{"id":437,"date":"2021-01-21T16:59:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-21T20:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidwkurtz.com\/wordpress\/?p=437"},"modified":"2021-01-21T17:13:05","modified_gmt":"2021-01-21T21:13:05","slug":"2021-the-practice-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/davidwkurtz.com\/wordpress\/2021\/01\/21\/2021-the-practice-year\/","title":{"rendered":"2021: The Practice Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s (finally) 2021! Vaccines are here (I\u2019m getting mine tomorrow!) and we can begin to return to some kind of a normal existence. I am already getting really wound up for spring, the return of warm weather, and being able to go anywhere, even though masks may still be part of the uniform of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps hard to believe, but Celtic Cross will be in the water in a little more than 11 weeks. Once April rolls around, if I don\u2019t know where I\u2019m going this summer, it\u2019s too late! So following is a preliminary sailing schedule for this spring and summer. It looks like I will not be leaving the Great Lakes in 2021. No matter, a sailor could spend years exploring the Great Lakes and many do just that. I\u2019d like to find a group of 8 to 10 people that have the time to sail for 3 to 5 days at a time and willing to learn what is needed to be a valuable part of the crew. Frankly, cost is not a huge factor here because many of the major costs to crew members are covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hugh Vihlen & Fathers Day in 1993<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If this looks a little regimented, that\u2019s because it is. Crossing the Atlantic by sail is a campaign that requires a lot of planning, particularly if you are new to bluewater sailing. Now, there are people that have crossed the Atlantic in a bathtub. Or smaller. Not my idea of fun! When I\u2019m off watch I want a comfy berth to stretch out in. Lots of food, hot meals, and the camaraderie of friends makes the passage an adventure, not just getting there to say you did it. There are books written on crew development, although usually focused on race crews and what makes a good crew. Frequently they are talking about professional crews where many, if not all members are paid. That\u2019s not happening here… \ud83d\ude01 This crew is going to be a team with a common goal: Sail across the Atlantic. Really it is going to be a team that loves offshore sailing where teammates stand watches and sail overnight on 2-5 days passages. Each crew member really needs to bring a commitment to learning what is required to become a valuable crew member and have the time available to take off for long weekends or a week-long periods to sail. Frankly, the ultimate goal of a trans-Atlantic crossing may not be possible for everyone. There are really three major segments of the voyage with stops in Bermuda and the Azores that will break up the 4,000 nm, six week long voyage. That creates the possibility of participating in one or two legs if that is all time allows. Flying in or out of either layover island is easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, it is quite easy for me to get very qualified individuals to sail with me. There are easily a dozen or more websites such as \u201ccrewfinders.com\u201d where I can interview people just to get me across the Atlantic. Nope. This needs to be a shared adventure with friends that we talk about for years to come. Not with a crew that disappears after we tie up at the dock in Portugal. Plus, once we get to Europe, eventually I need to get Celtic Cross back home again! And by the way, the East to West crossing is often preferred. Boats drop down to the Canary Islands off the coast of Africa and sail on the trade winds across the Atlantic to the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n