What It Feels Like To Turn Left.
Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge and not looking back.
Months, even years of sailing, didn’t prepare me for this moment. I’m not sure I’m ready. Not sure the boat is ready. Are there things I’ve missed? Could I have done more? Should I have done more? Am I irresponsible? These questions are spinning in my head like a Circus Ferris Wheel.
Turning left under the Golden Gate Bridge and sailing off into the sunset has been my dream for years. You’ve felt the pull, right? Tell me I’m not alone. I’m sure if you have saltwater in your veins, you can relate. You can see the freedom just sitting there, whispering in your ear, waiting for you to make the first move, yet you don’t. I’m scared.
Sailing under the Golden Gate has been a goal for many San Francisco Bay sailors over the years and is now staring me square in the face. It’s a rite of passage, a bucket list milestone, a new lease on life, and I’m about to do it.
Imagine being on a boat, looking up at the orange splendor of this fabled bridge, turning left, and not looking back and feeling the pull of the swirling currents, taking you where they want, not where you want — the funneled blast of frigid Pacific wind numbing your ears.
