Life At the Extreme

This is the motto of the Volvo Ocean Race and the banner you see when you play the Volvo Ocean Rave Game. Certainly, the expression applies to the sailors spending weeks at a time, far out at sea with only their crew mates, experience and ship underneath them. The VORG on the other hand... Well, we have it a little easier. But in some ways, the extreme nature of virtual ocean sailing can only be understood through the experience of those around us. The following was posted on the Support Forum of the VORG (not the type of "support" they had in mind);
DEAR VOLVO OCEAN RACE GAME.
Can you please help me my husband has deen acting most strange the past week.he works from home and has his one office he seems to de getting very depressed latelt.

he's locked in there for hours at a time,we use to go to the pub four or five times a week.the other day he came screaming out off his office something about he had broken a sale?I thought it was something to do with his work.
then the other night it was 3 am before he came to bed,moaning all night about the sodden forecast was late again.I haven't seen him in two dats just passing on his to the bathroom and back all i get from is those sodden doldrums.I just cannot stand it any more.
He mumbled something (in passing in the early hours off the morning)about Il de femando de noronha and cape town,I asked him if we were going on holiday he said you just don't under stand.
To top the lot I went to bed last night and caught him in bed with another laptop I just don't know what to do IM OFF TO MOTHERS.

PLEASE,PLEASE HELP FROM A FRUSTRATED WIFE.
I shared this with my wife (mostly to let her know she's not alone...). Her reaction was, "EXACTLY!"... The laptop has become know as "The Mistress" in our household. I have no idea what that's really like (and neither does my wife). But I admit to thinking about my boat often and quietly checking in on her in the midst of other activities like work, sleep, and doing projects around the house. I feel a little uncomfortable when I know I'll be away from an internet connection and unable to check on wind changes, boat speed and sail selection.

At least, this "Life At the Extreme" can take a break for a little while. Yesterday, I arrived in Cape Town -- the end of Leg 1. The second leg (of 10) starts on the 15th. It's a 4450Nm leg to Kochi, India -- about 2550Nm shorter than leg 1. Time for some rest and life a little less at the extreme.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The RC is Always Right....

Image
Except when they're wrong and succumb to pressure and personal bias... Tillerman is at it again with another assignment. Last time, in response to his request for Worst Sailing Mistakes , I posted a story about my Protest Shoe . Overall the response provided many funny stories and a few intense ones. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt (emotionally or physically) in the making of these stories. This time the assignment is Top Race Committee Screw Ups . First and in general, these (for the most part) volunteers to a great job. We couldn't have fun racing without them. The good ones run a race or regatta in such a way you hardly know they're there. On the other hand... they do occasionally make mistakes. In a regatta on our local lake, we were racing on Sunday. IIRC, the points were quite close. We were setting up for what was likely the final race of the regatta. The committee put up the course label and the sequence was rolling. We made sure we new the course, studie
Read more

Blue Like Jazz

Image
We've been reading this book by Donald Miller . It's about his life and faith. What's the connection to Jazz in the book? So far, Miller hasn't talked about this theme very much (at least not explicitly). In the beginning of the book, he mentions that Jazz does not " resolve " for him and that similarly he thinks God does not resolve. What does it mean to resolve? resolve v. tr. 1. To make a firm decision about. 2. To cause (a person) to reach a decision 3.-8. [...] 9. Music. To cause (a tone or chord) to progress from dissonance to consonance. 10.-14. [...] Looking at the 9th definition related to Music, Miller suggests he hasn't found a progression from dissonance to consonance in his experience with God. dissonance n. A harsh, disagreeable combination of sounds; discord. Lack of agreement, consistency, or harmony; conflict Music. A combination of tones contextually considered to suggest unrelieved tension and require resolution. conso
Read more

Bike Commute - Day 8

Image
"Wet ride?" Well it started out pretty dry (relatively). It wasn't really raining (even my my standards of humidity). Then it started raining about half way but not too bad. I didn't wear my "rubber pants" and stayed dry (again relatively). No rooster tail up the back side. Trevor's fender works as expected... I gotta get me some of that. I've ridden almost 130 miles and saved about $19 (just in gas)... but I've spent a little bit more than that on bike lub., tire levers and a pump... and obviously fenders are next. Still it saves gas and mileage on the ve-hicle (the four wheeled vehicled and internal combustion engine vs. the two wheeled vehicle and internal digestion engine). DAY Date Time Distance Cumulative Distance Savings Total Savings Weather 8 5.24.2006 0:41 7.96mi 118.96mi $2.35 $18.73 EUG 7.96mi 126.92mi
Read more