Astronaut training in a sense, that is. It's how I look at the new sailing skills I'm acquiring.If I could do absolutely anything in the world, it would be to orbit the earth in space. Within recent times, that has actually become an option to anyone with enough cash. Currently it requires a $20m contribution to the Russian government. That's obviously out of my budget so I'm content with what I see as the the historical equivalent; circumnavigation by sail.
Astronauts are the elite travelers of the world. As recently as the end of the 19th century (before flight), circumnavigating sailors were the elite travellers of the world. The appeal to me, then, of being a circumnavigating sailor in the the 21st century is equal to riding a bike to a destination when most other modes of transportation would be easier and faster. It's not about the destination or the speed of travel but the experience of the journey, one that includes self-imposed limitations to enhance the value.
In September of 2003 while in Telluride, Colorado for the National Paragliding Championships, I joined a few friends in attending a party at the nearby town of Ouray. One of us drove a car using the most direct route by car; 100 kilometers around the mountains (purple line). The rest of us hiked 27 kilometers miles across the 3997 meter Imogene Pass (red line and photo above). As always, click on any image for a larger view.The hike wasn't just about getting to the party. It was about both enjoying of the fruits of the exertion and the savoring the state of being fit enough to take on such a challenge in stride. Also, it was a bit of wild-ass fun. Click on the picture at the top to get the full screen view and you'll see that two of my friends have homemade shortened toboggans strapped to their backs. Once the pass was summited, they rode these down the far side of the immense snow fields we had spent hours ascending.
Furthermore, the town of Ouray has an outdoor pool open year round that's heated by natural geothermal springs. We all had put swimming trunks and a change of clothes in the car taking the less interesting route to Ouray, and so were rewarded by both the experience of the trek and a post-hike, pre-party hot soak.
Life's what you make it. We could have just driven to the party but where's the fun in that?
One of my prime motivations for sailing around the world (among too many to list here) is to not only experience it but thrive and thoroughly enjoy 10 months amidst the potentially unpleasant and perhaps even hostile environment of the open sea. To me, this isn't much different than taking Imogene Pass for the fun of it. A mountain isn't an obstacle but a snow field to ride down (once you've earned the privilege by ascending it). I don't want to just participate in and merely complete a circumnavigation. I want to get the most I can out of the opportunity.
For that reason, I've taken on extra sailing training for our race to a level well beyond the ample amount supplied by the Clipper Ventures company. With the Clipper Ventures training, I'll end up being an extremely competent crew member, and yet one without any true knowledge of navigation, pilotage, weather, international regulations, or many other facets of sailing one needs to be an completely independent sailor. This afternoon I finished a nine day Royal Yachting Association Day Skipper (Tidal) course. This credential is only one notch above the lowest possible skipper rating; Day Skipper (Non-tidal). This now supposedly allows me to legally skipper any boat during daylight hours in demanding tidal situations. I'll pursue the next rating of Coastal Skipper in May once I return from my month at the Norfolk stop of the Velux 5 Oceans race. Though I'll have studied all the theory I can of the highest rating of Yachtmaster before I depart on the race in September, I won't have had near enough experience to be able to even attempt passing the nine hour sailing test. That will come in July 2008, once the race is finished.
Even with this Day Skipper rating, whether or not any charter company would actually allow me to rent a boat right now with my limited experience is another matter altogether. The license I acquired today is more a license to learn than anything else. Most importantly to me, it will allow me to understand more of what's going on amidst our boats as my training continues with Clipper Ventures.
I chose to take this Day Skipper class in February because I wanted to experience the worst winter weather possible. I wanted to try out different clothes and equipment I've acquired to see what it takes to truly stay warm and comfortable amidst anything I'm likely to experience in my circumnavigation.
As it turns out, even the worst kind of drizzling winter rain or near gale force winds that the English Channel had to offer were surprisingly easy to not only endure but downright enjoy. I took the picture below of our instructor (right) and three of the other four students as we sailed out of Portsmouth Harbor last Monday in 30 kts. of wind. You'll note that everyone's hand is clinging to something for stability amidst the heaving seas. Even so, all of us were thrilled to be there.
None of us seemed to care much about whatever weather the week threw at us. It was all part of what we had anticipated and were more than mentally prepared to cope with. In fact, we all had a blast together, even in the freezing rain. I hope to reconvene this same group of new friends this summer over a weekend trip to France and back for both the extra experience and more time spent with good people who love thriving amidst challenging conditions as much as I do.
