is my trust in God?" The true question was, “Have I completely returned to Him?”

Only a day after I wrote my last post, my question was answered. I have not completely returned to Christ. But now I know what I have been missing!

I was helping out with the summer music camp at my church, and our pastor was talking about connecting with God. THAT WAS IT! I haven’t been connecting with God enough to know him personally, or to have hope and trust in Him. 

God used a verse that I had read months ago, and He used my pastor to point out how I needed to connect with God to be able to have a better relationship with Him. God works in wondrous ways to speak to us!!!! 

 “Return to Me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.”

On A New Journey, 

Riely Marie W. 

 "Return to Me, and I will return to you, 

says the LORD of hosts."

Malachi 3:7b (NASB)

My vision is becoming clear,

My ears are opening,

My mind is erasing all evil, 

My mouth is learning to speak truth,

My hands are learning to write positively,

And my feet are being guided.

My eyes delight in the reading the Word of God, 

I wait to hear God's voice,

My thoughts wonder about God and His plan, 

My mouth pours out to God through prayer,

My hands desire to work for God,

And my feet are continually being guided. 

yet...

I am still missing something...

My hope in the Lord is not strong, but weak. 
I trust Him; but not fully. 

            
I need hope, 

 I need to trust. 

I need God more and more.

I ask, 

"What am I doing wrong?"

"Where is my hope in God? 

"Where is my trust in God?"

Even though I ask myself these questions a verse still rings in my head 24/7.
"Return to Me, and I will return to you, 
says the LORD of hosts." 

 So the true question in reality is this:

   "Have I completely returned to Him?" 

Until Next Time, 

Riely Marie W.

 

New Songs from Awesome Artists

Some amazing Christian artist have come out with some new music that I love and are encouraging just to hear!

Video 1 - Write your story
        By: Francesca Battistelli














Video 2 - Hold On, Small One
By: Loftland
I can relate to this song personally. And it's just plain awesomeness!

Video 3 - Dear Hollywood
By: Anthem Lights
This video is completely truth!

Dear Hollywood, I wish you could see the truth. There is so much good you could do with so many eyes watching you. There is so much good that you could do.







*All videos were liked from YouTube. All credit goes to those who made the videos and the music artists.

In His Hands,
Riely Marie W.

As The Mist Rolls In...

I lie in bed and listen to the wind whistling past the windows,

And I see the trees dancing and bowing in the movement of the wind.

A sudden cloud of mist will come rolling in.

Sometimes lasting seconds or even minutes at a time.

 Though I am blessed with the protection of a strong and sturdy house

 Filled with loving people during this blustery night.
 

Often I find myself on fire for God.

Then something suddenly goes wrong.

I am caught in the mist.

Frantically and desperately I try to find something to grasp onto to pull myself out.

No matter how long the cloud of mist lasts,

I continue to search.

Then, unexpectedly, I find a strong, sturdy hand to pull me out into His protection

And guides me onto the right path.

I AM SAFE!

He restores me and re-lights my spark of fire.

He gives me peace.

He gives me joy.

He gives me love.

He gives me His grace.

I am safe once again.

I know I will drift into the cloud of mist again,

But I know I will ALWAYS find a way out

Because God has restored my strength!

He loves me,

He cares for me,

He protects me,

He guides me,

He gives me peace,

He saves me,

and ultimately... He is my Hero!

In His Hands,

Riely Marie W.