Those are the words that have settled to describe how I feel as a dad, skipper and family after completing the first of hopefully many blue water passages on our own boat, Lyrae. At this age it’s rare to do things that are truly new, scary, exhilarating and original. I’ll never do this for the first time again in my life! Seeing dolphins play off the bow wave and under the boat, swimming in the middle of the North Pacific while becalmed, listening to the humpbacks breech all around — these are all firsts for me. They draw me out of my usual thoughts and into the very real, very different world at sea. They make me feel alive in a way that’s hard to feel if you’re no longer a kid.
And I feel like we did something hard. LJ and I have poured our time and energy into transforming Lyrae into a home for our family and learning her ins and outs. Now to finally have her out in the open water where she could stretch her legs and manifest her name (Outremer — over seas) was amazing. She charges ahead effortlessly, often making double digit speeds while deeply reefed. There’s a lot I have yet to learn about how she performs and how to get the most out of her while maintaining comfort for the crew, but we are finally onto a new phase.
And relieved. I’m relieved the boat and crew are safe. I’m relieved to be reunited with LJ and the kids. Im relieved to have such good friends that were more than eager to crew with an inexperienced skipper like me. I’m relieved that I don’t want to quit this adventure as it just begins.
Meet the Millers 