Third voyage – Closing the loop

August 5, 2020 Royal Victoria Yacht Club N 48 27.2′ W123 17.7′

Later this month I’ll be heading off in West Wind II on another voyage back to 48.10 S, 51.57 W where I left Kim Chow in April 2008. This will complete my circumnavigation.

This spot in the south Atlantic is about 300 kn miles North East of the Falkland or Maldives Islands depending where you are from. It is where I was picked up by Captain Hernan Montero and his very brave crew aboard the Buque Oceanográfico ARA Puerto Deseado and taken safely to Argentina. My rescue was coordinated by now Rear Admiral Pablo Fal whom I have never met. It is my hope that I will be able to meet up with these amazing people in southern Argentina if the current Covid situation allows.

I still foster a desire to finish what I started in 2007, a single handed non stop west about circumnavigation. Both my previous attempts were met with failure, albeit the kind of failure that accompanies daring greatly. Something that has only been accomplished by a few. I do not have it in me to once again start off from Victoria and attempt to do the whole voyage again. Instead, my route will take me south from Victoria through French Polynesia then further south and east around Cape Horn back to where I left off in the south Atlantic tying the knot of a circumnavigation and then turn around and continue west about around Cape Horn and back up the Pacific to Victoria, completing a single handed west about circumnavigation. This voyage will be a distance of approximately 18,000 nautical miles or about 33,000 kilometres taking about seven to eight months. I will have satisfied a personal goal not for any notoriety or place in the history books, except the one I have been trying to write ever since I arrived home safe, but not unscathed from Argentina twelve years ago.  

Today Marylou and I did my first big shop for supplies to last for ten months. It will take me several more tries before I get all of what I need. I finished my last house renovation a week ago and have been full time getting West Wind ready for the long voyage ahead.  Although she is still pretty well ready to go I have taken on some long overdue cosmetic maintenance projects that are time consuming. Replacing all ten port lights with new stainless steel frames and wooden interior trims. The coach house and cockpit were in bad need of a paint job which crept into a re KIWI Grip of the whole deck. There is a new holding tank, cushions and many small upgrades such as relocating the mainsheet traveller aft into the cockpit area, relocating the solar panels so I have better access to walk on the coach house while reefing the main, and removing a small lazarette that enclosed the rear of the cockpit to decrease the volume of water when pooped. The bottom has been thoroughly cleaned and repainted, and hull cut polished and waxed. The staysail furler and running back stays have been taken out of storage and re hung. All the sails have been to the sail makers and checked and a new main and jib cut. The Fleming self steering gear has been serviced, the rudder removed and serviced. The list goes on.

I will once again keep sending email through my Ham radio to Marylou who will post them on this blog. I had originally set to leave August 8 th but due to other commitments this has become unrealistic, so I think I will wait till I am ready in a few weeks which will be announced here on the blog. I will be sailing away from the visitors dock at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club and people are welcome to come by and say goodbye keeping in mind social distancing and any other protocols put in place for Covid.  

Cheers Glenn      

NOTE: If you would like to receive updates directly to your email inbox, please select the Subscribe button on the home page and provide your email address. Thank you.