Randall Reeves Crosses the Line
Randall Reeves is about a month away from San Francisco. The Bay Area native is returning home, and plans to make another attempt at the Figure 8 Voyage in the fall. He sent us an email over the weekend:
Greetings from Randall on Moli.
Just a note to say that we finally crossed the line early this afternoon at 152W and are back in home waters (the North Pacific) for the first time since November 20 of last year. This leg from Hobart back to San Francisco has been, at times, painfully slow, but we are now and at last about a month from the Golden Gate.
As you know, Mo and I encountered very heavy weather in the Southern Ocean this last summer. Two gales in particular caused damage to the boat that required unplanned repair stops — one in Ushuaia, Argentina, and one in Hobart, Tasmania. These put me so behind schedule that I thought it "smarter" (note quotation marks) to return home for a second try rather than attempt Cape Horn in late May, southern autumn and edging toward winter.
Once home, I’m expecting a two-month layover (at KKMI in Richmond, if they’ll have me back) before departing for a second try at the Figure 8 Voyage in October of this year. Oh, and I’ve always wondered why crossing the equator is, to sailors, called "crossing the line." But today I discovered the answer.
