Another Circumnavigation, another Dream Completed

by BW Media on 6 Jun 2008 Almost every day there are cruising sailors setting out for parts as yet unknown. They set out from Sweden, or maybe Turkey, from Australia, or maybe Florida. Some are on modest journeys, some just don't know how far they will get, some start determined to sail the world or around it.... and almost every day, there is a sailor who finishes.

How do we know there's one 'almost every day'? Well, we don't, but we can estimate from some facts. We know from authorities that around 500 yachts pass through the Panama Canal each year and the agents which represent them tell us that about 50% of those are circumnavigating. We also know that only about 20 intrepid cruising yachts a year (it's easier to count) round the Horn. That gives us less than 300 a year who finish, or one almost every day of the year.

So feel the joy as one of these sailors finished his seven year circle this week, as described by Janet Wilson of the American Statesman:

Austin sailor Ben Edelstein sailed through the Galveston jetties this morning (June 04), completing a circumnavigation of the world, and a dream, he started in 2000.

The former real estate agent has sailed more than 50,000 miles on his 42-foot Gypsy Soul. During his odyssey, he dined with princes, stole princesses' hearts, weathered dangerous storms and survived a shark bite.

'It's been like going to a university to get a degree in World Experience,' Edelstein, 46, said after he sailed past Galveston and returned to the Clear Lake marina where his journey started seven years ago.

Three buddies, Wayne March and Kai Geschke of Austin and Paul Duport of Houston, joined Edelstein on the final leg from Key West to Clear Lake. Sporting black pirate eye patches and playfully wielding machetes, they cruised through the channel in a strong wind and dodged freighters. Friends and Edelstein's mother, Kaete Edelstein of San Antonio, greeted the intrepid sailor with champagne and hugs as his journey ended at the marina.

For much of the trip, Edelstein sailed alone. His daughter, friends and people he met at ports around the world sometimes joined him aboard the Gypsy Soul for portions of the trip. Edelstein's mission began with a sail through the Caribbean, a crossing of the Panama Canal to the Pacific and a long solo journey to the south seas islands. From there he sailed to Australia, Indonesia, around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and on to South America. He was in the Caribbean this spring but wanted to get home before hurricane season kicked in.

Although Edelstein knew his trip would require several years, it lengthened as he took his time visiting villagers and trekking through some interiors of the countries on his route. For now, the Gypsy Soul will remain at the marina and Edelstein will return to his mother's home in San Antonio. He plans to resume a real estate career put on hold for seven years of adventurous cruising.

Congratulations, Ben. Welcome home.