As we all know all things come to an end someplace along the line. And if you really think about it, life is like chapters in a book. From birth to elementary and high school to college or military or career to a family. Each chapter is individual for each and each a separate chapter.
The crew of SoulMates has written the final pages of their incredible voyage after 15 years, over 50,000nm and sailing to over 53 different countries. It is known that when you step on a boat sooner or later you have to get off and it became time for this crew to disembark, but not at the same time. After crossing the Atlantic westbound in January 2020 and eventually settling in Grenada to wait out the virus it became apparent that Patty should leave SoulMates. A combination of facts saw Patty leave SoulMates to move to Denver for family and medical treatment. She eventually had hip surgery, a lot of therapy and moved into a retirement community.
Chuck decided he would continue to sail SoulMates and eventually headed north. SoulMates had been outfitted, during the virus shutdown, to head across the Pacific. Sailing up island a few boat brokers had asked Chuck if he wanted to sell SoulMates but he had his heart set on the road less traveled that had been his mantra since the start.
A sail up island with a few glitches such as a stolen dink and an electrical engine fire did not deter him but were simply obstacles to overcome as so many in the past had been overcome. Arriving in BVI he hooked up with an old sailing friend who had greeted SoulMates when they arrived in Grenada after their 2020 Atlantic crossing. He had sold his boat and was now a charter boat captain and invited chuck over for a sundowner. Asking where he was headed and Chuck said Port Mosby. His friend said no you are not. No, Chuck said, I am headed there and then to the Red Sea.
Really good friends will tell you what you do not want to hear and he did exactly that. He was in Grenada just after SoulMates arrived. He knew the shape the crew was in as well as the boat and knew Chuck was 77 years old. Now, 18 months later he told Chuck he was not the guy that sailed across the Atlantic, he had lost a step and his days of sailing the road less traveled were over. That of course did not sit well with Chuck but he listened. The next evening’s sundowners he was a bit more specific asking Chuck if he was having fun sailing the islands to which he replied no; been there done that got the souvenir. He said look you are still a good sailor and can sail these islands with no problem but that is not you. You want to take the road less traveled and well those days are past. You know and I know that somewhere along the line something will break and you just will not have the physical ability to fix it and put you and SoulMates in jeopardy. It is time to move on.
As an experienced mountaineer and teacher of high angle rock rescue he had to close those chapters when he knew he was at his limit during his recertification for high angle rock rescue that he blew out of the water. But he knew he was finished. He learned and taught safety first. He wondered what people saw from his friend in Grenada who wanted him to stay there, to the boat brokers who tried to talk him into sell SoulMates on the way north or for that matter his friend. But in his heart, he knew it was time. Now to convince his head.
Contacting a broker and one last great sail to Florida he was wondering what now? The stir to explore, to see over the horizon, and to visit new countries with varying cultures and foods. Chuck thought of a pt. guy in Tunisia who got him ready to sail after shoulder surgery.
Mohammad, found out Chuck was retired and a bit older and still pushing the limits. He said you know what we do in Tunisia when we retire? Go home, buy a couch, put it on the front porch, sit down and wait to die. For chuck there will be no couches or front porches or rocking chairs.
There is still a road less traveled that needs to be explored and maybe it is not on SoulMates but that is the road Chuck will take. Always has always will. He did plan and execute that plan. As he writes this, he is nicely ensconced in an RV that he purchased in Amsterdam, wintering over in Sarande, Albania. The road less traveled still beckons. Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine, or perhaps how he can get to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. But as he puts it – he plans God to decide. It was time to begin a new chapter.
Looking back many have asked him if he missed sailing. No, he says, as I was never a great sailor, just a safe one but good enough. But what he does miss is the comradery of the sailing community, the many sundowners on so many different boats with so many new friends. He still goes to little markets, sits in street side cafes with a glass of red, admiring the sunsets and talking with all the new friends for you to see people around the world are wonderful and kind and sharing. Yea it will be ok.
