Another beautiful weekend in west Michigan and, of course, we went sailing. It was a sunny July Saturday and besides Ted and me, we had Jon and Gina on the boat with their daughter Julia and her husband Kevin. We were all seasoned sailors although some more and others less. Both Ted and Jon have raced together. Gina has raced a little less, and Julia and Kevin were not strangers to boating. The weather called for just the right amount of wind and it was pleasantly warm. When we got to the shipyard, I noticed quite a LOT of wind. I even was hearing it howl as it blew through the boats docked in the water and whistle as it played through the masts and rigging of so many boats. Ted always checks several weather apps on his phone and usually has quite accurate and up to date forecasts to help him decide if we will go sailing as well as where and when. Our boat is docked at a shipyard on Lake Macatawa. Lake Macatawa has a channel that takes you out to great Lake Michigan. If the weather on the big lake, Lake Michigan, is too windy or the waves too big, we can opt for staying on smaller Lake Macatawa that is better protected from the stiff winds that also bring larger waves.

We left the dock and headed out the channel to Lake Michigan. Ted’s weather forecast seemed legit as the waves on the lake were small with no whitecaps at all. We sailed north and ate and drank and laughed and sailed with fairly steady winds that sometimes slowed down so that we would get quite heated from the sun, but then the wind would give a big puff and we would lean a bit more in the water. Sailboats are meant to lean – very rarely do they tip over. I’ve been on enough sailing trips and races to know that strong winds and point-of-sail can cause the boat to really lean and slice through the waves. To the inexperienced sailor, it can be a bit unnerving at first. But sailboats have this big heavy keel on the boat of the boat – like a big fish fin that cuts down into the water – that helps keep the boat right side up.

After a while, we turned the boat south to head back to the channel and get off the big lake. Out of nowhere, like someone had flipped a switch, the winds escalated to a howl and changed directions. The waves were suddenly much bigger with whitecaps all around us. The boat was WAY leaned over, the sails were vibrating and flapping in the incredibly wild winds, and the boat was rising up then smacking back down on the water. Ted got the motor started to gain more control of our task to get off the big lake. We needed to get the sails down as they were being over-powered by the winds. Our first attempt was to furl our headsail. The headsail is the sail at the front of the boat and ours can roll up like a vertical window shade if you pull a certain line to ‘furl’ it. Well, Ted pulled and pulled but the wind was blowing on the sail so intensely, it wouldn’t budge. We decided that we would have to loosen the line that hoists, or raises, the sail to get it down and out of the wind. At this point, Ted was at the wheel of the boat, Julia and Kevin were sitting just in front of Ted, Gina was having a major anxiety attack and went below to hold on for dear life, and Jon and I were at the mercy of Ted’s commands. Jon and I crawled on the bouncing boat with the wind whipping at us to the front of the boat. Ted set free the line for the headsail, and Jon and I had to physically pull the sail down to the deck of the boat and then lay on it to keep it from blowing off the boat. At this point, we were sailing UP the waves, then slamming DOWN and with each slam, a wave of lake water splashed over the bow of the boat and showered us. We were able to get a strap and lashed the sail on the deck so that it would stay put. Now, with just the mainsail and the assistance of the motor, we worked our way through the waves and the howling wind to the channel. Once in the channel, things calmed quickly as we eventually made our way to Lake Macatawa.

Later, I had to sit back and think through all that happened. It was quite an intense experience! It was so interesting to see how everyone reacted. Poor Gina admitted to struggling with anxiety due to recent life experiences – and actually apologized for hiding below deck. I felt so bad for her! As I helped in gaining control of the boat, I was distracted by her needs and how she was doing. Gina is a woman of God and I knew she was already praying for our safety when, in the heat of our wild windy and wavy moment, I shouted down to her over the roar of the wind, “Pray for us Gina!” Jon and I were simply ready to help and kept looking at Ted for instructions. “Tell us what to do” I had shouted to Ted. Julia and Kevin? I can’t even remember seeing them, although I knew they were sitting there in the boat. Later, when Gina walked them to their car when they left, she said that Kevin stated, “That was a GREAT ride – so exciting. Thank Ted and Laurel.” At one point, I remember looking back at Ted and I saw a man who was calm, cool, and collected with a smile of pure joy on his face. He knew we were not in danger and that the boat was NOT going to tip over, and the wind and the waves and the frenzied episode of crazy winds were making him giddy. He was thrilled.

The whole experience made me think.

🙂

Was this what it was like when the disciples took Jesus out on their boat and a storm came up? Were they caught off guard, not expecting the weather to turn? Did some of them hide? Did they hold on for dear life? Were there some who stepped up to do whatever they had to do to get safely back to shore? Who was at the helm?

The disciples were obviously frightened as they cried out to Jesus to save them before they were going to drown. They had already spent quite a bit of time with Jesus, and yet when the storm hit and Jesus was physically WITH THEM on the boat, they still thought that they were not going to survive.

Jesus Calms the Storm
Mark 4: 35-41
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

We have all weathered storms in our lives. And we will probably face a few more before our time is up. Hasn’t Jesus always navigated you through the storm? He has literally saved us! He can literally calm the storm. When the wind starts howling and the waves crash, will you hide down below deck, will you ride it out, try to help, or face it with faith and be confident in knowing that with Jesus at the helm, He will see you through the storm.

just Laurel