Sailing Fire Island Inlet

The afternoon I left home I sailed to the Sore Thumb, just inside the Fire Island Inlet and slept there for the night. The next morning the wind was blowing hard from the Northwest. I passed through the inlet just before sunrise to catch the last of the outgoing tide. Transiting the inlet went smooth and I started flying when I put the sails up. The seas were still calm with the offshore wind  but my heading would bring me further offshore to cut across the Hudson Canyon and hit Barnegat or Manasquan inlet in New Jersey.

Within an hour I was in some pretty rough stuff and Tula was bouncing around pretty good. I felt a little funky and I hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast so I thought an apple would be a good idea. It wasn’t. I became seasick for the first time ever but I guess that doesn’t say much since before two months ago I have never been offshore my entire life. The situation I found myself in was a new one. The first of many. I couldn’t just go and lay down in a warm, comfy, dry, STATIONARY bed. I couldn’t even go into the cabin for more than 5 minutes without feeling sick and forget reading or doing tasks on the boat to make the time go by, every time I focused on something for more than a few seconds my head started spinning. So I sailed. I had to sail, I was the only one who controlled my fate (deep stuff huh?). Whatever, but its true. and we all control our own fate or destiny (still too deep?) but to this degree and in this physical scenario? It was just pretty new to me. Not that it was scary or I would have perished away or anything like that, of course if I didn’t do anything I would just get blown out to sea or into a sandbar, but it just made me think that there are no other options and I am completely responsible for myself. This is in contrast to the world I grew up in where there are always options, people to help, or some sort of alternative comfort in an uncomfortable situation. And then I saw dolphins. They were cool. I have never been so close to wild dolphins and they were just swimming next to, under, and around Tula. Even jumping out of the water at times. Below are some video clips of them (better than what I previously posted).

Blah blah then it got calmer as I approached Jersey, I went through Manasquan inlet, through a sweet old bascule bridge, into a calm quiet anchorage, and right into the soft mud. Thank god for tides, mostly rising tides. That’s all.

Excuse my extremely poor grammar. If you have a very short book with very large text that will tell me how to write better please recommend it to me and hopefully it is on half.com.

I think I am going to start dedicating my posts to people. That sounds like a good small way of showing my thanks (I have a lot). Thank you so much Mom and Dad for making this trip possible for me. Even though a lot of my paths are unconventional, (is that the right word?) you guys see the good in them and the lessons I will learn. I think. Either way you support me in them and help me out sooo much in the right ways (like not sinking my boat and letting me leave, mom). But also like raising me in a way where I am mentally tough and and intuitive (right word again?) enough to deal with rough situations. So thank you, I love you guys!