My intention was simple, to offer Jiayu a gentle introduction to traveling by sailboat.
It has taken time for Jiayu and I to begin sailing together. When our correspondence first began, she had never been on a sailboat. So, during her visit last February, it only made sense to choose a first overnight trip that wouldn't be too ambitious. Blake Island was the obvious choice.
The back side of Blake Island is wonderful. Although only a few hour's sail away from Seattle, the far shore of Blake Island is out of sight of the city. It truly feels like arriving somewhere completely different than the place you depart from, a wooded isle worlds away from the city across the sound. Accessible only by boat Blake Island offers boaters a chance to both get away and not have to go very far. It's the perfect choice for a first overnight sailboat journey. And, as I've said before, it should be easy.
We set off up-wind in a gentle February breeze full of joy and excitement. At the head of our boat was our newly-sewn genoa, the boat's largest upwind sail. Jiayu and I spent a full week sewing this sail together, and it was a true pleasure to see our handiwork drawing so nicely, its graceful curves full of wind pulling us steadily toward our destination.
But this idyllic start was soon to be short-lived.
[Continued]
我一開始的念頭很簡單：給Jiayu一個溫和的航行經驗。
Jiayu和我好不容易可以一起航行。當我們開始藉由通信認識彼此時，她完全沒有航行經驗。所以，我不想選擇太過激烈的航程作為她的首度過夜之旅。布雷克島理所當然成為首選。
布雷克島的南側甚佳。雖然它距離西雅圖僅數小時航程，南側海岸完全背離城市，讓你感覺彷彿抵達一個與你出發地完全不同之處。此處與城市僅隔一海灣卻林木參天。布雷克島只能夠乘船到達，所以航行者可以不需遠行即有旅行之感。對於第一次的過夜航行可說是最佳選擇。而且，就如同我前文說過的，應該很簡單。
我們在溫和的微風中逆風而行，愉悅而興奮地。船首是我們新縫製的前帆，也是這艘船最大的逆風帆。Jiayu和我花費一整個星期才縫製而成。看著我們親手作品盈滿著風，優雅而穩定的推著我們朝目的地前進真是令人滿足。
