When we arrived in Astoria we were too late to visit with my good friends Jo & Steve but as I checked in with the Harbormaster, there, on his desk was a brown paper sack with "Sandy Smith of the Faith" written on it. "That's for me!" I exclaimed, and the Harbormaster picked up the sack, hid it behind his back and made me re-affirm my name and the name of my vessel before he would give it to me. Tucked inside and surrounded by red tissue was a pink ball cap. "Sandy Smith's Sail Around the World Hat" & "In A Boat named Faith" is written on the brim and "Bon Voyage" on the button on top. On the back of the bag was the "Legend of the Pink Hat." It goes like this:
"Sandy - I have a pink baseball cap that has been in every ocean I've been in. Here is YOUR pink hat and a pen. You go girl and keep writing the names of oceans on your hat. Bon Voyage! Jo"
I began today by writing: "Columbia River Bar 9-1-08". It isn't, technically, an ocean (though it IS the entrance to the Pacific)but still it is a big step into the dream of dreams...sailing off into the sunset. The Columbia is considered one of the worst bars in the world and as it called "The Graveyard of the Pacific" it is a "big deal" in terms of accomplishments. This was not the first time I'd crossed it but it was the first time at night.
But that is not what this entry is about. It is about a wonderful gift that I received from a wonderful friend. It is about the anticipation of filling spaces with the names of faraway places visited, goals achieved, adventures lived. It is about living a dream I have had for so many years and having a unique way to memorialize and re-live the good, the bad and the fabulous.
Thank you, Jo!
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