Monday,
April 16, 2007
Today we went sailing!
At the
Destin Harbor we boarded the Nathaniel Bowditch, a
43-foot schooner, and met Captain Rex and his daughter and Fir st Mate, Jessie.
We sailed past the new hotel being built at the water's
edge, the "Emerald Grand", and through the channel into the open waters of
the Gulf of Mexico, where Jessie climbed up the mast and spotted a
pod of dolphins playing around the jetty. Th ere were 10 of us on board,
including John & LeAnn Elliott from Oregon,
a family
from
Michigan on vacation, and two new deckhands learning
the ropes, Rex’s niece and friend. So we had plenty of room to move
around and enjoy the scenery. Robert and LeAnn even
hoisted the sails! We spent quite a lot of time up on the bowsprit,
where ea ch wave lifted us 20 feet above the sea, like a roller coaster.
After an
hour
on the open ocean, we
returned to the channel and continued u nder
Destin Bridge
into the back bay, where we sailed until sunset. Rex entertained
us with stories while we watched the terns and pelicans settle in
for the evening. Being out on the open wate r of the Gulf on a beautiful
day made for a soothing, memorable evening.
-
Jeanie
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