Single-handed sailing

2018 is a remarkable year for sailing around the world. There are scores of vessels out there crossing oceans in the Golden Globe Race, the Longue Route, the Route du Rhum and the Transatlantic Race as a start. These are all the folks that are racing. There are plenty of stories going around, too, with carnage befalling most of the fleets. On top of that, Randall Reeves has embarked on a second try for his Figure 8 Voyage and Jeanne Socrates has joined the fray aiming to be the oldest woman to sail solo nonstop around the world. You can follow them all on the Longue Route Fleet Tracker.


I've been watching my two personal favourite skippers, Suzanne Huber-Curphey and Susie Goodall, two indefatigable women on personal missions to challenge themselves to the nth degree. I love these women. I hope they both succeed in their personal quests.

Then you have the ARC, ARC+, World ARC, Salty Dawg, Go West and other rallies which are taking cruisers across oceans to their next destinations, not necessarily single-handed and not necessarily circumnavigating. But that's a lot of boat traffic all around.

It's interesting that they have all joined into group efforts rather than sailing off on their own like we did. For me, sailing is about being on your own away from the Trumptastic universe of disinformation. Out there, life is real. You do or you could die. Out there, it's calm even in a storm. When there's no one to call, there's no one to blame. I like being out there. But for right now, I am here writing about it. Go figure.

PS: I did cross the Atlantic last month, twice. By jet. Not the same.