Posted: Jan 14, 2010 11:14 am EST
“With hard work on every level and a whole lot of love, it is possible for normal people to achieve what has never been dreamed of,” Reid Stowe said as he is nearing 16 January 2010; a 1,000 days at sea without touch of land or taking any resupplies.

Reid’s return

Reid will be staying out longer due to the fact that returning to New York City in winter weather makes for tricky sailing and he has lots of food, reported his onshore team. Instead, he will return in the middle of June propelled by calmer winds.

The onshore team invited everyone who would like their boat to be a part of the flotilla of boats accompanying the schooner Anne up the Hudson River as she makes her way to land for the first time in over three years, to let them know as soon as possible so they can get the right permits.

Email: Soanya at 1000days dot net with your name, vessel name, vessel size, and a contact phone number.

They will be posting more details as June gets closer.

Systems update

Reid gave a report of the condition of his systems:

The old sails are worn out. “They have performed well past the expected life of a sail but they are usable repaired and reinforced.

”I have two sets of sails, two storm sails and two extra headsails. I must be careful with them but they all set well.”

“The pins on the turnbuckles are all wearing down but I've moved them off the worn spots and I've wedged them with hardwood so they are wearing on thick steel now.”

”All of the eighty or so pulleys are worn out in many ways and are on their last legs but I have a few rebuild pulleys ready to work in different locations.”

“The big repair at the bow at the beginning of the voyage which is crucial to the whole standing rig is holding up incredibly well. I keep on top of everything and don't see a problem with it.”

Reid’s last laptop broke down on day 970 and can now only communicate by satellite phone. “I always keep the high tech gear triple wrapped in ziplock plastic with desiccants.”

His electrical system, which provides power for the lights and all of the electrical equipment is holding up great, he reported.

”Most importantly our unique homemade hull built of steel, fiberglass and Ferralight is holding up great and has given me no worries. In this area the triggerfish keep the bottom clean. Since I put new stuffing in the stuffing box the bilge has been dry. No leaks.”

Some of the ropes are worn out, but Reid has spares. “The masts are solid fir and are fine. All of the spars are doing well and I have spares.”

“The rigging is all solid. I've made some adjustments to the steering system. It still has a bit of play in it but it works fine. I have an emergency tiller setup as backup.”

The water tanks have not leaked a drop and they are three quarters full, said Reid. “Next time I get a good rain I'll fill them up again.”

“The motor starts first time every time. I run it for fifteen minutes every three weeks. The diesel tanks are two thirds full. They have not leaked and have the correct amount of biocide in them to preserve the fuel.”

He said he has way more than enough bottled cooking fuel stored in the foredeck locker. “I'm on my second cooking stove and it's a good thing I brought furnace cement for the wood stove because I had to patch the rusty burners to keep them working well.”

”Food systems took a lifetime of preparation just like the technical issues and I have been eating very well. Everything is triple wrapped in plastic and nothing has spoiled.”

Mars astronauts’ rules

While sailing for years on the Mars Ocean Odyssey, Reid has been wondering several things about Mars astronauts going off to Mars for 1,000 days. Click here to read Reid’s thoughts and questions.

Celebrations

On 16 January two back-to-back events will be held to celebrate Reid’s 1,000 days at sea, announced his onshore team.

For the party invitation click here.

September 4th, 2008 Reid Stowe had completed 500 of his 1,000 Days Non-Stop at Sea voyage. On his return to New York in 2010, he will have spent nearly three years without stopping or resupplying, surpassing the current continuous solo sailing record of 657 days held by the Australian Jon Sanders.

Stowe sees the 1000 Days Non-Stop at Sea project as a space analogous expedition because the voyage involves the same length of time as a round trip to Mars and poses similar human psychological endurance issues. He published an article in 1990 entitled "Seafarers of today provide a role model for spacefarers of tomorrow."

In the first 500 days, the boat encountered numerous challenges, including a collision with a freighter in the Atlantic on Day 15, which resulted in the loss of its bowsprit. After a month-long repair process circling the mid-Atlantic, Stowe and Soanya Ahmad endured a stormy passage of the Cape of Good Hope, only to lose both their foresail and mainsail to "Roaring 40's" weather conditions in the South Indian Ocean.

Ahmad, who set out with Stowe in April of 2007, battled seasickness for much of her time on the voyage, and this past January she and Stowe decided she would have to leave the boat. The Royal Perth Yacht Club, homeport of Jon Sanders, was contacted and they agreed to do a pickup at sea. On Day 306 Ahmad and Stowe were met by Sanders in a yacht club launch. Once ashore and back in the States, she was able to confirm that she was with child, and gave birth July 16, 2008 to a son named Darshen Ahmad Stowe.

After Ahmad's departure, while emotionally and physically readjusting to solo sailing, Stowe suffered a desalinator failure in the Southwest Pacific, which threatened his ability to get fresh water. He also briefly lost the use of his power winch, which is perhaps his most important tool for sailing his 76-foot, 2-masted, 50-ton schooner alone.

Stowe sends frequent posts and pictures via satellite phone documenting his journey, published on the 1000 days website.

The Schooner Anne, named after Stowe's mother, is based on a nineteenth-century Gloucester fishing schooner. Built by Reid with his family in their North Carolina seashore front yard in 1978, the Anne has been Stowe's home and platform for over 27 years of compelling voyages. The Anne has proved her seaworthiness throughout the world's oceans: in Antarctica (1987); on the 100 day out-of-sight of land North Atlantic (1994); on the 200 day Odyssey of the Sea Turtle (1996); and on the Voyage of the Argonauts (1998), where she survived a knockdown by a 60-foot rogue wave. There are numerous written and photographic accounts of the building of the Anne and her voyages, and all supporting publications are available on the website.

While docked in New York over a period of several years, Stowe, along with numerous sponsors and friends refurbished and refitted the schooner to ready her for the 1,000 days voyage. The schooner contains three years of food and supplies and provides its own energy from sun and sea for lights, winch and satellite communications through the use of solar panels and water generators driven by the forward motion of the boat. The Anne, in addition to not resupplying on the voyage, has been off shore power since September of 2006, a full 225 days before her departure on April 21, 2007.

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