Conclusion
My Parting Thoughts!
On August 18, 2022 at 3:10pm I became the second woman ever to finish the Lake Erie Solo Challenge! YAY! I was ESTATIC! This was not my reasoning for doing the Challenge but just extra icing on a very large cake 🎂 !
I was told by an official that a few other gals had started this race, but for some reason were not able to finish! The truth is, this was a GIANT bucket list item. I just wanted to finish it and get my boat to Erie in one piece. It was a personal goal and one I was determined to accomplish, no matter how long it took! (And it took a long time 😜)
Why Did I Publish This?
You might be wondering why I produced this small blog site. There are many reasons; but for sure it is not for notoriety. I wanted to journal my thoughts and the events of the days because:
As a way for me to remember each day; even though I probably left out a hundred things. I don't think I will forget much, but I wanted to make sure!
This is a huge tribute to everyone whom helped me along the way; and I'm not just talking about the race, I mean from the day I bought my boat up until now, and everything in between! If you had a hand in helping me in ANYWAY, this is for you! You all know who you are! I can't list everyone because that might break the internet! Meaning there have been a TON of wonderful people along the way that supported and encouraged me! Of course I lied, I will give a very special thanks to John whom has helped me immeasurably! From physically helping me with my boat, to helping me learn navigation, to easing my fear of getting run over by a Lake Erie Freighter! I don't really know if I could have done this without him; and to my sister who contributed to my required 'race equipment' and planned her summer vacation around my race! This is my thank you to ALL of you! 💖
I did this to hopefully be an encouragement to other women. Get out there you can do it! You don't need a fancy boat. You don't need a large boat. You don't need an expensive boat (mine was a junkyard rescue!) You just need a reliable, safe, vessel along with some guts and a lot of determination! ** It also helps to be a chronic insomniac! Look at Kirsten Neuschafer (female Golden Globe Racer) or Pip Hare! (Vendee Globe & IMOCA woman racer) They are truly inspirational solo sailing women! Not that the Lake Erie Solo Challenge is anything like what they are doing, but well ya gotta start somewhere, and Lake Erie can be a tempest!
I wanted a way to share this with others that have asked me what it was like and writing it once seemed easier then writing it over and over! ✅
Cuz it's kind of a cool story and one I wanted to share! (I think ... but maybe that's just in MY mind...) Girl buys sailboat from junkyard, fixes it up, learns how sail it alone, then sails off to New York! I mean what could be better?
I documented this for myself, as a way to encourage myself to remember what I can accomplish, and be an inspiration to others! I hope, maybe I can do this race again or even a different one, because as I was told, while jumping on the dock to receive my race 'flag' that: "I'm In the mafia now" and there is no escape. ⛵
Addendum
I had to share this. My Favorite Christmas Present of Christmas 2022. How many boyfriends would write a song about his gal's summer sailing adventure? Well probably only a few, if any! John did just that. He wrote me a song (yes, he sang it to me after with the help of some rum)! You can check out the lyrics here: Now the Lake Erie Solo Challenge has my song~ 😋 Thank you John for the song!
The End!
Thank you for reading! ~ Amy Stout and S/V Eloxy