June 27, 2018 – Sausalito, California

Oh, God… Jeff got robbed.

The back hatch is open; the bow window is open as well. The second kayak and paddle are gone. I shine my flashlight around the interior of The Jubilee. It’s a mess. Papers everywhere, stuff on top of my stuff, some shoes…

Wait. Unless?

Unless Jeff is back early. I go out to the deck and look for his kayak on the public beach (as opposed to the dock, where I’ve been docking and locking the other kayak). Oh, thank God… he’s just back a couple weeks early. I hope he’s okay. Maybe I just have theft on the brain, given the recent loss of my bike and most recently having some items stolen from me at my place of work.

My.

Place.

Of.

Work.

No matter. I have more pressing concerns now that Jeff is back. When we finalized our arrangement, it came with the caveat that I would move on when he returned. Sharing one’s limited space for an entire summer with someone unable to go out on sailing trips wouldn’t make much sense. I thought I had another opportunity lined up with a fellow “Anchor Out,” but I don’t think I can count on it.

Jeff returns to The Jubilee the following morning. We talk about his trip. Obviously, it didn’t go as planned, but he is in fact okay. We head to the community garden; I water the plants. The stars somehow align and we begin some construction work (raised beds, main deck area for seating). Jeff grows concerned over limiting the space for food growth, understandably, but ultimately settles for the owner’s desires to increase her coffee shop business. We break for the day, but we return for a cookout a few hours later.

This goes horribly wrong.

In a nutshell: It’s cold and windy. And dark. Someone is overly drunk and throwing food on the ground. The last straw, however, is when a man whom Jeff invited shows up to the meal. One of the Anchor Outs immediately shares his thoughts about this man; they are not good. Other members confirm. Bad times ensue.

The gathering ends and I return Jeff to his boat. I talk with him a little about the events that transpired and convey my sympathy for the way they went down. We all know that Jeff only has the best of intentions. But I know his deeper passion for helping his fellow man when given the opportunity. Without a place of his own to prepare and share meals, he feels compelled to do so through the community garden when gatherings are held.

He just wants to feed his hungry brethren.

That being said, I decide to take a couple days away from the drama that has become my life in Sausalito. “It’s nothing personal, I just need some time,” I tell him, wishing him a good night before making my way to my family’s house in Petaluma.

“The ode lives upon the ideal, the epic upon the grandiose, the drama upon the real.” – Victor Hugo