Dr. Stanley Paris & Kiwi Spirit II

It's now just 48 hours, and I am still relaxed and ready. Some last minute shopping for green bananas and avocados, fresh bread and other perishables will be done tomorrow. The hydraulic leaks have been fixed, all the new lines installed - ready. The weather forecast is not the best, with wind east north east, which is on the nose as I head for Bermuda. Consequently, I will head a little south till I get across the Gulf Stream, as two days the voyage winds go to the north and

Commanders Weather, who will be providing me with weather and routing services, have two other boats out there at present. One is David Resnick, who is in the South Atlantic but is making multiple stops. The other was David Liano, who unfortunately had to return to Acapulco due to medical problems. The reason I have chosen to leave in late November is that it will place me in the Southern Oceans in the summer time where it will be a little warmer and the days will be much lon

There is no question of the time and date of my departure. By contrast sailing records, such as a transatlantic bid, are usually weather dependent. The crew and support crew have the boat fully ready but wait for the most favorable conditions to attempt the speed record. But I shall be out there for some 130-140 days and possibly more, and so the weather on day one is of little consequence. When Dodge Morgan set out (his is the record of 150 days that I am after) there was no

We have had several parties at our dock, and with two more to go before my departure, literally hundreds have taken a tour of the boat in groups of six. First on Friday, it was faculty and staff of the University. Saturday it was several yacht clubs in the area and a running club. More than two hundred on that night alone. On Monday, we will have city officials and business friends, and then the night before I leave family and friends who have come from afar, including the ya

Suspecting that I would be very busy at this time, I prepared in advance several blogs for posting. They seem so irrelevant now and do not capture the level of activity happening. It’s been my goal to have everything done a week before I leave so that in the last week I could relax, enjoy company, sit calmly in the boat, and go through manuals to prepare. It’s not likely to happen. Today’s activities included working with renowned ocean sailor, Steve Pettengill, who is looki

Yesterday I worked on securing most of the contents of the boat from being thrown about in rough weather. A nor’easter was blowing as I made my preparations, but Kiwi Spirit is safely docked at my home overlooking the City of St. Augustine. But safety is an issue. I have added padding to the front of the navigation desk (my son Alan broke two ribs while sitting at his desk and colliding with a whale). I have also placed netting down the center of the salon to help break a fal

It’s getting close and I am trying to stay cool. On Friday I flew to England and came back Sunday night - true! It was for the AGM of the Channel Swimming Association, and due to my involvement with the sailing project, I have not attended a meeting in the past year. Still they were forgiving and I was re-elected as Vice President. I suspect with two successful swims and the record for being the oldest to have tried, they took pity on me and wished me well on the voyage. I al