10 months, 1977-78. Crewing a 50ft Ketch called Fantasy.
Learning to harness the wind, read charts and hear dolphins chattering in the phosphorescent wake of a sail boat had long been an ambition of mine. “The Fantasy” was a handsome 50 ‘ketch whose owner was advertising for crew. With 4 others, I was taken on for an experience that I will treasure.
Casting off from Los Angeles, over the following 10 months we sailed down the west coast of California, Mexico, Central America, through the Panama Canal and on to Colombia, Jamaica and lastly Florida, exploring coastlines along the way.
I had put together a pretty comprehensive first aid kit, but was still unprepared for some of the medical problems we encountered. A group of Mexican divers gave us 2 bucketsful of freshly caught abalone and lobster, grateful for our help when one of them suffered a painful episode of the bends.
El Salvador was tense, with a heavy presence of stone faced soldiers and police frequently checking papers and bundling hapless young men into the backs of vehicles, terrified women looking on. We did not stay there long.
