Straight from The Horse’s Mouth

This week marks another anniversary for Glenn and I. Five years ago, on a north wind, we untied the dock lines and left for the adventure of a lifetime. We had the right boat, had two years of training from the right instructors, we had charts, redundant GPS's, a satellite phone, and enough food to last a month.

Assuming the sailor is sufficiently experienced and the boat is sea worthy, a crucial thing when leaving the U.S. for points south is a north wind - not simply from the north, but around 15 to 20 knots. You don't want high seas, you need clear skies, and at night, a bright moon. This aids in spotting the 100 miles of off-shore oil rigs, some of which are abandoned and unlit.

The middle part of our voyage was one for a memoir. We were hit unexpectedly and nearly "turned turtle" by a down-draft or straight line winds of around 50-60 mph. Our lives were in real danger for the first time. We had trained for emergencies, drilled procedures, and had aboard every safety device we could carry. Our ditch bag had food, lots of fresh water, and an EPRIB. (Emergency Position Indicating Radio beacon) If s/v Turn One went down the coast guard would be able to find us in our life boat. Of course the boat and crew survived and days later it was Thanksgiving.

Our Thanksgiving-At- Sea cold turkey sandwiches were more appreciated than any feast we'd ever had on land. But our challenges weren't over. One night the battery system depleated, so we had no automatic pilot, no radio and no lights. We hand-steered through another storm and were completely drenched under our foul weather gear. The forward hatch leaked, saltily soaking bedding and all remaining clean clothes.

Coming in under sail to our destination in nine days was a triumph, and after some sleep and a lot of laundry we were ready for the next leg of our trip. (That trip's misfortunes are fit for another memoir!)

Glenn and I often return to the voyage in our memories. Every fall we turn a wistful eye to the weather, wondering what sailors are leaving for their adventures. Opening the doors of THM it's first day, one year ago, was every bit as exciting as throwing off our dock lines in November of '04. They say the first year is the hardest, but now we know that leaving home was worth it, and landing in Buffalo was too.