Hello Friends-
It has been quite a while since my last email blast to this group - I think going back to around May 5, 2016, when GS2 and I pulled in to Newport after completing a solo circumnavigation of the globe I think just enough time has passed for my memory to become less clear on the pain and suffering required to sail a Class 40 racing sailboat around the world, so I have decided to do it again!
I have entered a race called the Globe40 (www.globe40.com) starting in June 2021, which is a double-handed, round-the-world race with 8 stops, as follows: Start in Tangiers Morocco; then on to Sao Vicente, Cape Verde Islands; then the French island of Mauritius; then Auckland, NZ; then Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia; then Ushuaia, Argentina (Cape Horn); then Recife, Brazil; then the Caribbean island of Grenada; then on to the finish in Lisbon, Portugal in March 2022. Quite a race course, and I hope many of you can join me in one or more of these destinations. I will be racing with Rob Windsor as my double-handed sailing partner, who many of you will remember was my primary 'préparateur' for the 2015/16 record attempt and came to my assistance in Uruguay after I hit a submerged object and almost sank! Rob is highly experienced offshore sailor with a deep tool kit of skills in rigging, electronics, mechanics and sailmaking that are critical to keeping these boats going at optimal speed. So I am lucky to have Rob as my partner and we are working hard as we speak to get GS2 up to speed. Below is a link to an article of an interview that Sailing World magazine Managing Editor Dave Reed did with me where I give some of the background on the upcoming race and our preparations - so take a read when you have a moment by clicking the graphic below.
My friend and Communications Maestro Blake Jackson is getting the GS2 Facebook page revved up again so please post your news and messages there or email me directly. As always, let me know if you would like to be removed from this email distribution list. I look forward to the next two years of communication. Please forward this email to anyone you think might enjoy it!
All Best-
Joe
Joe Harris
Owner/ Skipper, S/V GryphonSolo2
www.gryphonsolo2.com
Click graphic below to view June 2020 Sailing World article:
https://www.sailingworld.com/story/racing/joe-goes-again
