Blog from Dad

Latest Position: 04/25/09 2104Z 9 18.992N 49 23.122W (744 miles from Grenada)

It's with a growing excitement that have the opportunity to jump in and give you an update and a little insight as to what is going on behind the scenes here. Talking with Zac earlier today he was moving along nicely at a steady 6.9 knots with 10 foot swells and 20-25 knots of wind. Whilst on the phone we heard a huge noise that sounded like thunder. The line went silent for awhile and we called Zac's name wondering what had happened. He had been trounced by a rogue 20ft + wave. As he regained his composure he seemed quite surprised by it but in the end - unmoved. All part of his day's work!

We continued to talk about the condition of Intrepid who since the departure has logged over 20,000 nautical miles. She has been serving Zac well as she continues on her passage. It has been four weeks today since Zac left St Helena Island. He is doing remarkably well and is excited to get into Grenada. He is looking forward to his short stay coinciding with the annual Drum Festival on the island. Maybe Zac will enjoy a chance to have a bang on the drum he picked up on Rodrigues Island in the Indian Ocean.

There won't be much time for play whilst in Grenada. The repairs that will be undertaken are to troubleshoot and repair Zac's radar. I'll be bringing over a complete new unit as Zac has tried all the obvious possibilities with no success and it is unlikley that there will be many spare parts readily available in Grenada. We will be installing a new auto pilot that was sponsored by the American Sailing Association. It is an upgraded model which should be a more reliable backup to the windvane. We will also be installing a new solar panel regulator. The main sail needs some stitching up. We will be taking spare parts out for the injector pump and also changing the propeller. The external antenna for the Iridium sat phone antenna needs repair.

These are the main repairs that are needed. I'm still trying to figure out how to get all that extra luggage through the airports without incurring exorbitant expenses. I've been stuffing suitcases and weighing them then reorganizing and reweighing. My last flight from San Juan to Grenada is pretty small and I don't know how much luggage I can convince them to carry.

Electrician, Mike Smith, will be joining me on this trip. He has generously offered to give his time and effort and a whole lot more which will half the work load. With Mike on the job we should be done in half an hour (just kidding). Without Mikes help earlier on during the preps Zacs dead line leaving in June would never have been met. Thank you Mike!

Jen will be hooking up with Mike and I in Puerto Rico and flying on the same small plane to Grenada. Wait til they see all of us with our baggage coming! Jen's commitment to the project has brought us all a great glimpse into Zac's reality as he travels around world.

I'm also looking forward to meeting Christian Pinkston, who will also be joining us later in the week. Christian has come on board with his company The Pinkston Group and will be conducting the PR surrounding Zac's return.

As Zac draws near the Caribbean there has been much excitement. With just under 700 nautical miles to go his compromised equipment leaves us a little more anxious then normal. Without radar Zac has to be extra cautious of ships and increased boating traffic. The radar should scan every five minutes and set off an alarm if any vessel comes within the ring set around the boat. However, his backup is the AIS receiver which gives off a signal when ships are within a set distance from Intrepid. Although this is a great system, not all boats who should be transmitting do, which makes it a good back up but not as reliable.

We have been looking at footage that Zac has managed to capture. We have been working with our Southern California PBS affiliate, KCET, on a segment that will air next Thursday April 30th on KCET's program So Cal Connected. If you don't live locally, the story will be online at www.kcet.org/socal. It has been fun working with producer Karen Foshay and we are excited to see how her piece comes out.

Marianne realized today that she has sent over 5,000 emails since Zacs departure and fielded many more. This on top of being a very committed mother of seven who pours herself into her role as a homeschooler and devoted, beautiful wife. I marvel at how she manages to accomplish so much but we know where she draws her strength from.

We have spent much time recently dealing with some unexpected issues on the business end of Zac's adventure. There are bound to be difficulties and we are hoping to create better understand and get everything sorted out soon.

This has been an incredible experience for me. What started off as a quiet conversation between a father and son just over a year ago, God has blessed and many people both young and old have been encouraged and inspired. Check out this email hat just arrived.

Hey Zac,

I just had to say hello. My name is Brian, I'm 28, and I'm a "door to door" salesman for a cable company in Cottonwood, AZ. A "door to door" salesman is usually considered one step lower then a used car salesman, but hey, it pays the bills.
I just wanted to let you know I've been following your story ever since I heard about your journey on NPR in early 2008. I was inspired, somewhat jealous, but mostly amazed at your willingness to tackle such an enormous goal.
Not long ago, I was working in a small neighborhood that was a 55+ community, when I knocked on a door of an elderly women (early 80's) and I preceded to give her my sales pitch when I noticed a beautiful painting of a large sail boat on her wall. I asked her where she got it and she explained to me she used to work on a sailboat as a cook for a tourist company. She had seen the painting somewhere and decided to purchase it.
I then mentioned a story I was following about a sixteen year old who was sailing around the world solo, and she became very excited and said, "Yes! I've been following him to! I don't have Internet so I go down the road to my friends house and we read this BLOG thing together!"
To make a long story short, she was very happy to get her Internet hooked up, and the first page we opened was your web site. We sat and talked for a couple of hours, and I got to say, it was one of the most interesting conversations I've ever had. It was like her youth was coming back to her just speaking about what your doing.
Not only are you an inspiration, but so are your parents. I am a father of two, and I'm the kind of dad who gets nervous just watching my kids on the swing, much less watching them sale off to conquer the globe. Your parents honestly make me want to be a more trusting and motivational father.
So thanks to you and your family for the Internet sale, and my new 80 something friend.
Your almost there, and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Brian


This adventure has come with a financial burden as well. We have been blown away by how many individuals have taken it upon themselves to generously donate. We have often mused, 'There are so many people following Zac's journey. If everyone could give $1 we could get Zac home no problem.' This thought has given birth to a plan. I'm not asking for a 13 billion dollar bailout. We are planning for Zac's return and part of the plan is a reception/celebration at a local yacht club after his press conference at the park. There will be limited space so it will need to be limited to friends, family, sponsors and media. For everyone who donates $1 or more between April 1st and the day Zac leaves Panama City on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal on his final leg home will be entered into a drawing to win 4 passes for this celebration. You will have to get yourself there (sorry, airfare is not included). We are working with a local hotel to get a discounted block of rooms for any Zac Packers interested in coming in from out of town.

While I like the idea submitted by Ken in Toronto to auction off positions as Zac's linehandlers through the canal, I think it might be a bit tricky to arrange. You all can let me know though!

It is late here. We thank you for coming on board Zac's adventure with us!

Cheers,
Laurence