Waiting By The Sea

January 31, 2022

51days, 9hours, 12minutes since they began the race.  2,790 nm rowed and 73 nm to go!

$814,071.00 raised while raising awareness to PTSD and Veterans’ Suicide.

I arrived to the lovely island of Antigua last Tuesday….(I think)  I no longer count the days or months I have been waiting, only the hours left at this point.  According to the YB Races app, there should only be 32 hours left until I see Courageous and her rowers Team Ohana come around the corner to the finish line.  It’s pretty intensely, exciting when you think about it.

A couple of days ago, we visited Shirley Heights, which is a lookout point about 490ft.  You can see not only breathtaking views of the English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, but you can also see where they will be coming from out in the Sea.  My first desire was to sit and wait there, but it is a state park and I’m sure they would frown upon that.  So, I did the next best thing. I screamed as loud as I could “Hurry Up And Row!!!!”.  I’m sure Hupp heard me.  It was pretty hard not to.

Antigua has become my home away from home.  With its colorful currency, pleasant people, great cuisine, beautiful landscapes and pothole-filled roads.  I could not ask for a better place to wait by the sea for My Love.  Normally I am ready to get back to my home and dogs after two days, but this feels different.  I feel like I’m not finished yet.  I feel like the other half of me will return and that will allow me to move forward and breathe.

I have been so lucky to have great travel companions, our cousins George and Christine.  If it weren’t for them, I would probably be a puddle of more emotions than I am this morning.  For them I am grateful and would not have it any other way.  This is a very strange and surreal experience for me.  I can only describe it as a Wait-Cation.

This morning our friends from Row 4 Hope will be finishing.  They are another American team from St. Augustine.  Team Ohana developed a tight bond with these guys and I don’t want to miss their finish.  I will do my real practice run of going to the Fort and walking back to the dock for the arrival of the team.  I cannot wait to see Row 4 Hope finish and be reunited with their loved ones.

If you have not sponsored a mile with Team Ohana, please do.  They may have already crossed it, but it represents their hard work and perseverance to raise the awareness of Veterans’ Suicide and PTSD.  If you look at the FFH Website, you will see there are now 3 paws under the money counter.  That means they have enough for the Mega Kennel at K9s For Warriors as well as supporting 3 dogs to go directly to 3 warriors.

I will be watching the next team’s arrivals shortly.  Then off to the beach to look for sea glass to pass the time.  Be sure to keep up to date on the arrival time of Team Ohana as well as updates in Notes From The Sea

Until Next Time….

Sea you soon,

LuLu