From ********@yahoo.com (account since 6/1/03)
I ran across Reid Stowe & his 1000 Days At Sea “adventure” back in April just before he began his journey. I was intrigued by the idea of such a journey, but thought that he & Soanya must be crazy. I wouldn’t want to spend 1000 days at sea just to spend 1000 days at sea, much less 1000 days with just one other person for company (even if she was a little hottie 32 years my junior). I have checked the journey’s websites almost daily and come to the opinion that Reid & I would probably not have much in common. I’ve never understood the whole hippie, mystical, mother earth, artsy fartsy, yoga, karma, heart-shaped course B.S; but to each his own. As far as I know, he’s not hurting anyone and just because his personal philosophy & world view isn’t my cup of tea doesn’t make him a bad person (a weirdo probably, but not evil).
I have so far taken their postings at face value. I’m not a sailor and I’ve been interested in how much daily hard work seems to go into keeping his boat functional. However, their diet would bore me to tears. I can’t imagine eating that same boring stuff every feakin’ day for 1000 days.
However, there are days I think it must be nice to be at sea, enjoying the beauty around you with no to other responsibilities other than taking care of your self that day. No politics, no traffic jams, no erectile dysfunction commercials, etc – just peace & quiet. But, 1000 days of peace & quiet with nothing to see from horizon to horizon would probably get old after about a year. That is has been my main interest in following this endeavor, to see if they can really pull it off without killing each other.
In trying to learn about this weirdo character Reid Stowe, I was doing various Internet searches and came across your site. You “apparently” have a different view of Reid Stowe & his sailing adventure. The question that has come to my mind while reading your site is, why all the animosity towards this guy? You guys seem REALLY pissed off and out to get him on a very personal level.
You’re putting a lot of time & effort in to trashing him. Why?
I understand that I’m running the risk of being labeled a “Reed-Hovian” in asking my question, but I’m trying to figure out if you guys are just mean-spirited assholes tearing down someone because you have nothing better to do, or if this Stowe character actually did something to one of you (stole money, screwed your wife, ect.) and now is pay back time?
I’m not sure if I should think you guys are jerks who should get a life or encourage you in your efforts? Please help me decide.
Sincerely,
Bemused & Confused in Tennessee
Dear Bemused & Confused -
As opposed to the Jessie blog, we are happy to post any and all comments and emails from folks that have questions or even differing opinions (as long as they are intelligence and well written)
I will leave it to the readers of this blog to better answer your questions - Fellow bloggers - Chime in to help Bemused and Confused:
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6 comments:
Hi BC&T in TN!
Thank you for your letter!
As you've gathered, we have issues with this journey, on several levels.
As experienced, and not so experienced sailors (I would put myself in the latter, most are the former) we understand the importance of being well prepared before heading out on a voyage. First and foremost, is boat maintenance. As a reader of Stowe's blog, you are very much aware that there is plenty of mainetance which had not been completed prior to departure, despite the fact that Stowe had been preparing and delaying this trip for years. Most of us, I will admit, will not spend nearly the amount of time at sea that Reid will, but we would never even consider sailing a season without a clean hull, or with leaks in such hull.
Reid is unprepared in many aspects--the provisioning is questionable, and just a look at the pictures clearly shows that both him and companion are losing large amounts of weight. Sailing, and maintenance at sea, require physical strength--we are not even to the one year point, yet Reid looks thin and weak. He has had only minimal success on the fishing front, and mentions very little about adequate sources of protein. That he has left without some key resources--celestial charts, resources on deep sea fishing etc leads us to question his wisdom.
Of course, at issue is the fact that he is not doing this voyage alone, but with one other person, who is terribly inexperienced. One would never be able to doublehand even a 3 day ocean race with such inexperience, let alone sail for 1000 days. If anything happens to Reid, Soayna is in grave danger. This is completely irresponsible on the part of any Captain.
