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Here's a fascinating news tidbit for soccer/sports fans and Africa lovers amongst you turtlers. Just another glimpse into the intriguing, rich, and colorful African culture, which makes turtling on this continent such an enrichening experience...
Yes, I went overboard two weekends ago—a somewhat embarrassing event.
Well, it was a wicked day on San Francisco Bay: the wind was blowing 25 to 30 knots and the waters were very choppy and restless. I was taking a break from sea turtle work on my computer to pursue another hobby in the water—sailing. It was the end of the summer racing series and the last chance for “Bay Loon” (a J-29 sailboat; see above photo) to win a spot on the podium. Not having ever had proper sailing lessons, I was “rail meat” and was hiking out with others on the high end of the heeling boat. It was a long race (20 miles) and was going well; no tense moments… Suddenly we tacked and none of us on the rail heard the "prepare to tack" command from Stephane at the helm. Oops! we found ourselves on the low end right next to the water. I tried to grab the lifelines and Eric tried to grab me, but I slipped right off the sailboat into the bay, while “Bay Loon” sailed on. There I was bobbing in the cold 55°F water, my sunglasses still sitting on my nose, trying to look as calm and cool as I thought marine biologists should when found unexpectedly in their element! My foul weather gear kept me from instant freezing and my “pfd” or “personal flotation device” (which because of too much computer time invariably gets called a “PDF”) kept me very buoyant. Meanwhile Stephane did an admirable “man overboard” maneuver and headed back towards me. It is scary to see a boat approach you in the water, even one with good intentions. I was concerned they would run me over in their attempt to rescue me. I managed to move to one side in time, grab Derek’s lowered hand and swing a leg over. I hadn’t been in the water very long, but I felt quite sapped of energy. You will be proud to know that I did not demand to go home immediately; we continued the race while I changed into warm fleece and Stephane's oversized foul weather gear to prevent hypothermia from setting in and went back to assume my position on the rail.
We lost our podium spot. “Silkye” the expected winner of the series also lost their lead because they stopped when they saw me go overboard. Their display of seamanship did not go unmentioned to the racing committee and they are sure to accrue some bonus points.
Thinking back, I guess I am grateful to Shilpin who taught me to skin dive in horrible ocean conditions because he wanted me to learn to be always comfortable in the water. More about that in the next blog…
