Hi Chris,

Thanks for your post. One of the things I learned was that it takes
different kinds of "strength" to get through a 75 day voyage where
there is no escape. One is physical, but I think it is the least
important. I think you have to have reserves of emotional and social
strength as well. There were many more physically able people on the
vessel than me, but I was still one of the few to stand every single
watch I was scheduled for. I credit being able to stay fairly patient,
and to walk away from confrontations before they happen as keys to my
own success. Probably some of that comes from being a college teacher,
where I (eventually) learned not to react so quickly to everything that
is said & done.

We were only 6 "voyage crew" when the ship left San Diego, and we held
a bit of a summit meeting early on in which we all decided to scrap the
"nothing you must" rule, and we asked to be treated identically to the
professional crew. After a while, there was no real difference between
any of us.

Thanks for the great questions. I hope you enjoy the book if you get
it. All the best, Rob
PS. Have you done tall ship voyages yourself? If not, are you tempted
to?