Bermuda to Groton: Day 8

6/11
6:00am
The sun rose on schedule today – one week to the day we set sail. With 80 miles to go. We won’t dock until after dark this evening. Another day is paradise as Jay is fond of saying. Makes the crap we went through just a distant memory. Watching the sun rise this morn helps to remind: Oh yeah, this is why you go off shore sailing.

4:30 pm
Could not check in with Herb due to bad propagation caused by solar flairs.

We caught a good sized Blue Fish – It’s what’s for dinner.

So, after all the shit we went through we were really looking forward to seeing land, and having a couple of brews while we made our way to dock. No such luck. We don’t even get the pleasure of watching land slowly embrace us as a heavy fog set in. Can barley see the bow it’s so thick. We’re in heavy fog & light winds 1 hr from Montauk – 4.1 mile to Montauk point and 19 miles or so from shenny. No beer for us, not now, not in these conditions.

Fog can be very disconcerting. We’ve tuned the radio listen for radar reports from other boats. I will be spending the next several hours on the deck with eyes and ears peeled watching out for other boats as we enter the heavily trafficked Long Island Sound. We are targeting Race Point Light.

9:00 pm
We’re home! Docked! The boat is in tatters. The first land we saw was Race Point Light – dead ahead 2 boat lengths away. GPS doesn’t lie. We made a quick move to starboard and hugged the shore to the Club.

We’re drinking beer and Jay is cooking up the Bluefish. Crazy ride! Jay paid me a great complement. He thanked me for being outstanding crew in shitty conditions and said he admired how I handled stuff especially considering I have PD.

I’m proud of the accomplishment. I’m stronger for the experience. I don’t ever want people to look at me and say “poor guy has Parkinson’s”. No, that won’t do. I want to be the guy people look at and say “he’s done all that, and can you believe he has Parkinson’s?” I have my work cut out for me. I’m ready for the challenge. I am not afraid.

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