Here's a note from Laser sailor Robert Suhay, who sailed from Norfolk to the Sassafras and stopped last night at the Potomac, short of his goal of returning to Norfolk and breaking the world record for unassisted dinghy distance sailing:
Hey, so back home safe. I can't thank everybody enough for all the support, the concern, the help and the cheers. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed in the outcome. I was just North of the Potomac when I was hit by a large T-cell. I rode that out fine. I even turned the boat over on purpose at one point to reduce the load on the rig. But, as I got underway again, the Coast Guard came alongside and informed me that forcasts predicted a long series of similar cells. They highly recommended not putting myself and them in more danger.
Despite a deep personal committment to this quest and a very vivid fresh memory of having beaten so many obstacles up to that point, I still could not disagree with them. I felt it was better to be prudent. The real shame is that I felt very strong, perhaps as strong as at any point in the trip. I was on schedule to cross the Potomac ahead of nightfall and from there would have considered the rest of the trip home turf.
I will post a full account of the trip here later, but I am fading into sleep very quickly. As soon as I'm awake I'll tell you a story about raging winds, dead calms, a narrow escape from a barge and a personal battle with mental fatigue. I also want to tell you about some of the gear that got me home including my Magellan eXplorist 510 GPS, the life-saving Clif Blocks and goo shot electrolyte-replacement. 7:43 a.m. on 7/3/2014
Congratulations, Robert, on a valiant effort. We look forward to the full story about your journey.
