23rd November, 2014

The Zen of Morning

November 23, 2014

Bahia Santa Maria. This is where the clothes come off. It is where the sea begins to change color and becomes a clearer blue. Not yet the sparkling turqoise color of the tropics, but not the deep, dense blue of the sea further north. The sky changes too. It is littered with large, white puffy clouds. It is much warmer here. Frigate birds appear. A sea turtle swims past the boat.

It is our first morning in Bahia Santa Maria and I rise just before dawn, having gone to bed at dusk (After a 32-hour journey). I am well-rested. I am curious to see the bay awaken with the sun so I head up to the cockpit. It is dry and warm – a perfect setting to begin my day with yoga. I need to uncramp and uncurl my body. Living in small quarters and continually trying to balance has lead to an aching back. I have learned that yoga heals everything – mind, body and soul – so I begin my daily routine.

The sun isn’t quite up yet, but dawn is on the horizon. I watch as the fisherman start their daily commute. It is Sunday, but still they are off to work, tending their many lobster pots, I presume. We found the minefield yesterday as we were entering the anchorage. Hundreds of buoys dotted the northwest entrance. Fortunately we were all good scouts and didn’t snag a one.

I sit here on a still morning, listening. I hear the roar of the surf as it crashes against the cliffs. Not ten feet away, a seal peaks its head out of the sea. Our eyes meet. A flock of pelicans, in perfect alignment, fly overhead. I look above and see their proud wingspan moving in tandum. Their wings through the air creates a sublte song, so peaceful, it could be a lullaby. All is in harmony.

This is one joy of cruising; the zen of morning.