The Magic of the SALTS Community and the Great Bear Rain Forest

By Sydney Thomas, Summer 2018 Trainee

"Pure presence full of relaxation, magic, sailing education and friendship—that was my SALTS trip this summer." There were so many aspects of my trip that brought out magic such as: mug-up games and singing, breakfast for dinner, praying together before meals, launching and raising dories and so much more. These aspects are truly unique to SALTS and makes them a one-of-a-kind sailing organization, full of delight and presence.

I realized on my trip that it was so easy to be present with those I was surrounded by, when I was disconnected from everything that encompasses normal life: technology, social media, showering consistently, unconscious consumerism, advertisements and so much more. All of these things (except the one about showering), often distracted me from my day-to-day realities. On SALTS trips, reality is not always enjoyable and when you are kind of in the middle of no-where, technology and social media is not there to distract you from things like sea sickness.

In the end though my experiences with sea sickness were not all that bad because of the community on board. The SALTS community is the most supportive, caring and loving community, that I have ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Every time I was sea sick there were always people offering to get me bread, water, a coat or blanket and sometimes tea. A few times when I was sea sick people were hanging out on deck in large groups and I was off on my own. Some of the individuals from my watch noticed this and came and sat with me, just to keep me company (after asking if there was anything they could get for me of course).

"It is amazing to be fully present and immersed in nature with those I am surrounded by and even in the moments where I wish I had a distraction from my reality, there were people there to care for and support me."

For many years I have yearned for beautiful nature experiences. I love how easy it is to become present with myself and others, when I am away from “society” whether that be on the ocean or in the Rockies. Growing up on the prairies and being a nature junkie, has caused me to thirst for places full of biodiversity--which is exactly what I experienced this last summer in the Great Bear Rain Forest. I remember climbing the foremast one day and stopping about halfway up, taking a few deep breaths and truly taking it all in.

The ocean was pretty calm for miles in every direction, the mountains that lined the shore seemed to have no real beginning or end. They curved and flowed around each other, creating a stunning display and were coated in trees, so much so that no grey parts of the mountains were visible. There is nothing more relaxing than standing on the shrouds or sitting in the cross trees and staring out at a gorgeous, nature filled view. It is moments like these that I will treasure forever.

There were 100’s maybe even 1000’s of little moments like these on my trip. It is the little things like special mug-up songs, secret friend gifts, the rope swing, and so much more that made my trip so special, unique, and memorable. For myself, I feel truly lucky to have experienced not seeing any signs of civilization for miles, but witnessing the calm power of nature instead. This is what I would call magical.