Joe Harris Holiday reflections

GryphonSolo2 - The Globe40 © Jean-Marie Liot

Holiday greetings to all - I hope everyone is getting in the Christmas-spirit and enjoying time with family and friends.

I am reflecting that a year ago I had just rounded Cape Horn and sailed up the Beagle Channel to Ushuia, Argentina on Leg 5 of the Globe40 RTW race. That was my second time around Cape Horn and it was pretty cool to join the small club of skippers of the International Association of Cape Horners (capehorners.org) who have been around the Horn twice- once Solo and once Double Handed. Ushuia is also an amazing place that attracts explorers and adventurers to climb mountains and explore the Antarctic and is definitely a place that I dream of visiting again.

Since the Globe40 ended in March of this year, I have been enjoying life on land and also contemplating my next adventure. I put together a PowerPoint presentation combining both RTW journeys and have spoken at a number of yacht clubs and community sailing groups through the summer and fall. Each time I speak I get to re-live the adventure and field the inevitable questions about what's next. The short answer is "I don't know", but I do know that I have a lot of ideas for new adventures and do hope to chronicle my experiences in a book.

I have a vague idea about exploring the world's most remote islands, many of which I have sailed past and wondered what it would be like to live there. It might be nice be nice to stop and smell the flowers, to meet the people and see how they live on these remote islands. It has also been fun to check out different boats- both monohulls and multi-hulls- and to think about what kind of boat might be best for this type of voyage.

Drop me a line if you'd like to discuss anything... like your next adventure!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.