Windhorse Sailing

Though I have thought of this trip and variations of it for quite some time,
the actual green light for it did not appear until just three months ago.
This is not a lot of time considering what needs to get done. The hard
part is finding a beginning with so many questions yet unanswered. I
focused most of my time on safety and communications hoping that the rest
would take care of itself.

Safety and communication rely heavily on technology - not my strong suit.
With the help of Chris Roe and Elvia Garcia I was able to choose wisely and
implement correctly. That is not to say that things went smoothly. The
hardware resulted in a logistical circus with so many calls to Federal
Express and trips to Radio Shack that I should receive a dividend like a
shareholder.

I leave for South Africa tomorrow knowing that I have left my personal
affairs in order. But as any one would be I am nervous that I left
something undone. I am truly confident that my crew and I will have
state of the art safety equipment from personal EPIRBs to all encompassing
expedition insurance, and everything in between. Our communication equipment
will allow us to check weather and wave heights ahead as well as emails and
calls home on Sunday nights.

Francis has been working on the boat in South Africa with former owner Dirk
Koetze. When I arrive I will join them in preparing the boat for our
transatlantic passage to Argentina. Toward the end of January, Steve
Jacobson will join us and as a trained chef will take charge of provisioning
our galley.

There has been a lot of hard work to get to this point and there remains
quite a few jobs ahead of us before we depart. We have followed many guides
written by those who have gone before us, but to get to this point, I know
that good fortune has played a role. Indeed, I think it is more than good
fortune, but I can not claim that a sailing expedition is divinely inspired.
Although, it does make me think about the people that we may
be able to effect along our way.

So, to all our families and those who take interest in our voyage, thank you
for all your support. Please know that we will take care to be prudent and
generous in our endeavor.