55 knot gusts and the final chapters of the Terrapin Flyer adventure
I got a phone call from Alex about six weeks ago. His boat, the Terrapin Flyer, which I had sailed with him from Hawaii to Alaska and down to Seattle, was in southern Washington and he needed to get it down to San Francisco by the end of the month. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to join me on the trip and responsibility would be all on me this time. I told him I would be more than happy to do the delivery for him. Looking at the pilot charts though, and reading about the typical conditions off of the Oregon coast at this time of year, it would be no walk in the park. Gales are frequent as are seas over 12 feet. No, this wouldn't be easy, but it would be an awesome challenge. Fate was not with me to do this delivery though; I got a call from a guy I've been trying to start a charter business with here in southwest Florida and he had already made the print material for a grand opening on October 22nd. John K, the southern chef from the Hawaii - Alaska trip was going to