I know that you are wondering about the featured image.  Well, that is me and you will find out all about it once the internet connection here allows me to get pictures downloaded and the story told.  Let’s just call it “The Day of Waves”.

I was directed to a blog that I would like to share by one of the other crew members, Mike Adams on Garmin.  It expresses many of the same thoughts that I am feeling currently and I don’t think I could write it any better.

“So this is it. The antepenultimate race of this amazing experience. Third time across the Atlantic, watching the longitude ticking down to Greenwich, and home.

There’s a definite sense, among the worlders at least, of winding down to the race finish. Not that this means we are less diligent or active in keeping ‘Gertie’ (I know…) moving: quite the reverse, in fact.

We’re keen to push hard and make our way past Sneaky Pete and the GREAT Britain crew to third place on the podium, and the crew are giving their all to make it happen, keeping the sails going up, down, in and out with a will.

But I think we’re all ready for this adventure to be finished – or rather, to be completed – and to continue with life outside the Clipper Race bubble.

Occasionally you’ll catch someone quietly gazing out to sea, leaning on a rail or a backstay, trying to imprint the image of the open ocean on their mind, to be able to recall it at an office desk in a year’s time. 

The sight of the – currently calm – sea beneath a perfect hemisphere of sky, and the feeling of remoteness that accompanies it, is one of the memories I will treasure.

I can’t say I’ll miss the moments when that sky fills with rain, hail, and filthy black clouds, and the world turns into a giant washing machine; I won’t miss fighting sails on the foredeck or fighting to keep my balance on the helm, hands cramped with cold and eyes full of spray; I won’t miss staggering down the companionway at watch’s end, water streaming off my foulies, only to find that my bunk is wet and at an absurd angle.

But I will miss the elation of a tough job well done, when my whole watch has worked well together to achieve a tricky sail change or recover from a broken line; I’ll miss the purity of steering by a single star on a clear night; I will miss the rush of surfing a forty-tonne boat down five-metre waves; and I’ll miss the joy of making landfall after a long voyage, seeing a new country as it was first seen.

We’re reminded every day how harsh the marine environment is, wearing through ropes, sails and steel; but it also erodes the veneer and polish we each put on our own characters. Being cold and wet and tired rapidly strips you down to your true personality, which can of course result in conflict; but also allows friendships to be built on a far more solid foundation than is sometimes the case in the real world.

And so most of all I’ll miss those friendships, forged in trying conditions and cemented in the pub at the next stopover, and embodied in the image I imprinted on my mind as I helmed through sunset last night: both watches on deck, enjoying a sun-downer and quietly chatting in groups of twos, threes and fours – nurses, engineers, accountants, policemen, teachers; ages spread across four decades; but all one crew – as the sun dipped below the horizon, and we glimpsed the green flash of its light refracted through the surface of our last ocean.

Mike Adams

Garmin Crew for 2015-16 Clipper Round the World Race”

Some of his experiences I did not have such as “I won’t miss fighting sails on the foredeck or fighting to keep my balance on the helm, hands cramped with cold and eyes full of spray” as I am really not physically big or strong enough to perform those jobs safely for myself or the crew.

Garmin and GB are currently in a race for 3rd place overall as LMax and Derry are battling it out for 1st.  Best wishes to all 4 teams in the next two races and may the best team prevail.

We are currently working hard to move up to 5th overall and if our crew work continues to jell it just might happen.

Questions for YOU to ponder!

1.  For band directors, what part of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Sea Songs portrays a nice easy rolling wave the best?

2.  For everyone, what two lines in the song “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head” (yes, think Paul Newman riding the bicycle in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) best describe my feelings at this point?  This race from NYC to Derry was very rainy and after singing it to myself for days, I found my lines that fit me perfectly!

There are several other questions for you, but need photos to help you out with them.

Hope to get the race from NYC done before we leave, but looks like I have to first find a good internet connection!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Our incredible and fun Leg 7 crew

Though we kept the boat in Jersey Shores at Liberty Landing Marina, I believe that everyone spent most of their time in NYC.  I was very fortunate to have been met and adopted by former student Kevin Brubaker, MacArthur Band percussionist.

For those that do not know Kevin, here he is.  The picture was taken in the new station  by the World Trade Center Memorial.  On our way to his place that had a real shower and a great blowup bed!

Craig and Daddy’s biggest helper working with Alex on the winches.

The first two days after we land, we spend cleaning and fixing different issues on the boat.  My list is usually pretty long each time and I tend to spend a couple of extra days when the rest of the crew are off so I can actually get mine done.

