We arrived at the marina adjacent to Ground Zero in Manhattan at around 3:00 a.m. last night. One question that seemed to be on everyone's mind was who I might have waiting for me here.
Due to the various friends who've met me at ports of call around the world, whether they'd traveled 1000 miles or three blocks to do so, I've gained the predictable reputation of having a woman in every port. Someone even joked last night as we motored by the Statue of Liberty, "What if all those women showed up in one place, huh? I bet you'd be in a pickle then!"
Actually, not really. One, they're all just friends and, two, they all pretty much know each other. Jamie (Panama, Jamaica), Daphne (Rotterdam) and Claudia (Salvador) have all known each other for years, each of them being among the elite women hanggliding pilots of the world (which is how I met them). And Gay (Australia) knows Jamie, too. If they all got together, it wouldn't be anything new and they'd be having a great time together with or, possibly, most likely without me.
My hot date for New York, however, was my mom. I hadn't known she was coming, thinking that her trip to Santa Cruz took the place of her planned visit to New York. I only learned just this morning from my daughter that she'd actually still be here, leaving my 'woman in every port' reputation intact.
We had a great time this evening, strolling down the streets in the unexpectedly wonderful night air along Manhattan's waterfront, being decadent and having some ice cream before dinner, and enjoying a great dinner outside within view of all the Clipper fleet and their flapping flags and penants.
I'll be part of a skeletal crew tomorrow for a corporate sail, something that gives current or potential sponsors the ability to boast that they've sailed a bit at the expense of our peace of mind. My job will be to coach and guide them during various maneuvers and to intervene before they have the chance to treat a line capable of ripping their hand off as if it offered no more tension than a strong willed dog on a short leash.
We slip lines Wednesday morning for Nova Scotia.
