4 July - Young at Heart

1600 position 18-42S 174-02W. At anchor in 28 feet, sand bottom, Port
Maurelle, Vava'u, Tonga

Just before sunset tonight Lori and I were enjoying drinks in the cockpit
when a very small and ancient sloop powered into the bay to anchor. "This
should be interesting", I opined, since it is not wise to try to sneak
into an already fully occupied reef enclosed anchorage with the sun just
barely above the horizon. The micro cruiser "Pickity Witch" successfully
felt their way around the anchorage and ended up dropping their hook about
50 yards to windward, far enough away so they wouldn't impact us. After
anchoring though, their skipper, Craig, dinghied over to say hello and
politely asked if he was too close to us for our comfort. I told him he
was fine, but I was thoroughly impressed by his courtesy and we chatted a
while.

There were four souls aboard Pickity Witch, twenty nine year old Kiwi
Craig, his girlfriend Anna, Craig' younger sister Ally, and crew Tom from
England. They had just arrived from Ha'apai, a day's sail to the south.
This New Zealand cruiser was a small, pinched ended thirty footer, an IOR
racer built in the early '70s. Craig invited us over for dinner! I guess
he felt that four wasn't enough aboard his tiny yacht. We politely
declined, but offered to bring over some tequila (isn't that what kids
drink these days?) and pupus for happy hour.

So there we were, six of us crammed below in a cabin the size of a
volkswagen van, passing around shots of tequila and telling stories.
These kids were having the time of their lives all living compatibly in
their wet (windows and deck seam leaked), crowded, tired, little ship.

At this stage in my life I can't imagine happily living and sailing in
those conditions, but I remember a time when I would have been right
there. What happened to the guy that sailed 3700 miles from Los Angeles
to Tahiti without proper foul weather gear, sun glasses, or a hat? Where
did the fellow that sailed his Ranger 29 all over Hawaii with two couples
aboard go? I don't know, but somewhere along the line, that kind of
sailing got old, and now I want to be dry, warm, reasonably comfortable,
and have some privacy and a space I can call mine alone.

It was fun to experience the energy and optimism of youth that permeated
Pickity Witch's cabin tonight. I sometimes feel that same energy when my
daughters are aboard Moku pe'a, but usually things are more rational and
sedate. That's OK, we still enjoy the cruising, just had the privilege to
witness a stunning sunset over the islands of Vava'u, and made some new
friends.