Thanksgiving With The Auberts

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! While my daughter Roxanne and her husband, Ingo, prepare to vacation in Australia for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, Dick and I are getting the most out of our time in the Pacific Northwest. Dick and I sailed Last Resort over to San Juan Island, Washington, for the Thanksgiving holiday to connect with our terrific buddies, Mary and Lou Aubert.

The Auberts ‘fronted us’ into their friends, Danny and Meghan’s, house for just about the most elegant, elaborate Thanksgiving spread I think I’ve ever had! Danny is a professional chef and the feast lived up to his reputation.

The next day we moved the boat from Friday Harbor to Roche Harbor, where we attended the Island Stage Left repertory company’s presentation of "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" - a different take on Dickens' classic tale. Four incredibly gifted actors played various roles to tell the famous story of Scrooge’s redemption as seen from Marley’s perspective.

We took advantage of Roche’s broad, high dock to give Last Resort a good scrubbing. She hasn’t been washed since Juneau, several months ago. Dick rigorously polished, shined, scraped and toiled until darkness fell. I absolutely could NOT keep up with him! We motored back “home” to Sidney, B.C., today (November 30th), through a dense, heavy fog.

The Drechslers' Thanksgiving & Beyond

Rescued Off Coast of Argentina, Spring 2008

Sailor Tells His Story at Royal Victoria Yacht Club (RVicYC), B.C.

Glen Wakefield struggled emotionally, but was able to tell his story for the first time to members of the Bluewater Cruising Association (BCA). Wakefield had painstakingly refurbished and modified his 40-foot sloop, a Hong Kong-built Cheoy Lee named Kim Chow during the course of four years. He attempted a solo, non-stop circumnavigation west from Victoria in September 2007, but endured a roll-over after fighting against the prevalent trade winds and currents for 218 days. An audience of more than a hundred BCA and RVicYC members were joined by Wakefield’s mother, wife and one of his daughters as the 50-plus-year-old sailor expounded on a slide show depicting his journey. As he described the false step leading to the capsizing of Kim Chow, he was overcome and took a break before recovering. Despite high wind warnings, he had declined to deploy his drogue – a parachute-like device that slows a boat down in a storm so it will not surf down one wave and nose-dive into the next. After regaining consciousness more than 24 hours later and assessing his situation, Wakefield made a decision to abandon his vessel and was rescued by the Argentine Coast Guard. Among the several lessons he learned was the essential value of maintaining communications through his HAM radio.

Rescued Off Coast of Argentina, Spring 2008

Sailor Tells His Story at Royal Victoria Yacht Club (RVicYC), B.C.

Glen Wakefield struggled emotionally, but was able to tell his story for the first time to members of the Bluewater Cruising Association (BCA). Wakefield had painstakingly refurbished and modified his 40-foot sloop, a Hong Kong-built Cheoy Lee named Kim Chow during the course of four years. He attempted a solo, non-stop circumnavigation west from Victoria in September 2007, but endured a roll-over after fighting against the prevalent trade winds and currents for 218 days. An audience of more than a hundred BCA and RVicYC members were joined by Wakefield’s mother, wife and one of his daughters as the 50-plus-year-old sailor expounded on a slide show depicting his journey. As he described the false step leading to the capsizing of Kim Chow, he was overcome and took a break before recovering. Despite high wind warnings, he had declined to deploy his drogue – a parachute-like device that slows a boat down in a storm so it will not surf down one wave and nose-dive into the next. After regaining consciousness more than 24 hours later and assessing his situation, Wakefield made a decision to abandon his vessel and was rescued by the Argentine Coast Guard. Among the several lessons he learned was the essential value of maintaining communications through his HAM radio.

At Home On-Board Last Resort

No amount of rethinking our plans to winter in Sidney, B.C. will avail us. We’re here. We are committed to weathering through the next four-to-five months, no holds barred. And we are determined to make the best of it. Friday evening, Barbara and her husband Gerry came to dinner on-board Last Resort. Barbara faithfully operates a boater’s net on HAM radio every morning, rain or shine, year-round and seven days a week. It’s a very caring act of love as there’s nothing so reassuring when you head out into uncharted-to-you waters, as feeling that someone on terra firma is tracking your progress. Dick and I were grateful she was there as we headed up the Inside Passage this past summer. Once in Alaska, we lost her signal and were so happy to hear her again when we returned to Prince Rupert.