Coming Home
Time to head back to Annapolis
After almost 5 months, the time has come for me to leave France and fly back to the US. 143 days ago, in May I landed in Paris, took two trains and a car ride to a rain soaked, cold, sleepy little town called La Trinité-sur-Mer and embarked on an adventure of ocean racing on my Classe Mini 6.50 sailboat named Terminal Leave.
Even though I planned as much as I could ahead of time and had an idea of how the next few months should play out, it was impossible to predict exactly what I would experience. It would take long days of boat work and days at sea for the story to unfold and ultimately tell itself. Through the preparations, racing and solo sailing, I was fortunate to meet some incredible people along the way. This journey took me through magnificent little towns spanning France, Spain, and Ireland. Even more stunning though were the varying sea states, sailing through the Bay of Biscay, English Channel and Celtic Sea.
Throughout this time, I was tested physically, mentally and emotionally. The challenging sailing conditions, racing against very skilled offshore sailors, and the process of moving a sailing campaign to a foreign country has helped prepare me for the years ahead. Always focused on the current task and yet planning multiple steps ahead, there were no easy days while in France or Ireland. But was it worth it? Absolutely.
As I have written before, I wish I could have completed this season with racing in the Mini Transat but it was not my time yet. My passion and motivation for the next Mini Transat Race in 2023 is stronger than ever. With this experience I am more prepared and competitive for the upcoming racing season.
As I fly back to the states, I look forward to catching up with family and friends. I am especially excited to return and sail with the US Patriot Sailing team in Annapolis. Their support over the past few years with my return to the area in 2018 and then my transition off active duty, was exactly what I needed during those times. I look forward to racing with my teammates once again and helping those who need support through their difficult time with the sport of sailing.
Tomorrow starts day one of preparation for the next season on Terminal Leave, with the ultimate goal of racing in the 2023 Mini Transat. This begins with arriving just in time to make the Annapolis Boat Show. I will be at the Fawcett Boat Supplies and Gill booths this Saturday (16 Oct) all day sharing my sea stories from this past summer. Come stop by and say hello!
Thank you to everyone who has supported this campaign, I could not have made it this far without the backing of so many friends and family.
Thank you to my sponsors for making this possible: Fawcett Boat Supplies, Switlik Survival Products, Gill Marine, New England Ropes, Yankee Marine, Harken, Great Clips
