Don’t let life get in the way

Life can get in the way of sailing, but Richard Joules found a way back in:

I was introduced to sailing in the Bahamas as a five-year-old – 56 years ago. That start in my sailing journey has taken me to many highs, from the bow of the boat to the cockpit, starlit nights on deck to watching spectacular sun rises and sets. It was a wonderful 25 years or so, but as a long-haul truck driver, time on the road trumped time on the water.

However, my wife understood the pull the ocean had on me. One day she lovingly, but foolishly asked, “Why don’t we get a boat?” I gave her a huge hug and a kiss, as living on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, this stretch of water was known for some of the world’s highest tide. You didn’t want to be on the wrong side of an outgoing tide as you tried to come through Digby neck. I declined her offer… reluctantly.

Then, through the power of YouTube, I started watching radio-control sailboat racing videos, and it relit that desire to race again. I started with a secondhand DF65 and Soling 1M, and then built a Soling 1M just in time for the 2024 Canadian Championship.

The Halifax Area Model Yacht Club hosted the event, and the week prior to the regatta I was working on tuning my, yet to be named, boat. After losing power, drifting to the other side of Sullivan’s Pond, getting a bit wet while making a recovery, changing batteries, and having a wicked slip, trip, and fall. I had my boat’s name: BLOODSPORT.

What else do you call a vessel after splitting open your elbow and breaking a wrist? It kind of reminds me of my foredeck days. Don’t take life too seriously; it’s too short.