Sailing around the world

Sailing has been on my mind a lot lately, because my brother Michael's 3-year circumnavigation is just about to come to an end, but also because of the 16-year-old girl, Abby, who recently had to be rescued in the Indian Ocean. When she was lost at sea for that day or so, of course I could not help but think about my brother, and how happy I was that he was done with all of his ocean crossings and was now sailing safely up the Pacific coast of Mexico, back toward his home port in Southern California. And of course I was hugely relieved when Abby was found and rescued.

Part of me admires both Abby and her parents (for letting her go). What spirit! Like Dante's Ulysses, who--unlike Homer's Ulysses--instead of returning home to Ithaca decides to sail out past the Pillars of Hercules (where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic), into uncharted waters, in search of adventure and knowledge. Dante rewards Ulysses' daring by shipwrecking him, as if to say that we humans ought to know our limits, and should not reach for too much. But if everyone thought that way, if everyone stayed "in bounds", how much we as a species would miss! Sure it sounds crazy to let a 16-year-old sail around the world by herself. But didn't it once sound crazy to fly to the moon? To fly at all? We need dreamers and adventurers who dare to push the limits.

On the other hand, there's daring, and then there's foolhardiness.

Michael plotted out his trip very carefully, keeping the various extreme weather seasons around the world in mind. And in fact, his trip ended up taking three years instead of the originally planned two because he got off-schedule a few times while his boat needed repairs, which sometimes resulted in his having to remain in a particular port for months, waiting out monsoon or hurricane seasons. Avoiding the major storm seasons is no guarantee of safety, to be sure. But it seems a pretty good place to start. Apparently Abby never should have been sailing that far south in the Indian Ocean now, where, Michael told me, there is at least one huge storm per week this time of year.

Was that error in judgment/planning due to her age? I don't know; it seems to me that a 16-year-old could be capable of figuring something like that out, and it also seems to me that an inexperienced, unwise adult could make the same mistake. But I suppose the young age can make for a lack of both experience and wisdom. I know she was originally rushing because she was going for a world record, but fairly early on she knew she had lost the record to an Australian girl, and yet she still wanted to continue on with her trip. I imagine she wanted to finish what she had started, because it was just something she really wanted to do in her life. I can admire that. But she should have taken her time or chosen her route more carefully, for sure! Anyway, she's safe and on her way back home to Southern California...

As is my brave and adventurous (and cautious-when-it's-called-for) brother! His arrival in Newport Harbor is scheduled for July 3rd, and will be marked with what is sure to be a fabulous party at the Balboa Yacht Club. He has invited all of his friends with any kind of boat to meet him at the entrance to the harbor, and caravan with him through the harbor to the yacht club. It kills me that I won't be there!!! But he will be coming out to visit me about a month after he comes home... and I'm going to throw him one heck of a welcome party when he gets here :-)