Here's the plan
Rhiann Marie - Round the World
Stewart Graham
Sat 5 Feb 2011 03:23
Saturday 5th February 2011 0949 Local 0149 UTC
As we have told you all many times on this blog, the world is full of
wonderful people. This has been confirmed and reconfirmed to my family
and I over the past few days.
We have received hundreds of well wishing emails, texts and
phonecalls. Every single one is appreciated. In many ways however they
also serve to remind me of how I have let the side down to some
extent. I was aware that we had quite a large following on our blog -
people enjoying the adventure with us and supporting us through the
various challenges we have undertaken. I was however surprised at the
extent of the interest in our trip and the sheer numbers of blog
readers which has become apparent over these few days. As I am sure
you are reading the blog primarily to follow a round the world sailing
adventure I feel that my shore based accident has let you down.
On the other hand ours is a round the world adventure which has always
involved more than sailing. The shore based and other on the water and
under water activities have all been part of that incredible
adventure. We have dived with hundreds of sharks, spearfished on ocean
reefs through the night, 4x4 trekked through the Australian outback,
ridden horses up the sides of a volcano and generally have not
excluded anything that seemed to enhance the excitement of the
adventure. I have ridden motorcycles all my life and this small
adventure with a guide to head through the jungle and up to a
waterfall is exactly the kind of activity that for me has made our
circumnavigation special.
It is for all of us as individuals to decide what level of risk versus
reward we are prepared to take in our lives. At any point on that
spectrum there is scope to get it wrong. I concede that I am
comfortable operating at a point on that spectrum where many people
are not. I am generally able to cope with the risk and enjoy the
reward. Like everybody else however I sometimes miscalculate or as in
this case just get careless. So I am what I am and though I know I
have let people down I don't have any excuses. It's the nature of the
beast as it were. We are where we are and I will just get on with it.
So.......
Here's the plan. I have arranged with a skipper in Langkawi to take
the boat the 120 miles with Trish and our friend Mairi up to Phuket in
Thailand where we planned to be on the 8th of February.
I will wait in the hospital while they do that trip ( yes I know -i'm
a bit of a lightweight ). I am walking around and already quite a lot
of people in the hospital think I am staff. I will continue to
recuperate until the 9th here in the Lam Wah Ee hospital and will have
a back brace made for me today or tomorrow. Trish should arrive in the
Yacht Haven in Thailand on the 8th and I will get on a plane to Phuket
via Langkawi on the 9th.
We have visitors arriving on the 10th through to the 28th February. We
will go ahead with that as planned but will minimise the upwind
sailing.....
I will stay on the boat and or a room at the marina till the end of
the month to see how the back repair is holding out.
At the end of that period I will evaluate whether I can make a safe
and sensible plan to continue round this year, which means a May
transit of the Red Sea or whether I wait until next season.
Now please don't start sending hundreds of emails saying "you must
rest" and "you can't possibly do that". You know the way I am and that
would only encourage me to do something daft. I am not daft and know
how close I came to serious and permanent injury three days ago. Three
days ago. So I will make the decision based on my strength at the time.
Not another word about it please.
For now I must thank the staff at the hospital for their excellent
care. Zhe zhe to the Chinese staff, Tirima Kasih to the Malaysian
staff, Nandri to the Tamil staff a special Moran Taing to my felllow
Gaels and a big Thank You to everyone else.
In the meantime I am
trying to extract my xrays from the office and will try to get them
onto the blog later. I think you will be impressed
.......