Uphill Both Ways (Our First Journey, Part 6) 布島風雲再起6──返航

[continued from "No Sleep for the Wicked... (Our First Journey, part 5)"]

In sailing, you truly can go uphill in both directions. Our trip to Blake Island had begun against the Winter's prevailing south winds, uphill the whole way. But during our stay, the wind had turned to the north. Our prospect for the trip home was another long, cold day of upwind sailing. It was blowing strong, and it had been three days since we'd had a decent night's sleep. This is probably the first time in my life that I've wished to be done with sailing. I just wanted to be home and warm.

Now, another pair of people would have said enough is enough and started the engine. With the engine, we could have gone straight up wind and radically shortened our return trip. But Jiayu and I are both stubborn, and we are both in love with sailing. Despite our dejected state, we hoisted the sails, she at the bow, me at the helm, threw off the mooring line, and departed on a starboard tack into a good 20 knots of wind. It was a beautiful departure, a lovely act of coordination and cooperation, the end to any last vestiges of morning grumpiness, the first light of the sun beginning to burn off the clouds.

There is something truly magical about sailing. This trip that started so grimly found us more and more enjoying Syzygy's movements over the waves. The desire to be done, to be immediately home faded. In fact, by the time we finally made it, we were having so much fun sailing that we didn't even turn into the harbor until hunger forced us to go in search of hot food.

By then, the sun had come fully out, and with the breeze up the sailboats at Shilshole were all coming out to race and play. Into this ebullient scene we sailed ourselves joyfully home. I wondered how I had ever doubted the wisdom of this journey. Everything was clear. I could hardly wait to sail again.

（接上文「無盡的夜」）

航海不像登山，你真的可能會來回都走「上坡」。我們的布島之旅去程第一天就整日迎首對抗冬天普見的南風。在我們停留布島期間，風卻轉由北方來，所以我們返家的旅程又是另一個漫長、冷冽的逆風航行。風強勁的吹著，加上三天沒能睡好覺，我生命中第一次有念頭就此打住航海生涯。我只想回到溫暖的家。

或許換做他人，受夠了就決定開動引擎，直線迎風前進而縮短返家行程。但是固執與熱愛航行如Jiayu和我，儘管前夜一切令人氣餒，我們仍然升起帆布。她在船首瞭望，我在船尾掌舵，解開與繫泊浮標連結的繩索，右舷迎向20節的海風昂首出發。我們的合作與協調讓我們優美的啟程。再也沒有煩人的繫泊浮標。第一線曙光開始劃破烏雲。

航行自有其神奇之處。即使一開始差強人意，我們卻越來越沈浸於Syzygy在波浪中的節奏，而原先急迫返家之心也逐漸消逝。事實上，當我們幾乎到達時，由於太過享受其中，我們一直到餓昏頭了，才強迫自己將船轉向居住的碼頭以飽餐一頓。

那時，陽光普照、微風徐徐。我們居住的碼頭shilshole內的帆船傾巢而出，或競賽，或徜徉。在這一幅興高采烈的景象之中，我們愉悅的航行回家。我怎麼可能曾經懷疑過此趟旅程帶給我的智慧。一切清楚不過，我等不及開始下一次的航行。