June 16, 2007

I put the boat back on its trailer after the expensive paint job was finished.  But I didn’t put it back in the water, because I wasn’t sure when I would set off.

Before I had the boat repainted, I tried one more time to start.  There was a tide in my favor, so I left at 1:30 a.m.  I had slept for four hours and felt ready to row for about 20 hours, if I needed to.  When I went to get my boat, the yacht club was closed.  I was alone and it was pretty dark!  I felt as if I were sneaking away with no one to watch, but modern technology called ARGOS lets my friends track my progress at any time.

I made good progress toward the Golden Gate Bridge, but as I got closer to Point Cavallo north of the bridge, the wind picked up.  I eventually drifted out of danger, but I was worried.  The last thing I wanted was to have to be rescued again.  So I decided to tie my boat once again at the Presidio Yacht Club and wait for the winds to settle down.  The longer I waited, the worse it got.  “What to do?” I wondered.  I waited.

I slept in on Thursday and checked the weather reports again when I woke up.  Stormy weather, strong wind and fog were predicted for the weekend.  Fishermen also reported bad conditions.  I decided it would be safest to wait longer.

That evening, I met a kind man named Jack Gill.  In 1996, Jack helped with another human-powered trip around the Earth.

*Entry adapted for grades 5-8 by Andrea Rogers