Hello everyone reading this post,
"Elise" - the boat - should be back in the water in a week or so after a really unfortunate mast whim that needed some fixing. This will make for the official launch of the Pac Cup 2008 preparation.
Not that we haven't done anything about it before. Both Nathan and I have sailed for quite a while, since we were kids (I think that Nathan beats me by two years, must have been because I learned to fly before I switched to water sports), and have gone through a variety of experiences.
Most sailors who start young will first be given responsibility of an "Optimist", sort of fiberglass walnut shell with an upright pole and a dangling rag. There is a reason for that. Sailing is learning to leave the dock, turn, turn around and return safely to the dock. And we spend a lifetime and a savings account learning to do this better, cheaper and faster. So we'd better start on an optimistic note.
Nate is a sailing instructor, he did all kinds of dinghy sailing, he's already crewed on boats doing the Pac Cup, he pretty much races every weekend, that is when he's not busy delivering someone else's boat. He sailed on the East Coast, he sailed on the West Coast, he sailed in the Pacific, he sailed around Hawaii. He doesn't really sell anything for a living, he codes and designs ships.
Nat is not a sailing instructor which is just as well because she sinks boats and wouldn't be a very good role model for novices. She did get a skipper certification. She sailed on dinghies and yachts in the Mediterranean, she sailed in the Atlantic Ocean, in Southern England, she sailed between England and France (whenever she'd get lost in Southern England, she would end up in Brittany), in the Indian Ocean, in Singapore and Indonesia and in the Pacific Ocean.
Still, this is a premiere for both of us. It is the first time that Nathan will sail under his own banner in the Pac Cup. And it is the first time that Nat will actually complete a passage to Hawaii, provided no big marine mammal gets in the way. It is also the first time that they will sail together double-handed for an extended period of time. It is the first time they will take "Elise" to Hawaii - and she can't wait to go the poor girl, she's already asking about the cool and tanned windsurf boards - it may even be the first time that "Elise" will go to Hawaii.
Loads of preparation work has also gone into the boat already. First someone was astute enough to build a hull. It proved super practical. Then, someone favoring a no-effort approach to sports put up a mast and designed some sails. On top of that, we are installing new safety equipment, getting more sails, solar panels, emergency everything. We haven't figured out how, after all of this is loaded up on board, we will be able to store food and water for two weeks - especially if you leave the bow - that is the front of the boat- empty so as not to slow down the boat. Imagine a boat constantly dipping its nose into the water; definitely not a high performer. There is also a small risk that it may get stuck butt up for a little while. Very embarrassing.
All of this will be addressed in due time in the blog as I know that you are dying to give us the solutions to all these problems.
It is also very exciting to race for a cause - www.beatsarcoma.org - there is something hugely satisfying in holding the flag for this little army against cancer.
We both have skills and experiences that we will use on that passage. We both have a lot to learn before this happens. If you ask me today: "do you feel ready", I'd have to honestly answer "not at all..." I am confident that I will be ready by the time the gun goes off on the start line. It takes practice practice practice. "Elise" is a great fast and solid boat and I will be happy to tie my fate to her performance.
There is some apprehension before this kind of events - fundamental questions keep coming up such as where to store the half-way bottle of wine without shaking it up too much. Taking things one step at a time, listing out all of our Todo items to make sure that we don't leave anything out which could be catastrophic on the water and crossing them out as we go methodically will get us there safely. It is no more frightening than founding a nonprofit not really knowing what it will look like 10 years from now. Not any more frightening than to go off to college, to get a first job, to meet a whale or to be diagnosed with cancer.
The unknown both attracts and repels us. We will unfold the unknown as we live through the pages of this story and make sure that it does not remain untold.
So welcome aboard and let's get ready to cast off.
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