Sailing with Charlie: The Moon
The most wonderful thing about living and cruising on a sailboat for a long period is that the lifestyle encompasses so much of what the world has to offer. You are out there in the midst of a natural environment. You use the wind to propel your home to untold destinations and you need to be largely self sufficient to be successful. There is nothing that you won’t come across in time. You will need to be an accountant, a lawyer, a mechanic, a geographer, a cook, an electrician, a biologist, a doctor, a painter, a navigator, an astronomer, a chemist, a cleaner, a carpenter, a meteorologist, a seamstress (or male version of) etc… It is sometimes hard to believe the narrow plane of existence of some city dwellers and not a few of those from northern and central climes.
The tropical latitudes undoubtedly have their own special beauty and when there are a group of islands in the picture to provide perspective and water for sun and moon to reflect off there is a certain magical quality.
One day a group was sitting in the cockpit of a forty something yacht sipping after dinner drinks and it was one of those crystal clear full moon nights. A lady looked up at the sky, sighed a long contented sigh and said, “I wish we had the same moon in New York as you have here in the islands.”
Charlie looked at her to judge her seriousness or to see if she was being euphemistic but it was soon confirmed that she didn’t have any idea about the phases of the moon. She continued, “Does the full moon last for five days?”
A quick lesson on the moon’s monthly cycle soon enlightened the lady and she seemed amazed that the tides, the vertical movement of the ocean, were caused by the position of the moon.
Time and space…how fascinating. If you live your allotted three score and ten years you will have lived through approximately 850 full moons. If you count all the full moons that you are unable to see because of weather, work, travel or other commitments you are likely to miss quite a few. So, to everyone out there, especially if you’re in the tropics, don’t miss the magic of a full moon night.
Share Tweet
