Transpac 2019 Yacht Race

The Sailing Trip of a Lifetime

As I sit down to tell the tale of my experiences in the Transpac 2019 Yacht Race, it is hard to believe it actually happened. A few short days ago, I was still on the water racing to Honolulu, completely immersed in the moment and mentally focused on the task at hand of getting across the finish line ASAP. I wasn’t thinking about the typical things in my land-based world, just sailing as fast as possible. I placed myself in a completely foreign environment like nothing I have felt, seen or heard before, and therein lies the exceptional beauty of the experience and indeed makes the experience an adventure. To me, it was truly an adventure of a lifetime.

People ask me why I wanted to do this. My reasoning is somewhat complicated with multiple factors, but here are a few. I enjoy an adventure. Doing something I haven’t done before. Something that is interesting to me with a little risk and a bit of the unknown. Part of my motivation was the desire to fulfill a fantasy of sailing from the security of a known shore and venturing off into the uncertainty of a vast ocean in a small sailboat and landing on a tropical island in the Pacific Ocean.

A view from Terry L. Burke’s yacht seen during the Transpac 2019 Yacht Race, which covers 2,225 miles of open ocean from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Submitted photo.

Most of all, I wanted the experience. The experience of seeing the ocean for real, with nothing between me and this powerful force that is all around us.

The Transpac Yacht Race is held biennially sailing from Los Angeles to Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, some 2,225 miles of open ocean. With any adventure of this type, you are at the mercy of nature, which can have both pleasant and unpleasant aspects. In this case, the pleasurable far outweighed the uncomfortable and caused me to see things in this watery world differently.

For example, the sea is a beautiful place. The color of the water was completely different in the open ocean as opposed to near shore. When the sun was shining, the water lit up with a deep, rich cobalt blue color. The sunsets and sunrises were incredible. Starry nights were something special on the ocean. At times before the moon came up at night, it was as if there was a dome of stars placed over my head. From horizon to horizon in any direction, I had a ringside seat for the most spectacular star show imaginable.

Expectations? Experiencing the beauty of the ocean was the payoff for me. The depth of sensory inputs was greater than I expected. The magnitude of power in the swells, the sound and fury of a squall, the feeling of solitude which came with the vastness of the ocean landscape. The intensity of sensory inputs seemed to be heightened, perhaps because of the lack of worldly distractions such as cellphones, the internet and television. Eliminating contact with these, at least for a short time, can be a wonderful thing. Colors were more vivid, sounds more alive, the smell of the ocean more noticeable. All senses were heightened. I felt everything more acutely. I received far more than expected.

What did I learn about myself? I learned I can do more than I think I can. I can endure discomfort to attain a desired goal. It is OK to take a calculated risk occasionally when the potential payoff is worth it. These are the thoughts I would like to pass to my children and grandchildren. Go for it!

How was I changed by this experience? I really am the same guy I was before the trip. But, for a brief moment in time, I was completely free of all distractions and was keenly aware of the beautiful world that surrounded me. I could give total attention to the experience before me at the moment and be totally in the moment. And what an experience it was! Truly, the trip of a lifetime!

Terry L. Burke grew up in Sikeston, Missouri, and graduated from Sikeston High School in 1966. In 1970, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in speech pathology from Southeast Missouri State University, and from 1981 to 1987, owned a private audiology practice in Sikeston. He currently lives in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, and returns to Southeast Missouri periodically to visit his wife’s mother and his old friends.