Ready About!

It's the end of the world as I know it. And I feel fine.

Gear for the Year

Img_1909

A picture of most of the gear/supplies I'll be packing for the trip.  Pictured, roughly left-to-right and top-to-bottom are:

Junk in My Trunk

Arts and craft project that I needed to do on my sailing shorts that I wrote about previously.  The pads I had were too big and needed to be cut down to fit the smaller pants.

And if you're wondering whether I tested my handiwork by throwing my butt at various hard surfaces... of course not.  That would be ridiculous.

(download)

More (or Less) Than You Think You Are

Pastedgraphic

Today I received my Gill technical sailing shorts - with optional foam butt-padding inserts! I had originally ordered the medium size according to the online sizing guide but found that they were too big.  APS was great when I called and sent out a small-sized replacement immediately.  The excellent service that was much appreciated given how close I am to my departure date.

A major part of the preparation for this trip has been purchasing gear.  Sure, there was the financial decision, the mental preparation, the logistics of spending a year away from home, etc.  But really - it's all about the gear!

Clipper actually recommends not spending a ton of money on gear before the initial Part A training in case people want to back out after the initial shock of ocean sailing.  In my case, though, all of my training is scheduled back-to-back-to-back in the weeks leading up to the race and after I will have quit my job and flown one-way to England.  So backing out is not really an option.  Not to mention the hassle of returning all of that gear.

Back to the shorts.  After multiple instances of having to return clothing to get it exchanged for smaller sizes (and after a few years of Jenny laughing at my oversized wardrobe) I've realized that I should really be wearing clothing one to two sizes smaller than I'm accustomed.  I remember in junior high my favorite Nike t-shirt was an extra large.  This may explain why I never got called on in algebra - the teacher must have just seen a big pile of cotton cloth in the back of class.  These days I wear whatever size fits, and if my lanky arms show, then so be it.  I'm a skinny guy - drowning in oversized clothing isn't going to change that.  And I'm happy with that.

For me, entering my third decade has been all about getting comfortable in my own skin - embracing my abilities and limitations.  At this point I'm resigned to the fact that I'm not going to play center in the NBA ("like Yao but smaller") or ever win American Gladiator.  But sailing in an around the world yacht race - and winning?  Might still be in the cards.