Shelter Island Revisited

Last week I was in San Diego for a conference, and stayed in a hotel on Shelter Island.  I hadn't been to Shelter Island for over 20 years; even though we travel to the San Diego area a lot, we normally stay with some BFFs in Encinitas.  While on Shelter Island, everywhere I turned I was reminded of great times from what seems like a lifetime ago.

In 1991 I sailed (with a group) from Victoria to Miami (via the Panama Canal, not around Cape Horn - we weren't quite so adventurous.)  We spent a couple of weeks in a marina on Shelter Island, waiting out hurricane season and getting to know each other as it was early on in our voyage.  Last week I went for an early morning run around the island, and while a lot had changed from my memories of a couple decades prior, some landmarks still brought a smile to my face - I love when stuff like that happens.

Me on Shelter Island, September 1991.

I was only 21 at the time, and I recall many of the area's parking lots shrouded in secrecy (with plywood) as America's Cup boats were being built for the 1992 running in San Diego.  There were teams from all over the world there, and as young kids from Canada we were star-struck by the languages being spoken and the cosmopolitan feel.  We'd try to peer through gaps in the plywood to get a glimpse of the super-star boats under construction.  I also remember spending almost every evening on the beach, sitting by a huge fire we'd build out of pallets dumped nearby.  I didn't build a beach fire this time, but saw the beach fire pits and the old parking lots on Shelter Island drive that once housed some speedy yachts.

Shelter Island today, looking towards the same beach
I hung out at over 20 years ago.

It's always fun for me when a memory is sparked unexpectedly.  Not only do I enjoying reflecting on the past and the journey to present day, I think about the memories I'm currently creating for my future self.  In two decades from now, I wonder what will prompt memories of today?