When we were in our early twenties, my best friend, husband, and I used to spend post-night out brunches plotting retirement plans to sail from cove to cove in the Caribbean; over sickly sweet pancakes slathered in syrup we'd dream of sun-soaked evenings with a drink in hand on the deck of a ship we'd purchase together. Neither she or I had much sailing experience: at seventeen she'd done a tall ship adventure, and I'd never forgotten the thrill of tacking with my uncle Brian as a teen, his ball-cap flitting off in the wind. My husband had similar, limited experience. Years later, cognizant of the necessity to do something to make this dream a reality, my husband and I signed up for a 'Competent Crew' course in Antigua. We brought our friend David instead, as my friend had work obligations she couldn't get out of.
Despite our less-than-luxurious quarters on the Ortac—five sweaty men and myself crammed in a cabin with an airplane-sized toilet/shower combo and bedrooms that felt like a steam room—each night I went to bed well-worked and happy. We'd lay anchor in different ports, each with its own unique character. English Harbour was filled with multi-million dollar yachts endlessly scrubbed by professional crews. There was the port where we docked among countless, giant cruise ships to the entertainment of masses coming ashore for their photo-op. And, finally, there was the lackluster Crabbs, a boat repair marina. With no restaurant to head to for dinner, we made carbonara, played Merchants and Marauders (a board game about pirates), and drank rum like a merry bunch of sailors. David even wore a pirate hat for the occasion. The stereotypes were rank, and it was lovely! I'll never forget my evening run in that ships' graveyard, or how skeletal and sadly majestic the ships look out of the water—like rib bones of a long-beached whale. Their hulls were calloused just like my hands had become.
We each passed our course. Later, my friend started seriously dating (and is now engaged to) a pilot. She's promised they'll do the flying, while we do the sailing.