Sailing on the high seas

Since I was in my early teens, when I first read of the exploits of another young boy, Robin Lee Graham, who sailed a tiny sloop, Dove, from San Francisco to Hawaii and then a slightly larger Dove to continue his solo voyage around the world, I've wanted to sail a boat on the open oceans far from land to exotic destinations. My Dad had an extensive library of sailing books, magazines and National Geographics which I devoured and spent many an hour day dreaming of sailing.  Feeding into this habit, my uncle Wayne had a Paceship 29 that he'd take me out on once or twice a summer while I was in PEI and he'd let me helm the boat.  Once I felt the calm serenity of sailing in reality, I knew for sure that this was something that I really wanted to do.  While at university in Kingston (the so called sailing capital of Canada where we hosted the 1976 Olympics), I'd often rent small sailboats and sail around the large bay.  I eventually bought a windsurfer and spent much ...