My fiancee/first-mate remained unwavering whenever I would offer a compass course to follow toward Africa - to begin a jaunt around the world. The reply was always the same... "you've got to be kidding!" As much as she had become accustomed to life at sea the request to join me was just too much. Beth had never sailed before we had met. She was now thousands of sea-miles from home. She had run the gauntlet del mar and survived. An amazing woman indeed.
Ultimatums spat out in relationships are rarely healthy but in this case I could understand entirely the situation. Beth was tired of the seasickness, the isolation, and the stresses of life on the water and the time came that she requested a ride home. In spite of the fact that I had sold nearly every item I had owned prior to purchasing my boat and with the hopes of making a dash around the world vanishing before my eyes, I made the promise. I would sail her back home to New England and find another boat, at another time in my life to sail around the world. Written verbatim as stated; "I can always find another boat.... but there is only one Beth!". Hence, we plotted our course northward, eventually sold the boat, were married and built a wonderful homestead in Norwich, VT with our own hands. Soon after our son Ebben was born and then came Bria, our daughter. Our lives have been truly blessed - but the global sailing plans were on hold, indefinitely. However, unknowingly, the seeds of the next voyage had already been sown. Since then, I found myself reading volumes upon volumes of sailing books, and dreaming of the wonderful places around the globe that so few have had the opportunity to see.
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| Pincoya - Coasting along South America "Land-ho!" |
