Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The ocean, from Georgetown, Great Exuma Island to Thompson Bay, Long Island is flat and blue.  Winds are light, under 5 knots.  Imagine, our 42’ Passport sloop, glides effortlessly over the calm turquoise waters while the sun plays hide and seek in a partly cloudy sky.  

The nearly still water reflects like a swimming pool, inviting us for a splash… until we spot a 9-foot nurse shark resting quietly on the bottom, 12 feet below.  

Nurse sharks are not aggressive and one of the few species of sharks that can rest in this fashion.   Most sharks must constantly move to bring oxygen into their gills. Nurse sharks breathe stationary by pumping water through their mouths and out their gills.

The sun reaches higher in the sky the wind completely dies.  We can see through the water to the ripples in the sand bed below.  The American flag at the stern hangs limp, as does the aqua, gold and blue Bahamian courtesy flag on the halyard above us. 

Any hope of moving under sail is crushed.  The hum of the Yanmar engine powering the boat filters through the cabinetry, up through the companionway and into the cockpit.  The soft swish of water joins in symphony. Imagine cuts through the dead calm surf as easily as a hot knife cuts through butter.  Occasionally, the VHF radio breaks the cadence as one boater attempts to hail another.

We motor on, towing our 10’ Livingston dinghy that sways gently behind us. It leaves a ribbon like wake within the wake created by 32,000 pounds of sailboat motoring forward at 6.5 knots against a 2 knot current. 

Most days, the sun reflects off the water, creating mirror like jewels of light that dance and sparkle.  Today, the sun becomes a clarifier on the still water, lighting so much that small tufts of grass, rocks and branch coral can be seen as if the water is only inches deep instead of 20 feet.  We stop the boat to watch starfish wave from the bottom, ever so slowly moving arms as to make their way across the seabed.  Sea cucumbers sit on the bottom look like oversized blackened bananas.

With engine off and the boat stopped we notice that the ocean does indeed have a perceptible lulling roll from port to starboard that wasn’t apparent earlier.  The flags and the halyards slowly follow the dance of the sea swaying in time to her carefully composed music.

We drift past occasional patches of golden brown seaweed, bobbing in rhythm to the beat of the ocean.  Casuarina pine needles dance slowly past on the incoming tide heading to shore as beach decoration.

Ed and I are quiet, party hypnotized by the soothing blue ocean and gentle movements.  The engine is running once more. The auto helm steers the boat.  An apparent wind offers a slight cooling breeze caressing face and arms as Imagine moves onward.  We lean over the lifelines savoring the beauty of the day and the gifts we have been given.

In the midst of the calm, the beauty, and serenity of the day, we forget the plight of Haitians in the aftermath of the recent nearby earthquake. We forget the wars and terrorism. The downturn in the worldwide economy is forgotten as well as crime, global warming and universal heath care.  The disastrous and criminal BP oil spill has not happened yet.   It is peaceful here.  We have escaped in the moment.  This is a day that I want to share with my family and my friends.

There is beauty everywhere.  One doesn’t have to travel to the Bahamas to appreciate the grandeur of life.  Some of the greatest gifts on earth are free.  I challenge the reader to stop and take a moment to see the beauty in sight.  Listen to a child’s laughter.  Look at the contrast between the greenness of the trees and the blue of the sky. Watch as the sun creates sparkling diamonds as it flashes on water.    Wherever you are, stop for a moment and see the beauty that is before you.  It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, wherever your neighborhood may be.