At age 70, one of my goals was to enjoy life by windsurfing more, and although Atlanta is a great place to live, it's a long drive to the ocean and reliable wind. So getting out on more days seemed like an elusive goal. Then foiling came along with the promise of more days on the water. Thanks to William's advice, I bought a foil and quickly learned to sail on days so light there was hardly a whitecap in sight = more days on the water.
I began keeping a log on my phone of days sailed. One day at Van Pugh I told Rhett about my goal and we compared our numbers of days on the water. Rhett challenged me to a competition. It may have been for the most days sailed, but I set a personal goal of 100 days in a year.
Last year I came close. Despite all the suffering from the COVID pandemic, there was less traffic, and fewer work days, making it easier to get to the Lake. I started last year with far more days sailed at Lake Lanier, then came our Spring and Fall trips to the windy Outer Banks. I was getting so close to 100 it seemed that I would reach my goal, then a string of warm, windless sunny days followed. At year end, despite a favorable forecast, I got skunked three days in a row and only made it to Day 99.
This year my wonderful wife Peggy joined the effort and volunteered to be an enabler. My son and daughter signed on to the effort by joining us for a family vacation at Lac Bay in Bonaire. The Island delivered 10 days of steady trade winds out of a ten day vacation. My brother & his wife joined us on a trip to Spain that included four days at Tarifa. Although renowned for reliable wind, Tarifa only delivered one epic, high-wind day. Fortunately our Spring and Fall OBX trips to Nags Head closed the gap, with an amazing number of windy days. With five days on the water, this past week has been amazingly windy for Lake Lanier, allowing me to reach my 100 Day goal before Thanksgiving!
Having reached my goal, I can now reflect. There's no prize for sailing 100 days, just the satisfaction of setting a goal and achieving it. There are many benefits. The trips to the Outer Banks remind me of the movie "The Big Chill" where a gang of friends reunite after a funeral and share deep personal experiences. Why wait for tragedy to strike? Bonded together by a shared love of outdoor adventure, and the natural beauty of the coast, we meet in the Outer Banks to celebrate living life to the fullest. On our family windsurfing vacations, we couldn't wait to get on the water, and were so tired in a good way that we headed early to bed. As I turn 75, I feel very fortunate to enjoy a sport shared with friends, that keeps me in good physical health.
