Bon Voyage!

by Rick

Under gray skies and a light rain, Cirrus left its berth on its way to San Francisco. It was precisely 1056 am when the lines were untied and the crew waved as they slowly backed out and started on their long way. All seemed very happy and thrilled with the upcoming adventure. Kate, Kathy, and Chris were beaming lovely smiles. Bill was at the helm and had a more serious demeanor, all the months of preparations had come to a head; he was off to face the sea and had much on his mind.

He was also overwhelmed by the display of affection from the numerous people that came to see him and the crew leave on their trip. Of course there were leis of lovely colors and aromas for the crew members and there was also a man of the cloth who gave traditional Hawaiian blessings followed by Christian prayers. The boat was adorned with Ti leaves, the traditional Hawaiian offering for good luck. Everyone openly wished them well and also quietly offered a prayer in their name.

At least one person watched on until they were a couple of miles away and turned around Coconut Island disappearing from view; the person watched with a terrible regret of not being on board.

The delivery crew: from left to right:
Chris, Kate, Kathy, Bill

The extended crews: from left to right:
Chris, Donna, Caroline, Kate, Kathy, Bill, Rick, Maria-Lucia

Blessing of the boat

The farewell committee: from left to right:
Kim, ?, Lou, ?, ?, Nancy

Cirrus is on her way. Fair winds!