Jun 04 2007
Homecoming
Wednesday, May 30, 2007, at 1203, the s/v Excellent Adventure came home.
We got the phone call at 0940. Don Gussler, the harbormaster, said “Just got a call from your Captain; he’s about 12 miles out, and will be here in 2-5 hours.” I shrieked into the phone, and he laughed at me.
This being your typical workday morning, Grandma Kitty was coming for the boys, I had a full schedule of things to accomplish at work, laundry in the washer, Jason and Marc had to-do lists longer than both their arms. We decided to wait until Don called again, to let us know she’d docked.
That lasted a grand total of five minutes. Cause you only live once, right? And how often does your dream sail in under the Golden Gate for the first time, right? I emailed my boss, Jill, and said, “The boat’s here! I gotta go!” and she, bless her forever, said “Go go go! Take pictures!” Thanks Jill! So we threw jackets and binoculars into the car, and rocketed out to Yerba Buena, to see if we couldn’t watch her come in. Originally, we’d been going to head to Ft. Point, but realized that while we’d get better boat pictures there, being right under the bridge, we’d get lousy bridge pictures. So la, back to Yerba Buena.
We sat. OK, we fidgeted. It was freaking cold, windy, cloudy. We popped out of the car every few minutes like prairie dogs, scanned the bridge, and then back into the car to warm up. We chatted with the array of fishermen also out, and the folks that live on Yerba Buena who walk that path for exercise. We babbled to anyone who’d listen about what we were doing. And finally…. finally…. a silhouette that looked like it might be… it could be….
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She’s the tiny white dot to the left of the right tower of the bridge. You practically can’t see her in this picture, and I am SO in the market for a real camera with a good zoom lens now! |
| This is her, heading across the mouth of Richardson Bay. |  |
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The background here is Angel Island. |
| She’s into the clear. What I love about this photo is that you can clearly see Minor in front of the mast, and Ken driving. That’s the Richmond-San Rafael bridge in the background. And at just this point, the batteries in the camera died. So we raced back to the car, to see if we couldn’t make it to the Marina in time to see her dock, and I could get new batteries. I’d brought three sets of spares… All of which were also dead. This is what happens when you store the batteries where the kids can get to them, and rearrange them with cavalier disregard for petty designations like “charged” and “dead”. So the rest of the photos in the series are taken from my cell phone. |
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So here we are, stuck behind a huge construction vehicle, desperately trying to get back to the freeway. |
| We made it! I’m standing on the Emeryville Marina breakwater, jumping up and down on the rocks and screaming and crying like a little mad thing. They finally heard me, and started waving. |  |
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Just outside the wall… |
| Just inside the wall… |  |
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And home at last. |
At this point, I was still laughing and sobbing and generally making a spectacle of myself. And all the fisherpeople on the wall I was running up and down were smiling indulgently. “She’s home! All the way from Puerto Rico!” I practically shouted. The reality is staggering; I mean, for the last few months, I knew I owned a boat, but actually having her here, home from her voyage, is just this incredible, overwhelming, delightful, intimidating, astonishing feeling.
She’s home, she’s home, she’s home.
Whawhooo, Congrats. Oh what a feeling
Amazing cool! Congratulations!
This made me cry too. She’s really home! Yay you!!!
This is sooooo exciting. I can’t wait to come and see for myself.
Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh L, I’m laughing and crying for you! Congrats!! You must plan a summer excursion to LA to see us!!
I haven’t checked in here in days, and so I “missed the boat” on the initial excitement - but I’m sure it hasn’t worn off for you guys yet, so I figured I’d drop in anyway
So happy for you!!!
(And I know that feeling about the camera batteries when you really really need them)
Congratulations!!!
So freaking cool. Congratulations and best wishes for a fabulous time with her. She is beautiful! (is it possible that the camera batteries weren’t actually dead but were too cold? they go really fast if they get cold… just a thought.)
Congrads!!! she is lovely!!
Welcome to the party, L. We’re so glad to have you with us. No longer a wannabe, you are now a gonnabe.
See what happens when you go offline?!? Couldn’t be more excited for you, L! Seeing this dream come to fruition meets my needs for inspiration, joy, celebration, and hope (and that’s by no means a comprehensive list).
Can’t wait to read about the adventures to come…
wow! a real sailing catamaran!
what a great choice!
we are saving up to buy a catamaran too. perhaps something under 40ft.
got a recommendation on how to choose the make?