Halfway between the Cook Islands and Tonga, we spent a whole day preparing or 30-foot ketch for a gale that had been forecast for the region. We did everything we’d learned to do, but rarely had the chance to truly test—we double checked our pumps, stripped the decks of any loose items, hanked on the storm sails, topped off batteries…and on, and on. We rested, prepared ready-to-eat meals, rested again. That night, the winds rose and the temperature fell, and two miserable, wet, and gusty days followed…but the storm, at least the prolonged gale we had expected, never came. It was a dry run. A fire drill. A test.
The slow-moving devastating storm of COVID-19 around the world is our test—test of our preparedness, a test of our ability to manage a crisis, and more pointedly, a test of our humanity. It is a test that sailors, so accustomed to unpredictable and leveling force of the sea should manage better than others. I’ve little doubt that the readers of this magazine are the most prepared among their circle of friends. PS readers, of all people, recognize that the success of any voyage is cast long before the first dock line is loosened.
Here at Practical Sailor, we also have been preparing. Essential editorial staff are spread around the country, and simple redundancies have long been built into the editorial and production process. The presses are rolling, customer service will answer your calls and emails, the subscription department will handle delivery details. And I am mired in emails as always. (You can reach me at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.)
With a little luck we’ll all get a break, and get a chance to sail. Most marinas in Florida are still offering essential services—transients are welcome at many of them. The local club where we sail is still allowing members to launch and tend their boats. To strictly follow the norms for safe-distancing, I’ll be solo sailing, or, hopefully, sailing with one of my boys, a couple of computer geeks who’ve been happily on “house arrest” since mid-March. I suppose that is my silver lining to this terrible mess. With my sons’ high school in suspended animation (the online program is still a work in progress), we’ve had the chance to spend some time together.
We’re keeping our goals simple. Next weekend, the plan is to spruce up the trusty O’day Javelin, the boat I taught them to sail on. The old Uffa Fox design is a fitting platform to review a few lessons that should serve us well in the months ahead: hold a steady course, watch for windshifts, and keep a patient eye on the horizon.
There’s an island up there somewhere—and it will be a landfall for us all to remember.
For additional guidance on keeping your family safe and preventing the spread of COVID-19, Practical Sailor’s publisher Belvoir Media Group and its partner Harvard Health have set up a free online COVID-19 Resource Center featuring latest health guidance on COVID-19 from the experts at Harvard Medical Center (www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/coronavirus-resource-center).
Stay safe.
