The end of our trip..... Home Sweet Home

FAMILY TIES.  THE FINAL POST

STATS.

 I have no idea why but after our last boating adventure 2 years ago the most popular post by far was the closing stats. So without further ado, stats and facts on our mission dubbed: OPTIMISM CAN TAKE YOU ANYWHERE!

8 Months away from the dock in Wickford Sept 29, 2013 to May 22,  2014

5175 mile cruise.

6000' - A nautical mile (nm) is 6000' or 1 1/8 statute miles.)  

233 - Number of days we were away on this Odyssey

84 - Days it took to get from RI to Fla heading south in the fall.

11 - Number of days it took for the same trip north this May.

1320 - Distance in miles marking the furthest point we traveled from our homeport in Wickford. Or a few hundred nm south of Nassau. 

44nm- Furthest distance from land, 1/2 the distance between Eleuthera - Abacos. 

13 - Number of times we were well beyond sight of land 

397 - Number of hours underway 

185mi - Longest run offshore in 1 day - Delaware Bay/Cape May to Norwalk, CT. 

88nm - Single jump in nautical miles  between islands.  It's a tie. Bimini to - Palm Beach and The Abacos to Eleuthera and nobody else was out there.

Lots - Number of sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, eagles, etc..seen almost daily. Plus one small whale, though it may have been a really  big shark

Zero!  Number of times we ran aground. Yeah!  We travelled in a LOT of water <10', often under <6' & probably cut a lot of starfish in half, but we didn't ground! 

6207 - Gallons of diesel burned incl 415g for the generator 

.88 - Average mile per gallon for the entire trip.

1410 - number of gallons of fresh water made from saltwater.

1 - Number of trips to the ER.  It should have been 3.

1 - That was the rank of this trip on my bucket list of things to do.

8 -That's how many quilts made on-board for charity by Becky. All works of art!

4 -The Admiral wanted me tell you that's the number of times I bought her breakfast!  But ask her how many lunch and dinners I bought.  

4 - Number of times boarded by authorities for a "Safety Check".

     

4 - Number of "satisfactory" we got for those boardings. That's a great grade.

2 - The number of times we crossed the Bermuda Triangle. 

$285 - Cost for 1 - 50' boat slip for 1 night at Atlantis on Paradise Island

69 - Number of different  marinas we stayed in overnight.

27 - Nights spent  in a some usually secluded cove on our own anchor. 

2 -  Days/Nights with gale force winds while at anchor.

5280 - Number of feet for the Rapid River Water Ride at Atlantis on Paradise Island, our favorite stop.

14 - Number of TV, radio or print media interviews that were produced outlining our mission. Here's one: http://www.soundingsonline.com/features/profiles/291903-leaving-the-comfort-zone

Priceless - The value of this trip on my psyche and the effect it had on fighting Parkinson's and staying optimistic

2 -Number of water spouts we witnessed. Very cool to watch them form, touch down, go back up, touch down, up, down ...and I didn't know the winds in a spout run counter to the rotation of the storm  around it. Very very cool.  

One inch. Literally an inch.  That's the distance some drunken nit-wit missed us by while he texted on the phone.

$300. Cost for a daily vessel-specific weather forecast that followed us the 6 weeks in the Bahamas. Here's a tornado warning to all boaters in the our area

$200 the cost, round trip, to hire a local fisherman who knows the  route through The Devils Backbone, a very, very dangerous approach to Eleuthera Is.

ZERO!  That's how many breakdowns or major boat issues we had the entire trip.  This fact to me is remarkable.   We put more miles and hours on the boat in 8 months than most boaters do in 8 years, sometimes in nasty weather, without getting stuck anywhere.  THANK YOU SABRE YACHTS!

Immeasurable - The Admiral's patience and sense of humor in all this.

One.  I stopped counting at one the number of people I hoped would "get it".  I hoped to motivate others with a chronic illness to "embrace your own passion" living life to it's fullest. I'll let you determine if I got it done.

Value of it all:  PRICELESS!  Good memories

In closing, MANY people asked me why, 9 years into this insidious disease, I take on such a folly? 

RISK more than others think safe.

CARE more than others think wise.

DREAM more than others think practical.

EXPECT more from yourself than others think possible

                                                                             Cadet Maxim

Final comment.  THANK YOU for following our adventure but most of all,      THANK YOU for the support. That too is priceless.  

If you would like to here the sea stories behind all this....

     Fair winds to all.