Conclusion

Conclusion
I consider this experience to be one of those great life adventures which I’ll always cherish. I got to sail across the Pacific ocean on one of my all time favorite yachts, got to meet and know some wonderful people with a common love of sailing, increased my sailing and seamanship skills, learned how to operate a SSB radio for voice, e-mail, and weather communications, learned how to operate a water maker, got to experience knockdowns, and assisted with a rescue at sea that probably saved a wonderful man’s life. I will be forever grateful to Harry, Phil, and the crew for allowing me to join them on Transpac 2011 aboard Second Chance.

The first thing most people ask me is whether I’d do it again. My answer is “Yes, but with a couple of conditions.” First, I would only do it if I had more time to train with the crew. I’d want to at least crew on the actual race boat for a couple of races and a couple of practice sessions. I’d want to ensure that all crew members were trained on how to avoid a knockdown and what to do when the boat gets overpowered during a knockdown. I’d also want to ensure that the entire crew had similar attitudes regarding safety (e.g. must wear life vests and be clipped in during evenings, reduce sail when squalls approach, wear strobes at night, etc.). And finally, I’d want the opportunity to personally inspect the race boat and survey results.