I Love a Good Sailing Adventure

Back in March and April of this year, 2024…

I was asked to help someone sail his sailboat back to the USA from the Bahamas, so I did. I love a good adventure...and this one qualifies in my little noggin, given a few intense experiences.

Brandon Dolan bought my 40' Beneteau Oceanis Sailboat the Sailing Vessel (SV) Longtail last summer. In July of 2023, she became his. I walked away in tears thinking that I would never see her again. Yeah, I cried. I am strong enough to admit it.

Brandon called me in January of this year and asked me to help him sail her back to the USA since his wife and daughter flew back to the States. At first, I thought about saying, No, since I thought it would be weird being a crew member on the sailboat which was mine.

It was weird, but I did it anyway even after other sailors warned me not to do it. I'm glad now that I did it since it quickly became clear once I arrived in Eleuthera, that I was "called" to help a fellow human be reunited with his family.

After driving up to Virginia Beach, VA from Jacksonville, Florida where I now live, I staged my Tacoma at my brother's house and flew one-way to Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas on March 18th.

Moments that will last forever: Magical sunsets. Reuniting with old human friends. Reuniting with old Avian friends and literally having a conversation with one of them. Being buzzed by an EA-18G Growler super-sonic jet while at sea. A pod of dolphins while at sea. A friendly Stingray. New sailing friends. Lunch on a Superyacht. Being surprised by skydivers on a beach. Arriving safely in the States after a close call with a Tanker at night. Knowing that I listened to my Inner Compass even when my mind thought otherwise.

Adventures come in many forms. Whether they are or not depending on judgment from others, matters not.

I am in the process of another adventure in an entirely different form. How it ends is unknown to me in this present moment...and for me at least, there is the qualification: Navigation into the Unknown despite how one does it.

~ All Photographs by me, Greg Frucci, with my Canon R5 using different lenses