The biggest news in our future is…. Dan and I will be leaving in January for a 1,000 nautical mile training passage with John Kretschmer. Many of you might not be familiar with this name, so let me give you a brief history of this amazing man. Dan and I met him at the Miama Boat Show last winter. John was giving his talk about sailing in storms, a topic not so near and dear to my heart. My biggest fear about sailing around the world, is the rough weather we will encounter. When I discovered there was a seminar that addressed this very issue, I just had to sign up.
To make a long story short, John is a professional sailor. He started out as a delivery boat captain, taking boats across oceans at the requests of their owners. Many of the boats were ill equipped, not fit to cross the ocean. As the boats had a specific delivery date, John had to sail regardless of the weather. Having crossed the Atlantic 21 times, he encountered all types of weather, including hurricanes, tropical storms, rogue waves, and just about every other weather phenomenon. Kretschmer has written several books about sailing in storms and about his best sea stories. I highly recommend all of the them. However, what peeked my interest the most, was the training passages he offered where he takes people into oceans, during the wrong time of year to be sailing. The purpose: find and deal with bad weather. I knew I had to book a trip with him and face my fears before being alone on our boat with my husband. Upon returning from our trip to Miami, I found a passage leaving from the Virgin Islands, and I booked it. Dan seemed on board at the time, and supported the decision, but as the time grew closer for the trip, Dan’s mood seemed to change.
As I talked about the trip and prepared for it, I got comments from Dan like, “I can’t believe you are going without me.” He suddenly seemed really jealous that I was going away for 10 days on a sailing adventure without him. I thought about adding him to the trip, but I had to book almost a year in advance and all the slots for this trip were taken.
The final arrangements were made. I booked my plane ticket, sent my fees in to John, and as I was sending him my itinerary, I just happened to mention how Dan was kicking himself for not going with me.
“Really?” he replied via email. “If you are serious, one of the crew would like to book a different passage. We may have a spot open up.”
I was so thrilled, I couldn’t even bear to bring up the possibility to Dan until I knew for sure there would be a spot for him. Finally, the email arrived from John confirming that a spot did open up, and that Dan could have it. I broke the news to Dan the moment he arrived home from work that evening. Dan is not a person that shows a lot of emotion, but his eyes lit up and I knew that he was excited about the opportunity. Now, we are enthusiastically planning together.
John assures us that there will be “lively” sailing as we travel from Tortola to Grenada, up to St. Lucia and the Grenadines, and then back to Tortola. The winds will be strong this time of year, and perhaps there will be a storm or two. However, being on a boat with such an experienced sailor, and learning from the best in the business, will hopefully give us confidence when the time comes to face foul weather on our own. I will be sure to keep you all updated on this trip, and share what we learn about sailing in stormy seas.