I’m Baaaack

Bubble Rock, Acadia National Park

It has been far too long since my last post, but I have been doing the whole real life thing and life requires participation. Since my last post, I have refurbished, rebuilt and re-rigged much of the sailing vessel Nellie and navigated her approximately 7,000 nautical miles, dedicated myself to two more seasons in a frequently arduous profession on Hilton Head Island, conceded to some difficult realities regarding my academic willingness, left a multiple year relationship, began a new one and am now residing in Europe about to start another several thousand mile cycling tour.

The finite happenings of the last two years would fill many pages, but I will not linger in a retrospective realm of specific activities. I would rather reflect on the thoughts, wisdom and knowledge I have gained to progress and hopefully succeed in the years ahead. I mean, really, what are we doing in this experiment if we are not, at the very least, passively learning from what we have encountered? Otherwise, we are doomed to a circular trudging through the stagnant muck of repetition—deficient of novelty, excitement, love, pain or challenge.

Life Lessons

Crossing Grand Bahama Banks

I have been sailing for 22 years, but when I hoisted the main for my first time alone with no one to watch my back, talk to about a plan, destination, impending danger or spectacle of nature; no one to look at, touch, breath the same air as or feel their presence in a space; no one to get frustrated, annoyed or argue with; no one to learn from, love or witness them encounter any of these instances it presented a palpable fear.

There was a reality of the physical world and interaction with the dynamic environment of the ocean and life that I had never fully considered: It was me and me alone that was responsible for my safety, enjoyment and ultimately, future. Of course, we have all been challenged with having to act, think and succeed as individuals before, but frankly I think too often we celebrate mediocre individual accomplishments.

Am I more capable of accomplishment than any other individual(s) because of my solo sailing experience? I would not wager this as a truth—there are many out there that make me look like a couch potato sprouting hairy, moldy roots (For the record, I love potatoes). I will say that navigating a narrow passage to an inlet, battling 25+ knots of wind, horizontal rock salt rain blasted from Poseidon’s shot gun, 12-14 foot breaking waves, while inch of your boat howling intensely and you’re forced to use the emergency manual handle to remain afloat until you drop anchor…when you accomplish that alone and in the dark, you feel a double self-thumbs up is well in order.

In those conditions, I can see how some people “find God” out there. It would be comforting to know that something else was watching out for you or that, if you do succumb to fear, panic and lose the illusory control you have over the situation (it would be more accurate to say that you use a mechanical advantage to react to an uncontrollable environment) that you have some security in your life after death. I guess I’m just selfish though: I want all the credit for staying alive.

Ultimately, there is an evolution of self-awareness and personal responsibility when sailing alone. You learn how to directly depend on one person to navigate the manifolds of safety, enjoyment, self-worth and emotional stability. It simply creates, out of necessity, a completely strong person. And although I did feel loneliness at times, I was utterly content with life without anyone else. But even though all of the personal growth is invaluable, I would rapidly share many moments with others as soon as I was able and periodically wish I had a counterpart.

New Lessons

Last summer (2015), I met an intrepid young woman that I can share a 35 foot fiberglass tube with for months at a time. And let me tell you, this is a rarity. Meng (pronounced Mung for us non-Asians) and I have been together for over a year now and although our relationship does not follow the “typical’ or “traditional” model we make it work very well. Meng has a profound love for the ocean and thrives on the water—loving even the cold rainy days we are confined to the interior. She shares my love for the extremes between the cocoon like cabin to the vast openness and depth of sailing offshore. On land, in “normal” circumstances, she is equally impressive and complementary to my being. Meng is an award winning interpreter (currently the youngest at the United Nations), exceedingly well traveled, ready for any adventure I can come up with, equally enjoys giving me space and occupying her own and cherishes every moment we share. I am a very lucky man indeed.

Meng and I by the Prater

Currently, we are living in Wien (Vienna), Austria and preparing for a 3 month long cycling tour of Europe—where in Europe we are not entirely sure of yet. Our basic strategy is to head South with all haste and mirror the Mediterranean coast. Based on conversations with people who have been in this region, the amount of places “you’ve got to see” could be represented with a number that an astrophysicist would use to describe the velocities of expanding materials during the big bang. Although I value every one of those suggestions, just like those people, we are on our own adventure and are confident that we will discover ample “got to see” places as well. Regardless of where we are going, we are undoubtedly raring to start pedaling, breathing, seeing, climbing, coasting and living.

Palmetto Bay before Hurricane Mathew

So, as usual and by design, the last two years have been a voyage. I have sailed to and lived in tropical lagoons with crashing waves on coral reefs as the tide floods, seen expansive mother of pearl finger prints made by the moon light reflecting off ridges of sand, witnessed a category 4 hurricane, swam alone with leviathan sized manta rays, met people who have nothing yet are wealthy with joy and appreciation, seriously questioned my safety, come within inches of hurling myself into a consuming academic life, been gifted with a companion unparalleled to any other and remain steadfast to cultivating a life that inspires me.

Thank you all for reading and sharing these observations and discussions. I hope to continue to iterate and document with greater frequency and I apologize for not keeping up with a representation of life.

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Living through your phone (Time Square)

Time Square

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9/11 Memorial