An update from the Abaco Islands

We are in the Abacos right now heading to N Exumas then to S Exumas.  Let's see, Sunday is the best bet.  It is a 60nm open ocean trip and the seas are suppose to decrease to 6'. But Heck it beats Sea of Abaco which is where we are right now. Blowing sustained 20-22kts gusting to 30kts. Seas 12' at 8 or 9 seconds.  And then there are the "enhanced" winds in the T storms and squalls . C'mon Poseidon, give me a break.
 Until then we sit and wait.

Be well
BP

Observations on living with Parkinson's and other maladies

(Guest Article)

Stories of living with Parkinson’s

Hi, my name is David Slone and welcome to my blog, Observations on living with Parkinson’s. I am a Vietnam vet with Parkinson’s Disease “PD” (and a few other maladies you will learn about). I am  an author of two books that involve characters afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease or “PD”. I suppose I should have  used the word ”graced” with, rather  than “afflicted” by, PD.  To be honest, most days PD seems like the disease of :subtraction”. That is, our abilities seem to be slowly but surely subtracted from what makes us who we are: can’t drive, can’t dress, can’t golf, can’t drive. Well, you  get the idea. My friend Bob Preston (his blog), and Michael J. Fox would cuss me out for that. but I’ve got to keep it real.

I write two or three blogs a week, so you will get plenty of “juice”. Basically, I write about what I am feeling on a given day. Most of the time it is Parkinson’s. But I might reflect on prostate cancer, blindness, PTSD, Vietnam or growing up in a family of fifteen kids, or what I remember from Alaska, where I was born  or none of the above. What you can be sure of is that my posts w ill always be honest and expressed with a sense of humor.

So read on,  and if you like what you read, share the site or the post with friends or click the “like” button.’  You will notice I am shamelessly promoting books. That’s because 50% of the net proceeds are donated to the Rhode Island chapter of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.

David

http://daveslone.com/

We made it!

We successfully navigated the boat to the Bahamas despite the Parkinson's and a side trip to the ER. Here we will play in the islands starting today with a 100 mi leg to the Abacos.  From there it is South to the Exumas and maybe even to Santa Domingo, who knows. 

 A LOT of people suggested I not take on this adventure.  However, I never want look back on life and say woulda, coulda, shoulda.  Instead, I'm reminded of Helen Kellers word: " Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." 

So to anyone fighting a chronic illness, this is not about a boat, it is simply to demonstrate by example, Parkinson's is what it is, but life will become what I make of it.  

In order.  Family Ties at the dock in West End Grand Bahama.

2. Waterfront homes at the same spot

3. Sunrise as we left yesterday

Leaving the Comfort Zone (Adobe PDF File)

     As this was sent to me as a "condensed" version, the colors on the images are slightly off, but the message is still the same.

CLICK HERE: Leaving the Comfort Zone

     We are in the final push of our journey, and spreading the awareness of Parkinson's disease full force!  Feel free to share this article with anyone you know, as it may help others with their own individual struggles.

A lot of you are wondering.....

     Well we kind of left for the Bahamas. We got about 22 miles out turned around and came back to Fort Lauderdale.  The weather out in the middle of the Gulf Stream did not match the forecast not even close. Wind was supposed to be 10 knots out of the east southeast which is not bad, seas were supposed to be 2-3 feet. Instead the wind came out of the Northeast which is real bad, as it pushes against the northerly flowing Gulfstream, so what we had were steep 5 foot seas with a 2' chop on top.    The Waves had no timing it was just a washing machine out there.  But that's not why we turned around. We turned around because we had equipment failure, two of the four heavy duty buckles holding the dinghy down failed. So we are "stuck" in Fort Lauderdale 82 degrees, sunny, it could be worse.

     Glad to hear all the snow is melting up in New England though!

The most common question I get.

WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

You can now get our exact position any time, including heading, position, speed, etc.  In real time!  The IPAD app Marine Traffic is free or go to marinetraffic.com. If you try the site click on the ship icon at the top! then to SHIPS CURRENTLY IN RANGE.  From there look to the top left side of the web page it asks for my vessel "mmsi" number.  Just insert this number 338163112 and it finds FAMILY TIES.  What follows is a map showing exactly where the boat is and what it is doing ie underway, speed, heading, track, etc.. For the next 2 weeks we are in Ft Lauderdale and we leave here about 3-11 for Bahamas, Abacos, Exhumas, etc.  That's it