76-year-old sailor Dr. Stanley Paris on is his boat Kiwi Spirit, have had a recent series of unfortunate events has him slowing down as he makes his way east across the Atlantic.
Dr. Paris reported both damage to the boat and to his own body following a wind storm on New Year’s Eve.
His latest blog post said, “New Year’s Eve started out well, but by early morning the wind picked up and I was caught with a light headwind sail, which was in danger of being overloaded. On several occasions I had to take the helm. It was a scary situation and no sleep for me.
“The 1/2 bottle of champagne to celebrate the New Year had not been touched. Finally at 4:00 am, a gust blew out the sail and torn fabric filled the air with a swooshing sound. It was dark and there was nothing I could do but watch the sail self destruct. Come dawn, I started the long process of getting the sail down and on deck before stuffing it away below. This would have been too dangerous to do at night. It is a pile of scraps.
“While pulling on some pieces stuck in the shrouds, one piece suddenly gave way and I fell flat on my back onto an extrusion of the deck. The pain just below my left scapula was in as much as any pain I have ever experienced.
“I lay still for a few minutes testing my lungs and then started to get going. I could feel a rib cracking in my back. Crawling was out, as my left arm could take no weight. A few more actions and I collapsed for several hours in the cockpit.
“Today, three days later, I am doing better, but am very limited with what I can do with the left arm. It’s getting better and will take a few more days before some of the needed tasks on the boat can be attended to.
“I am now sailing conservatively and gently, until such time as I am ready again and can attend to a number of tasks. Sorry to have to convey this news. I shall be fine, just need take it easy as best I can for now. Regardless – Happy New Year.”
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