[Continued from "Our First Journey Together (Blake Island Strikes Again)"]
After a beautiful departure from Shilshole Bay Marina, we came to Seattle's West Point jutting out from Magnolia Bluff. Rounding the Point we lost protection from Magnolia bluff. The wind came at us unabated by land. It leaned us right over, and we knew it was time to get the genoa down and put up a smaller jib, our first sail change together. We had seen it coming and were ready. I got out our working jib and headed for the foredeck, Jiayu took the tiller to put us head to wind.
When the boat turns into the wind, the sails blow directly back over the boat, allowing me to drop them on deck rather than in the drink. But this is a skill that takes some time to learn. If the boat is head to wind too long, it loses way. A sailboat that is not moving is a boat that cannot be steered. So the balance is between coming upwind long enough to get the sail down and lingering so long that the boat loses lose way. Then, the helmswoman, in this case, has to fall off, turning away from the wind to fill the remaining sail and regain momentum. To bring up the new sail the entire dance is repeated, the two of us moving in time together.
Learning this dance is already plenty of work. So I made sure to keep us out of the main shipping lanes. Still, West Point juts out into Puget Sound and the area between the shore and the shipping lanes narrows as you round the point. In this narrow corridor, with an inexperienced person at the helm, the two of us learning the art of doing a headsail change together, we were suddenly confronted with a tug pulling a barge, unexpectedly also choosing the more shoreward route rather than staying in the main lanes. He was coming right at us.
To the average landsperson, a tug with a barge doesn't look like much. We see them in the distance moving along with their workmanlike, stately grace. But low on the water in a 30' sailboat, these tugs are monsters. They tower above us two, three, and four stories high. The barges they tow are like an entire city block pulled along by quarter mile long cables. To see one on a near collision course, knowing he can't readily turn or stop certainly raises the stress level of a sail change.
To see that the container ships plying the shipping lanes made the tug and barge seem insignificantly small was no comfort either. There was no escape in that direction. We had one choice, make our way further towards shore and do it quickly.
I am certain that the orders I yelled to Jiayu back in the cockpit conveyed my full sense of urgency. I am not so certain that my affection for her was expressed so eloquently at that moment. But regardless of voice and inflection, we raised the jib with alacrity, the boat pointed clearly in our intended direction. Jiayu sheeted in the jib. I took the helm. And with the jib drawing, we were off again! The tug passed us with plenty of room to spare and not a complaint.
Then it started to rain.
[Continued]
翻譯
（接上文「布雷克島之風雲再起」）
由Shilshole灣碼頭順利的出發，我們航行至西雅圖西端突出的斷崖。通過斷崖我們就離開了它的保護。失去了陸地的屏障，強風迎面直撲而來，使得船立刻傾斜。我們認知到必須將大逆風帆降下，換上較小的逆風帆。這是我們第一次換帆的合作。我拿出我們小一號的逆風帆，往前端甲板前進，Jiayu接過船舵，將船轉向風來的方向。
當船頂風時，帆布直接被吹往船尾方向，讓我可以把帆布降落到甲板，而非水面上。但是時間拿捏之奧妙則是失之毫釐，差之千里。船頂風太久就失去動力；而靜止的帆船就無法再度輕易操控。所以，在足夠時間頂風以降下船帆和不要失去動力之間，我們必須取得平衡。通常舵手在停留足夠時間之後必須立刻將船轉向，讓剩餘的帆再度盈滿風取得動力。要將新帆升上就必須不斷重複這個程序直到新帆完全昇起。我們盡力配合彼此。
學習彼此配合已經夠費力，所以我將船駛離主要航道，離岸較近之處。在如此狹窄的航道，以及生手掌舵的情況下，我們學習這個新的舞步。突然，我們發覺一艘拖著貨櫃的拖運船朝我們直駛而來。
對任何岸上的人來說，拖運船和後面以鋼索連接，載滿貨櫃的平台拖船並不起眼。從遠方看，他們只是緩緩、精巧的成雙移動。但是對一艘30呎的帆船，拖運船加上後方的貨櫃無疑是個龐然大物！貨櫃高約三、四層樓，像個巨大城市由鋼索牽引前進。在看到拖運船的前進方向，而且瞭解它無法快速轉變方向或停止的情況下，我們的壓力指數頓時攀升。
當然，在此時看到比拖運船加貨櫃更加龐大的貨櫃船頻繁往返於主要航道上完全沒有助益！我們不能朝主航道轉向。在沒有選擇的情況下，我們只好快速的再朝岸邊航行。
我很確定當時我向Jiayu下指令的「激動」程度傳達了事情的緊急程度，但是我不確定我是否適切的傳達了我仍然對她保有的情感。儘管如此，我們仍然快速的昇帆，將船敏捷的轉向選定方向。Jiayu拉緊前帆，我接下船舵。前帆因拉緊而吃風，我們再度前進！拖運船安然、無抱怨的超越我們。
然後，天開始下雨。
（待續）
