Attempt to Sail 1,000 Days Non-stop Reaches One Year Mark

Reid Stowe, in his quest to sail the longest sea voyage in history (1,000 days, non-stop), is at the one year mark despite many hardships and challenges. Today he is sailing somewhere north east of New Zealand in stormy seas.

Stowe, set off from Hoboken, NJ on April 21, 2007 along with Soanya Ahmad, his girlfriend and sole crewmate, aboard their 70 foot, 60 ton, two masted, gaff rigged schooner, Anne. Reid designed and built the Anne with his family over 30 years ago. They surpassed two sailing records: longest time at sea without being in sight of land for a couple and longest time at sea for a woman.

Soanya, regrettably, had to leave the voyage at day 305, but, remains Reids strongest supporter. The prestigious Royal Perth Yacht Club of Australia sailed out to assist Soanya off the boat. It was a special honor to have Jon Sanders, who is the holder of the longest non-stop record to date, on board the RPYC boat. One goal, to be out of sight of land, was foregone in order to help his crewmate. Stowe continues to sail non-stop at sea, now solo.

Stowe has already survived several severe challenges with the skills he has developed over the years. On day 15 there was the collision with a freighter that required him to rebuild the severely damaged bowsprit and recut of the sails to fit. Less hardy sailors would have likely limped home to do repairs but Stowe resourcefully labored to get Anne in shape with only his own efforts.

Anne’s sails have been up continuously longer than most sails are designed to be, requiring Reid to use his skills to sew and patch almost daily. There is ample canvas, thread and muscle on board for the job.

Reid is on watch day and night, he only catnaps, waking up every 20 minutes to look around. He has to be alert all the time.

Stowe’s principal energy source, solar panels, has proven to be quite reliable. The electrical system has been holding up well, but, keeping salt water out of key systems is an ongoing task at sea.

He has been using the desalinator more to fill the water tanks for two reasons. Catching fresh water has become a challenge because it hasn’t rained enough where he is now and if the wind is blowing to much, salt water would get in.

An all volunteer group of staunch supporters believe in him, his vision and the success of the voyage. They form his mission control team and have created a website where people worldwide can follow the journey. There you can read the regular log entries and see his great photographs. You can check it out yourself at 1000days.net.

Reid spent many years working towards his goal. He hosted many fund raising dinner parties on the Anne. He is a “perfect Southern gentleman” and “generous host” say his friends. Reid has inspired many to develop a love for sailing.

One year into his 1000 Days goal, Reid Stowe has survived the obstacles, passed a few milestones and made a few adjustments. We wish him fair winds and smooth sailing into the next 635 days.

Source: 1000days.net

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