Day 55 - Wednesday, October 18
This, our last post of the 8-week South Pacific Sailing Adventure includes some of our thoughts.
Carol’s Impressions:
I had no idea what to expect when I signed on to this trip. I have sailed with Mickey, but always coastal sailing. Sometimes we sailed in lakes, sometimes in San Diego Bay, sometimes at the Britsh Virgin Islands. Coastal sailing generally doesn’t include overnight sails and usually you always have land in sight. And the destination is part of the itinerary - best place to snorkel or swim, best restaurant to dock and dine, fun time with friends, etc.
This was a totally different experience. The goal was 100% sailing (which I didn’t quite understand at first). Of course, we stopped along the way and had many enjoyable experiences in the towns, snorkeling, tours of the island by a local, visiting with fellow sailors, etc. But the majority of the time we were on the boat, heeled over and moving. I didn’t realize how “weary” I would become always having to hold on to keep from falling over; always having to prop whatever you are holding (book, skillet, toothbrush) against something stable or it will go flying; always moving whether in bed, sitting on the toilet, sitting above in the cockpit or below in the dinette - there’s constant motion. And when we are anchored or moored, the motion doesn’t stop. It lessens and becomes more of a rocking motion than a full out roller coaster motion. But it’s only when you’re on land that it’s stable, and even then you still feel like you are moving! It gets tiring to say the least. I’m very fortunate that I never got seasick. I lost my appetite at times, but that’s all.
Some of my fitness students asked if I was going to work out while on the boat. Let me tell you it’s a full-on workout just to stay upright and not go flying across the cabin. The legs, gluts and quads get a workout keeping you from falling over. The arms get a workout holding on to help keep you in place. The core is constantly engaged to keep you stable, even when sitting down. My Fitbit watch regularly signals that I’m in cardio mode. “Way to go”, it tells me. I’ve lost some pounds because my pants are falling off. Bottom line, just living on the boat is a workout!
The long ocean crossings (5-7 days) have challenges of their own and are probably my least favorite part of the entire adventure. As strange as it sounds, there’s something a bit claustrophobic about having such an expanse of water as the Pacific Ocean all around you, but being confined to a relatively small vessel. I’m a very social person and I also missed interacting with other friends and family during these long passages without Internet.
I loved seeing this part of the world. The South Pacific islands are so beautiful and have so much history and culture. It was fun meeting people along the way who are native to the lands or have migrated there from other parts. Xavier is the master at making friends and we took full advantage of every opportunity to enjoy their company and insight. It became obvious early on that the sailing community is quite small. We’d run into some of the same boats at different ports. We tended to know people more by their boats than their names. You didn’t introduce yourself as “Carol”, it would be, “I’m Carol, crew on Kanoa”. And they’d say, ah yes, Kanoa, we’ve seen that boat. It’s like any community of like-minded people.
Overall, I’m so glad I took the plunge and signed on to this Adventure with a capital “A”. It was truly a chance of a lifetime and I’m so happy that I trusted my gut (and Mickey) and did it. I have no regrets whatsoever, but it’s debatable if I would do this type of sailing trip again.
Give me the opportunity to dock so that I have freedom to get on and off the boat at will (when anchored or moored, we’d have to use the dinghy and there’s only one, so generally all 3 of us went together).
Give me the opportunity to sleep through the night instead of sailing and having to be on night watch, which messes with my sleep pattern.
Give me the opportunity to choose the length of sail (1-2 weeks at a time is optimum for me).
Flexibility is a sailor’s friend. Go with the flow and move with the winds. Signing off, Carol.
Mickey’s Ramblings:
O Captain! My Captain!
During one of our pre-sailing adventure chats, Carol expressed concern for my lack of experience in not being the Captain. At the time I said that I was not underestimating the fact that I would not be captaining the yacht for nearly two months and felt good about relinquishing final control of the boat during the trip.
It was true, I had very little angst over not being the boat captain during the sail, however, I did underestimate the broader issue of not being the captain of my life. I have always been independent in my professional career as an entrepreneur and independent consultant. Before that I always sought after and excelled in positions of leadership. Additionally Carol and I basked in the total control of our lives, without encumbrances.
The lack of being able to captain my life, and for Carol and I to feel we had any independence, grew more and more challenging as the weeks passed by. I confess that the greatest relief at the end of the sail was that we were back captaining our lives!
So you may be wondering what are the outcomes of returning from sea after 8 weeks.
Not having to schedule cooking activities when the seas are the most calm.
Being able to take a shower without turning the water off and back on to conserve water
Waking up at night without being in a red world of night vision lighting
WARNING TMI - being able to flush toilet paper down a toilet
Relearning that there are no longer three water sources from which to consider
The hair on my neck is longer than the hair on my head
Terrible toes that have been mangled from shoes too small
Weight loss and waist reduction due to the 24/7 isometrics required just to stand and get around while at sea. (None or our clothes fit and I have gone from a 34 to a 32 or 31 waist size)
Talk about a farmer’s tan!!
And finally… many tremendous tales!
After we docked in Noumea, Carol asked If I thought this was my greatest adventure ever. I had to think long and hard about it. For starters it was surely the most exotically appealing trip for sure, however, with very few exceptions I found much of the South Pacific as very third world with limited resources. Don’t get me wrong, the scenery was amazing but we ran across incidents of government policies geared toward consistent up-charging and tribal extortion in remote villages.
I will say that as far as a technical sailing adventure this was the greatest for me. I learned an incredible amount that has made me a much better sailor and boat captain. As my overall greatest adventure though, I would say it is in the middle of my all time top ten. Would I do it again… HELL YEAH!
Lastly, I can’t say enough about the strength and courage it took for my wife Carol, to not only join me on this adventure but also to enjoy and make the most of every challenge along the way. She proved an inspiration for me in dealing with my captain issues as the weeks passed. But my discomfort paled compared to hers as she had no context of what was involved in an ocean sail from the start and had to learn and adapt on the run. I will be forever honored and humbled by her trust in joining me and her perseverance throughout this wonderful experience together. I Love You Carol!
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