Mann - Ocean of Insight

PRAISE FOR OCEAN OF INSIGHT

An authentic and exciting adventure of oceanic and psychological depth that each one of us should venture on at least once in their lifetime. With engaging details of an experienced sailor and of a seasoned meditator, Heather Mann invites us on a human journey of courage, challenge, and spiritual wonder. She artfully weaves her own meditative practice and reflections with the fabric of a classic quest to find meaning and purpose for herself and human kind in our relationship with Mother Earth. She shows us that with the practice of mindfulness, one can find coolness for oneself and thus can help find coolness for the Earth.

Bhikshu Thich Chan Phap Dung, Dharma Teacher of the Plum Village Tradition

Captivating and insightful, Heather Manns Ocean of Insight captures her love of the natural world, her knowledge of environmental science, and her practice of mindfulness and inner knowing. She expertly narrates her riveting adventures with husband Dave aboard Wild Hair, their 44-foot sailboat, and she simultaneously draws us in the bountiful insights she gleans throughout their treacherous journeys across the wilderness of the Atlantic. It is a compelling story of ecological mindfulness and expanded awareness of an evolving human consciousness that has the capacity to bring forth healing and transformation and to find a new way of living and being on the earth. You cant help but be changed for the better for having read this book.

Carolyn Rivers, Founder and Director, The Sophia Institute

Parallax Press

P.O. Box 7355

Berkeley, California 94707

parallax.org

Parallax Press is the publishing division of

Unified Buddhist Church, Inc.

2016 Heather Lyn Mann

All rights reserved

Cover and text design by Debbie Berne

Maps and illustrations John Barnett

Author photo Sara Shaffer

The names of fellow sailors and ships are changed to safeguard their privacy. All other people, places, and events are real.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

Ebook ISBN978-1-941529-31-7

v4.1

To all that is magnificent

Including the whale

And especially Dave

HYLAS 45.5

GLOSSARY OF SAILING TERMS

Aft: at or toward the back end of a boat

Batten: a long, narrow brace inserted into a pocket in the mainsail to retain optimal sail shape

Boom: the metal pole running horizontally at the base of a mainsail

Bow: the most forward, pointed part of a boat

Cleat: a metal fitting with two horns located on a deck or pier around which lines are attached

Cockpit: a protected space above decks from which a boat is steered

Dinghy: 1. a small, inflatable boat used to tender crew from ship to shore. 2. a gray and white American shorthair cat who lives aboard sailing vessel Wild Hair.

Galley: a ships kitchen

Head: a ships toilet

Heel: the degree of angle a sailboat tilts away from the wind

Helm: the location of the wheel and other equipment used to steer a ship

Hull: the outer shell of a boat, including the bottom, sides, and deck

Jib: the most forward, triangular sail on a sloop

Jibing: altering course while sailing downwind and making the wind shift from one side of the boat to the other

Keel: the heavy fin attached to the lowest point of the hull that counteracts heel and the sideways pressure of wind

Line: a ships rope

Mainsail: the principal, triangular sail on the mast of a sloop

Mast: the vertical, metal stick that suspends the sails

Point of Sail: various names for a traveling sailboat relative to the angle of wind, including: close haul, close reach, beam reach, broad reach, and running

Port: at or toward the left side of the boat when facing forward

Rudder: the blade attached to the stern hull, controlled by the helm, that steers the ship

Sloop: a single-masted sailboat equipped with mainsail and jib

Starboard: at or toward the right side of the boat when facing forward

Stern: the back end of the boat

Tacking: altering course while sailing upwind and making the wind shift from one side of the boat to the other

Transom: a horizontal platform located at a ships very stern

Trim: the act of manipulating lines to change the shape and position of the sails

Winch: a drum-shaped machine, turned with a handle or crank, used for hauling or hoisting line

PART I

TRANSMISSION OF LEARNING

FEAR

Tilloo Cay, Abaco Islands, Bahamas // December 31, 2008

I look upon the jagged shore to calculate the time until impact. Its difficult to know exactly because the anchors scrape the ocean floor, slowing our approach. The storm is building. Waves slam against the bow and drive us backward. The ships engine picked this moment to stop functioning, so Dave and I are suddenly, inexplicably, without power. The sun is slipping low and soon we will be without light.

I sailed my ship, Wild Hair, to this spot because I wanted lobster from the reef for a New Years dinner. But this is a place of peril in a galeespecially with a busted throttle cable. Now I am exposed, disabled, at risk of losing my ship and maybe my life.

A primal panic starts simmering at the base of my spine. It wraps my intestines. My limbs feel thick as logs and my thoughts are slow; they roll into consciousness with the speed of old movie credits. Usually, Im a quick thinker with good judgment, but fear is turning me into a sluggish animala bear sliding into hibernation.