WARMING UP FOR THE GGR TRANSATLANTIC STYLE

BY DAVIN ROSE

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

There is an internal longing that lives somewhere in the realm of the unknown, a natural magnetic pull that exists in each of us, a hunger for discovery, adventure, and the fulfillment of sacred spaces held somewhere between imagination and reality. We are forever seeking to satisfy this longing, sometimes consciously, sometimes unconsciously, sometimes in personal actions, and sometimes vicariously through others. Sometimes the yearning can be so powerful that nothing else can be accomplished until it is temporarily satisfied, for it can never be extinguished, it’s the fire within.

There are certain events that are created to facilitate the fulfillment of these desires. The ancient Colosseum in Rome hosted appearances on a scale never before witnessed with their gladiator games, naval battles, and chariot races where some 80,000 spectators would come to witness. The point being, we as people love to come together to celebrate events that range to the extremes of the human spirit. 

One of these upcoming soul stretching world events is The Golden Globe Race (GGR), which begins September 4th in les Sables-d’Olonne, France. The Race is a solo, non-stop around the world sailboat race covering more than 30,000 nautical miles. Due to the serious nature and extreme demands of this event, it is only the third time it has been actualized since 1968, the second being in 2018. The Golden Globe Race seeks to preserve the full flavor of adventure with its outline, creating a niche coined as Retro-Sailing. For more information about the unique stipulations regarding this event, please click the link below for access to our previous articles or visit GodlenGlobeRace.com.

Local publisher Guy DeBoer is currently in route to the starting line. Departing June 22nd from Key West’s own Schooner Wharf, Guy’s seamanship and problem solving skills were immediately put to the test when he discovered raw diesel fuel in the bilge.  Upon further inspection he found electrolysis corrosion on a fuel tank less than 3 years old. He managed his vessel, Spirit, to port in Charleston, SC where it was retrofitted with a new fuel tank, refilled, and readied to launch. After a presentation with a local yacht club in Charleston, Guy set out at 9 pm on June 30th, solo, for the 3,800 nautical mile journey to the starting line in France. Transatlantic crossings are not for the feint of heart, let alone solo and in hurricane season. Let the soul stretching begin. I would call that one hell of a good warm up.  

I think Bilbo Baggins said it best, “It’s a dangerous business…going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” So next time you’re down at the wharf, on the water, or wherever you happen to feel a stoical touch of inspiration, raise a glass and a cheer to Spirit and her Captain, carrying courage, testing tides, and doing their part to preserve, protect and propagate the search for soul inherent in each of us. Here, Here!

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