july 12 - and he's off

After breakfast and making sure everything was stowed properly Jim got towed out to the starting line at 9:30. The race started promptly at 12:05 with light winds and he made it out the Gate (Golden Gate Bridge) in about 45 minutes. Isabel and I drove to Fort Baker to watch him sail past but by the time we’d gotten there he was already at Pt. Bonita, the last piece of land. He and I had a final chat by cell phone and he was off.

The whole thing was way more emotional than I’d expected it to be. I think it was part exhaustion, part realization that he was gone and soon I’d be leaving animals and home.

Anyway, I spent the balance of Saturday in a blur of fatigue, worry and overwhelm. I was mentally composing my list of what needs to be done next.