I have been extremely fond of travelling ever since I was a little kid. I have travelled on buses, in cars, on trains, on airplanes, on the horse and even hitchhiked my way to places. What I hadn’t done so far is experiencing a journey in a boat.
Boats have been an object of fascination for me for quite some time. Subconsciously, I would often revert to painting boats on the vast open sea. Alone and steadily drifting. Sometimes they would be small fishermen boats floating idly under the shining sun. A peculiar hobby for a teenager and yet the fascination was never outgrown.
It just so happened that a friend of mine chose my birthday last summer as the perfect occasion to surprise me with a boat trip. Her cousin owned a sailboat which he used to sail during his vacations. She was a great white beauty named Dahlia.
Anyway, so my friend succeeded in her surprise. I was overjoyed and excited to experience my first boat journey. We picked a suitable weekend to take time off and pack our things for the trip. We took a necessary change of clothes, food stock, first aid and lifesavers. The destination was planned to be an island a few miles into the ocean where a private company had opened a relaxation resort. We were able to book rooms at it for our two-night stay. The journey itself was a four-hour drive. Two if you accelerated but I intended to drift as slowly as we could.
It was a sunny day when we took off. The fluffy clouds floated above us lazily. Halfway into our journey, my friend convinced the captain to anchor in the middle. It was a glorious experience. Cool winds blew from all sides, the gentle waves crashing in muffled sounds against the boat. We spotted fishes swimming nearby and made guesses to which type of fish they were. We even heard Skylarks sing in the distance. I felt like I had stepped into my painting. All my senses were alert and soaking at that moment. It felt like a wonderful moment to be alive. That journey in a boat is my most treasured experience.