Of course, in looking at Reid's background, we have come across ample evidence that he has a sketchy past, that he is a "free loader" and has failed to assume financial responsibility for his daughter. He has had criminal involvement. He is misrepresenting his voyage to be of scientific value, yet no data has been collected, and NASA is not following his endeavours. We feel strongly that people and sponsors should be aware of this, as there is evidence this trip has more to do with running away from people and responsibilities than anything else. I would not want my grandmother funding this trip.
I do apologize--I came into this late (mid-August) and there are others that are in a far better position to fill you in on more details.
Thanks again for your note, and interest. We, the authors of this blog, are always interested in hearing from others about their thoughts. And we are happy to respond to critisicms. If nothing else, we hope you had a bit of a laugh. We don't take outselves nearly as seriously as Captain Stowe.
BC&T, I found this blog after chasing down a rabbit hole that started with an article posted on Bruce Schneier's network security blog. On Friday's, he posts anything crazy he finds concerning squids. It is sort of a stress relief for us in the computer security field.
I followed the article to the 1000 days of Sailing, Sailing Anarchy, and eventually 1000 days of Hell. I like to try to hear all sides of a story.
By far 1KDoH offers the most fair counter view to 1KDaS. Heck, I'm sure they would love to post anything from the man himself. I also find many of the comments damn funny (cheese scow, rofl). I'd find the whole thing a funny saliors taking pot shots at sailors event if it wasn't for Soanya. It is one thing to be a crack-pot chasing a rainbow in a leaky tub, it's another to bring a naive innocent with you. Now it is like watching a slow train wreck in the making.
I am a sailing noob (newbee) and restoring an old S2 9.2C sailboat. I have some excellent mentors, and the first thing they taught me is proper care of the bottom of the boat as well as testing and take care of your gear. I've also tried doing repairs underway. It plain sucks and difficult to do. So Ried's comments bother me greatly.
After reading both sides, I find 1KDoH to be both funny and factual. I hope you find it the same.
BC&T-
I'm mostly just a lazy, mean-spirited asshole who takes pleasure in the suffering of others. I also happen to be very passionate about sailing, and punters like Reid give our community a bad name. Nautigirl covered the specific issues quite well. The only reason that the Schooner Anne hasn't sunk yet is that the ocean doesn't want it.
Hello BC&T,
There are many people like me who are following this closely for the entertainment value. The "1000 Days at Sea" website could easily stand on its own as far as providing entertainment. It is almost a parody in itself.
Reid Stowe speaks of the huge stores of cheese and how NASA will have to have parmigiana for a trip to mars. The trip to mars should be undertaken by someone with more experience in yoga than flying an aircraft. He planned on using a snow shovel to clean the bottom after 3 years of neglect. He appears in a double breasted captain's jacket for a still photo and also appears in a video trouncing along the deck of his boat in the snow while wearing a funky black jumpsuit with a bizarre white pattern ranting "void ho". He installed a gimbaled yoga platform, he's growing sprouts, his boat's covered in strange carvings, he plans on drawing a heart on the surface of the ocean, and he's got a non-sailing girl on board who's more than half his age who thinks that the charts she looks at daily tell her what the wind will be. This is the ultimate case of -- "You can't make this shit up."
I applaud this site as well as Sailing Anarchy for poking fun and adding even more entertainment value to the trip (no small task). I also applaud both for providing reasonable and well thought out commentary and insights for those who don't understand sailing and the lack of planning before undertaking such an endeavor.
Mr. Stowe has been very astute in his PR and efforts not just to promote the journey but also to promote himself. Both his judgment and his character are fair game.
If I thought he'd actually make it to 1000 days, I'd have canceled my cable. I hope they head to shore before something tragic happens, but in the interim, I'll be following this from all the angles, adding my 2 cents from time to time (where allowed) and LMFAO.
you guys make me laugh so hard i peed all over your sa forum site!
Wow, you guys make Reid Stowe look sane. May all your boats sink...
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