I would not trade one minute of meeting or talking to any of the wonderful people I’ve met on this voyage. I would not drop out a single anchorage from the list of where I’ve spent the night or miss even one of the little towns where I‘ve felt so welcome. But the apprehension over my time /distance ratio is taking its toll. My dreams of hundred mile days are not happening.
Yes, the goal is to transit the Northwest Passage. Yes, the goal is to do it solo. But I ask myself, what’s the hurry? Answer, there is none. I’m not in a race. I’m not a record breaker looking for a slot in a record book. Yes, I’ve scared myself a time or two, but in hind sight they were the results of hurry and lack of forethought. Plus many fears are the results of fatigue. After all, this is not a walk through a park. This is hard core coastal sailing, alone.
You see, everything is so ready! And that makes it hard to step back and reevaluate the timing. Hard, but not impossible. Having said that, I want to report that I have turned toward Goose Bay to find a suitable location to store the CAP’N LEM until next June at which time I want to continue on north with a greater time and safety margin and a fresher outlook. I’ve bitten off an incredible chunk of life here, and I just need to cut it into bits I can eat.
I will continue to blog and update the web site and communicate with as many of you as I can. I still have some stories to tell of the things I’ve seen on this the Arcticsolosail adventure of a lifetime. I do not want to lose even one of you who have been so faithful to come along. Just remember this is REALITY BLOGGING!
