I'm now officially on my way! On my way to being on my way, in any case...at this moment I'm in a hotel room (classy for a sailing vagabond, eh) in Humble, Texas, of all places.
How does a sailor from Washington preparing for a voyage from Panama to Tahiti find himself in the middle of Texas, might you ask? I was wondering the same thing myself a few hours ago. Following the typical craziness during the last few days before departure, my older brother drove me to SeaTac at 1 am this morning, where I was to fly to Panama City.
The authorities had other ideas, evidently, (I swear anyone with a badge can smell me five miles to windward) and upon discovering that I had no return flight from Panama informed me I needed to purchase an onward ticket. A cheap bus ride to Costa Rica took care of that problem, and I flew down to Houston, my only connection on my way south.
As usual, the Texans had their own ideas, and that bus ticket wasn't quite good enough to warrant passage through their airport...I needed a flight out of Panama. Meanwhile I missed my flight, which I rescheduled the last minute for tomorrow morning. So I'm spending one night back in Texas figuring out my travel plans. It's a very different atmosphere from the last time I was in the state, hitchhiking and hopping freight across the south. Although that trip was only two years ago, it feels like decades. Lets hope my next flight works out, because it's a long hitch to Panama!
If all goes well, tomorrow I arrive in Panama City and soon after will begin to prepare Arcturus for her voyage to Polynesia. I would like to thank my wonderful friends and family back home for making my time back in Washington so memorable, and for helping me to prepare for what will hopefully be one of my most exciting adventures to date! Your support makes all the difference, and I could never have done it without you!
Cheers,
Ryan
How does a sailor from Washington preparing for a voyage from Panama to Tahiti find himself in the middle of Texas, might you ask? I was wondering the same thing myself a few hours ago. Following the typical craziness during the last few days before departure, my older brother drove me to SeaTac at 1 am this morning, where I was to fly to Panama City.
The authorities had other ideas, evidently, (I swear anyone with a badge can smell me five miles to windward) and upon discovering that I had no return flight from Panama informed me I needed to purchase an onward ticket. A cheap bus ride to Costa Rica took care of that problem, and I flew down to Houston, my only connection on my way south.
As usual, the Texans had their own ideas, and that bus ticket wasn't quite good enough to warrant passage through their airport...I needed a flight out of Panama. Meanwhile I missed my flight, which I rescheduled the last minute for tomorrow morning. So I'm spending one night back in Texas figuring out my travel plans. It's a very different atmosphere from the last time I was in the state, hitchhiking and hopping freight across the south. Although that trip was only two years ago, it feels like decades. Lets hope my next flight works out, because it's a long hitch to Panama!
If all goes well, tomorrow I arrive in Panama City and soon after will begin to prepare Arcturus for her voyage to Polynesia. I would like to thank my wonderful friends and family back home for making my time back in Washington so memorable, and for helping me to prepare for what will hopefully be one of my most exciting adventures to date! Your support makes all the difference, and I could never have done it without you!
Cheers,
Ryan
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