Critical Week Ahead

Over the next seven days I shall have extensive meetings with the sail maker, designer, builder and others to determine the best course of action that will restore my confidence in the boat and its fittings, which would allow me to make a second, and hopefully successful, attempt. Over the past two weeks, since my arrival home, I have become very aware that most solo attempts have failed and for a great variety of reasons. I have also become aware of the many who have been following my blogs and forwarding them to others. That brings me great pleasure.

The question I now most frequently get is “will you try again?” By contrast, my close friends don’t ask that question – they know me better and they all say “when will you try again?” My response to both is that I am proceeding as though there will be a restart this November, but I am not yet willing to make that an affirmative statement. After all, as stated above, I must regain my confidence in the boat. Additionally, there is a matter of my age and maintaining the excellent health that I now enjoy. But it looks almost certain that I shall restart, so stay tuned. I will keep updating. In the meantime, three crew members are arriving in Cape Town Sth. Africa and will bring the boat back to Antigua, where it shall stay until the spring when it will come back to New England, most likely with me at the helm.