Editor’s note: Kevin Schank, who graduated from Durango High School in 2004 and Fort Lewis College in 2010, is embarking on a trip to sail around the world with friends Eric Elliot, Pam O’Donnell and Tyler Rowland.
VENTURA, Calif. – My best friends Eric, Pam, Tyler and I are setting foot on a sailboat to begin sailing to Mexico, and, from there, farther.
Our journey started with a wanderlust dream. Late nights sitting around campfires, talking about the most abstract and unreachable adventures possible. I never thought it would actually happen: that I would be at a time and place with the equipment, crew, knowledge and drive to start sailing to other countries.
Spending most of our lives landlocked, none of the four of us ever grew up on boats sailing. We were all friends living in Steamboat Springs when we decided to quit our jobs as firefighters and head to the coast of California. In less than two years, we learned to sail across large bodies of water, through shipping lanes and storms, to anchor, to surf and to fish.
We have spent the last five months preparing our boat for offshore travel. The Emma Belle is a Columbia 9.6, it measures 31½ feet long and is quite cozy with four people.
We refreshed the bottom paint, re-painted the mast, had new chain plates made, had the rigging checked, had a new sail made, cleaned the carburetors in our dinghy motors, replaced parts in the old Volvo diesel engine and made countless other upgrades to the boat. She is now a worthy offshore vessel, and we have all the necessary safety equipment to let us sleep soundly.
Many times through the preparation process we were worried about running out of money and not being able to get the things necessary for us to ever leave the harbor. Time and time again, we were astounded at the kindness of the Ventura boating community.
More experienced boaters helped us by giving us thousands of dollars in equipment and hundreds of hours of skilled labor. At every roadblock, someone seemed to pop out of nowhere to lend us a hand. Without the support of strangers, our friends and our families, none of this would have been possible.
Now, I sit here with less than 24 hours before living a life on the water. I have quit my job, sold much of my most-loved belongings and ended the lease on my house. I am all in, as we all are.
A dream that seemed impossible became inevitable. We will be sailing to far away foreign lands and will find out just what restless force it is inside of us that made us want to do this.
Follow Kevin Schank and the crew at www.MoreHandsOnDeckHQ.com.
