My Inner Sail: June 2013

After Raul and I joined our first Philippine Hobie Challenge in 2003, I became convinced that we were truly made for each other. Known as Asia’s premier extreme sailing event, the Challenge is a gruelling 7-day race with a different island destination everyday, entailing sailing 30-50 nautical miles or anywhere from 3-10 hours per day depending on the wind conditions. It is a test of skill and endurance with each team composed of 2 people on a 16-foot Hobie catamaran. On this particular event which ran from Donsol, Bicol to Matnog, Masbate, Leyte and ending in Cebu, we had all the ingredients of high drama- powerful winds of 20+ knots, 2-3 meter waves and strong currents.


The 2003 Challenge Route

Raul and I worked flawlessly as a team, perfectly attuned to each other’s motions, communicating wordlessly, reading each other’s minds. We kept our respective duties, Raul on the tiller and main sail, me on the jib, GPS, food and water supply, despite our weary bodies and chattering teeth . We depended on each other, aware that to lose even a second of concentration or to despair would bring the other down. I unquestioningly obeyed Raul’s orders as skipper but he always asked for and respected my inputs as his crew. We sailed, tacked and gybed like perfectly oiled machinery without the usual bickering that plague teams.

We drew strength from each other as we crossed the much feared and respected San Bernardino Strait with its powerful cross currents and terrifying eddies. We put on a brave front to each other as we zoomed uncontrolled on a terrifying downwind leg from Masbate to Leyte at 20+ knots and breaking waves, always at the edge of a forward catapult. We dealt with our fears by facing them head on, with proper preparation and 100% focus. One small mistake or a tiny loss of concentration cost a lot. We made errors and admitted our shortcomings, learned how to right the boat in minutes after every spill, reviewed what went wrong so it did not happen again.

We celebrated each big wave we crossed, every success no matter how small with smiles, high fives, or a resounding “thank you” to the skies. We rejoiced together as we finished each day’s race, reveling in successfully hurdling the day’s challenges. Through it all, we took the time to appreciate the beauty around us- the frolicking dolphins, uninhabited islands, pristine beaches, the full moon at night. We gave each other a massage no matter how exhausted we were, thanked God for keeping us safe and spooned in our tents for warmth at night. We woke up at daybreak every morning with a smile for another day of tough racing.

Running a marathon together before we got married.

This Challenge was a spiritual and humbling experience for me as I felt like an insignificant speck amidst God’s creations. But more than being humbled, it further emphasized something I had known for years- that Raul and I are made for each other.

I walked down the aisle 25 years ago, at 22 years of age, 5 months pregnant, surrounded by doubting Thomases. It felt like walking off the edge of a cliff marrying a 23-year old jobless man I hardly knew when we were simply, in today’s lingo, friends with benefits. Ours was a marriage statistically doomed from the start. And yet we beat the odds. We are truly blessed.

Batanes, 2003. We have a family tradition of visiting a new Philippine destination on our wedding anniversary.

Time flew because we were having so much fun. 25 years of unconditional love, 2 wonderful daughters and a grandson. The Hobie Challenge was simply a sample of our power as one.

Raul, thank you for being my husband, best friend, lover, the father of our beautiful daughters. What can I say but you make me laugh! And I still have a crush on you until now. Thank you for always keeping your cool, for tolerating my cooking, for carrying me when I’ve had too much to drink, for always saying the right thing at the right time.

Today we are treading on unchartered waters but I face our new post-corporate lives with happiness, courage and a smile knowing we are doing this together. I will cross oceans with you. I want to grow old with you.

Raul, you hold my heart in your hands. You are the reason for my happiness. Thank you.