Western Gathering:FGConnections Fall 2006
Sailing to Gathering
By Linda Hill and John Scull
 Linda Hill and John Scull |
For the past few years, we have spent June and early July sailing our 1981 Catalina 27 north to Desolation Sound, Princess Louisa Inlet, or the Discovery Islands for a month, sharing quiet anchorages with wildlife and hiking on lonely islands, often in the rain. We wanted to attend the FGC Gathering in Tacoma but we did not want to give up our early summer holiday and so we decided to sail to Tacoma, stay on the boat and commute by rental car.
Our home on Vancouver Island is about 150 nautical miles from Tacoma. The journey is all on sheltered inland waters but the sailing is varied and can be quite challenging. We crossed Haro Strait to the San Juan Islands, visited friends, then crossed Rosario Strait. At the slow speed of a sailboat, timing had to adapt to tidal currents and we needed to take special care in the reversing rapids in Deception Pass, Agate Passage, and Rich Passage. We passed through Skagit Bay just after the herring and smelt run and so experienced the amazing sight of thousands of seals, great blue herons, and bald eagles lazing on the sand banks, completely glutted. For the rest of the trip south we had the wind at our back in gloriously clear weather with Mount Ranier ahead, Mount Baker behind, the Olympic Mountains to starboard, the Cascades to port. Along the way we stopped in beautiful state parks and friendly little towns.
In contrast to some of those who came by faster modes of travel, we were totally relaxed and unwound when we arrived at the Gathering. For both of us, the 5-day workshops were wonderful, allowing for a depth of connection and learning seldom available in our busy lives. During other parts of the day we both sought variety and followed our attractions: Linda participated in many intergenerational activities and John mostly attended events sponsored by Quaker Earthcare Witness.
Meal times, both standing in line as well as eating, provided rich experiences with many other Quakers. It was a gift to meet so many who were living exciting and meaningful lives of commitment and adventure. For John, who sometimes finds casual socializing difficult, it was wonderful to be with people who never made small talk. For Linda the chance to meet so many role models for compassionate listening was especially inspiring. The evening plenary sessions were good, but the subsequent questions and discussions were more inspiring and informative than the talks.
The trip home was as good as the trip down, although much of it was against the wind or in no wind at all. However, we were much less mindful of our surroundings as we used the long days and evenings to reflect, both individually and together, on our experiences at FGC Gathering. The eight quiet and contemplative days on the water allowed us to process our experiences in a way that would have been impossible if we had immediately returned to our active and busy lives, our computers, and the radio or television.
Traveling to and from the Gathering by sailboat was spiritually enriching. The deep level of preparation and follow-up we experienced would be equally possible with other slow forms of travel – walking, rail, or cycling – but perhaps impossible with more hectic modes such as automobiles or airplanes. As Linda and I reflect on the financial, ecological, and time costs and benefits of travel, we will now also consider the spiritual costs and benefits. As Gandhi said, “There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
Linda Hill and John Scull are members of the Duncan Worship Group, Victoria Monthly Meeting, Canadian Yearly Meeting.
Western Gathering
- Expanding Circles by Aimee Bucholz
- Listen and Obey the Spirit by Rubye Howard Braye
- Touching others … others touching us by John Helding
- Water Has Memory by Raelyn Joyce
- Living Water Cards
- Sailing to Gathering by Linda Hill and John Scull
- More Reflections from the Western Gathering