Another ex- Mac band student , Jeff Hudgins, awesome sax and all around woodwind and jazz player gets involved with The Amazing 3rd Grade Students of PS 129 in Harlem and Opera on Tap to present La Cenerentola, Gioacchino Rossini’s Cinderella Opera Re-imagined in the Wild Wild West.  Jeff did the arrangement for this production for Banjo/Mandolin, Violin, String Bass and Accordion.  Very well done and once again I am proud of the accomplishments of my students.

The horses and the coach to go to the ball.  Pretty cool horses!

Heather Aussiker, Kevin, Jeff and I checking out the local Mexican restaurant.

Kevin played in BLAST and now designs audio systems for big stores, etc. from his live aboard catamaran currently down in St. Pete.  Heather is a writer and Jeff is a jack of all trades musician.  I know there are more students in NYC but only found one other, Damien Norfleet who was rehearsing for a new show.  Pretty incredible bunch.  The cool thing is seeing what ex students have done with their lives.  I feel like a proud parent.

This is the way to see the NYC area.  Kevin gave me a great tour and very detailed.

And what better way to end a Sunday in Brooklyn than a picnic on the steps with the neighbors.  Cheryl missed being in this picture as she was busy inside.

And of course all good drummers would like to eat at Krupa’s Grocery.  The atmosphere included pictures, suspended cymbal lights and cowbell lights.  What more could one want?  Good food?  Well, they had that too!

Not only did I get to eat there, I also got to experience Ethiopian food, Mediterranean food, bagels and locks with salmon, cream cheese and capers, pizza with anchovies and other delights!

My new great buddy Mr. Toast!

I wonder if Mr. Toast felt like I did after crew member Ryan shaved my head?  Mr. Toast though still looks pretty good!

And of course when in New York one must partake of all the cultural opportunities they can.  Elaine, Han, Alex, Jen and Darren and I all went to see Phantom of the Opera while there.

MCCallum Band allowed me to go see Swan Lake Ballet with them and I met up with Jen and Darren there.  You have to know I was with a band as look, all the dancers are in lines!  And yes, they can rotate them really well.

Had the opportunity to watch Ms. Nelson, Mr. Ehlers and Mr. Rudy rehearse the combined McCallum bands for their Carnegie Hall performance.  It only took me 15 years to hear them play in Carnegie.

Was interviewed by Dylan Dreyer, Today Show meteorologist along with Dana Nichols and Anna from Visit Seattle.  If you were lucky you caught Doug’s posting of it on this blog back in June. 

Sometimes I have to be taking the pictures and just can’t be in them all.

And what would life be like without a concert in Prospect Park by the New York Philharmonic, a grand style picnic and fireworks afterwards.  Is that not too much?

Beautiful skyline

911 Memorial and if you ask me I have a great story about how the names were done.  Thank you Kevin!

Can you believe, green space for kids to play baseball in the middle of downtown!  The yellow ferry we rode from Jersey Shores to Manhattan except when we couldn’t find the correct dock on the Manhattan side and when it didn’t run until 9:15am on the weekend.  Both issues caused me to be late to boat work.  YUK!  But highly imaginative thinking helped me find a way.

To top it all off, an enjoyable concert by the McCallum Band at Carnegie Hall.  Crewmates Jen and Elaine were truly impressed by their performance!

So it goes, an adventure of a lifetime in the Big Apple.  Great fun, great friends.  What more does one need?

A moment of peace and gentle beauty

Media man Rich hard at work.  I really think that he is just having fun.

More excitement!  Notice the color of the water after the spray recedes.  Reminds me of ice cubes or really COLD water.  Pretty color though.  If you notice the sail is reefed (made smaller for all you non sailors)

My favorite thing is watching the spray build and the waves grow.  John stands fearless as the tumult grows!

The waves and water build to a frenzy and then it is yet another beautiful day.

The end to a calm and peaceful day.

Lunch and happy hour.  John leading us in a Q&A about UK Sports.  Not fair for us Americans and Canadians.

One of the fun tasks is checking the steering cables and making sure that all is well.

What a beautiful and fun day along with a great ride!!

Yea!! The race is over and we have WON!! and no, we really don’t know where Garmin is.

A lighthouse for my lighthouse friends!

Tidying up deck as we go!

Whoops, somehow Matt has Champagne on board???

Elaine and I celebrating.  Not to worry, we shared the bottle with 15 others!

Managed to finally catch a bird as he caught the fish!!  Poor fish and lucky bird.

And we sailed this close to it!  Imagine being an immigrant and sailing in on a ship.  I felt great pride in America, can you phantom what they might have felt?

Jill, Jen and me ready to land!

Home again!

Cool picture by the media boat.  The red flying off the bottom of the mainsail is not me trying to go up the main, not a protest flag, but the British flag. On the opposite side of the boat we have a small American flag that allows us to come into the country.

Look out ducks we are coming in!

We did it for real!!  First place finish!

More later for the New York adventures with Kevin Brubaker and friends and ex students.