Assessing risk has become our new national pastime. Opinions on what is acceptable risk range from Speaker Pelosi’s ongoing mantra “People will die!!” to the opposite extreme of assuming that we can continue on with our normal lives because nothing has changed. On the risk spectrum where 0% is cuddled in your personal safe space and 100% is where Charles Darwin’s theory is proved once again, well I probably lie in the 80-90% range. Which means I at least give it a little thought before doing something stupid. And yes, I’ve assessed incorrectly on more than a few occasions. Fortunately not dead yet.
What I did promise myself is that if I survived my stem cell transplant and got my health back to somewhere near normal I would not waste whatever years I have left. Because you just never know what is waiting for you around the corner that will finally take you out. My current goal of sailing across the Atlantic was progressing quite well until the coronavirus showed up. Thus far that has killed off our spring and probably set me back a year.
Now, lest you think I am feeling sorry for myself, believe me…. I’m not! I, along with many of you, am extremely fortunate. Many are in far more dire straits than I, so the fact that I am unable to go sailing is not going to draw headlines on the evening news. Nor should anyone give a rat’s ass, and rightfully so. What does trouble me is the unmitigated fear that seems to have grabbed hold of the country and caused everyone to be fearful of resuming what was everyday life only a few short weeks ago. The first suggestion of doing anything even perceived as risky brings dire warnings from all sides. Cannot tell you how often I’ve heard “Well, I’ll come to your funeral!”
Hunter S. Thompson is a long way from being any kind of a role model for me, but I do like his thinking on how to spend a lifetime… “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, leaking oil, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!” With that in mind, it is time to get moving on my BHAG once again. Shutting down all spring for the pandemic really buggered up my timetable.
Now I simply want Celtic Cross back in Michigan so I can sail around here and work on her until spring 2021 when I can once again head out to the Atlantic. And this is where I can use a little help. I had a rather detailed plan for coming north so that I should already be sitting happily in my berth on Lake St. Clair nursing a beer and wondering what to do for dinner this evening. Nope. The pandemic nuked those plans. So… let’s try this again. Following is an rough timetable for sailing from Charleston, SC back to Detroit beginning after the 4th of July.
The Plan…
My intent is to drive a rental SUV to and from the various marinas along the way. It’s about the price of an expensive airline flight and I don’t have to concern myself with returning in the same vehicle. Plus I can bring my crew with me and we avoid airlines entirely. I could always just make this trip as one continuous run north, but I have found that it is harder to find 2-4 people willing to take off the three weeks it will take to get Celtic Cross up here in a single pass. Better to cut it up into bite-size chunks for those who may not wish to take off that much time, but would jump at the chance to try sailing for a few days. I may have the leg from Atlantic City to Catskill, NY covered already. Not entirely sure.
Where I can use some crew is the offshore jump from Charleston up to Atlantic City. In July that should be a great sail. Good weather, moderate winds, and a little push from the Gulfstream. The only real requirement is that you be in decent physical shape. Sailing experience is great, but not a requirement. I have had a few people on board already who struggled to move about the boat. A rolling deck at sea is not a good place to be if you are physically somewhat immobile. If this looks interesting to any of you, drop me a note via email or Messenger. The goal is to have a bit of adventure and a lot of fun!