On February 19, 2019 at 03:00 I was hit by a fierce gale sailing off the coast of Colombia about 50 miles east of Cartagena and less than a mile from a sheltered bay.  A large wave hit the boat and the steering broke.   By the time I installed the emergency tiller, waves had already pushed the boat near the beach.  The boat grounded hard and a started to take on water.
 
All attempts to save the yacht proved fruitless and I had to abandon ship by 09:00.  My yacht had been my home for the past 33 years and had carried me safely around the world.  All I was able to save was personal and boat papers, my computer and the clothes on my back.  Everything else was a total loss.

I had no insurance for the boat.  Insuring a 33 year old yacht for anything other than 3rd party liability and being single-handed is next to impossible.  Any promise of an insurance payout under such circumstances would be questionable.

Now I’m in Colombia and trying to get back to Canada.  It’s proving to be quite expensive and I know that once I do get back the expenses will only increase.  So, I’m swallowing my pride and asking for help to at least get established while I try to carry on.  Whether or not I will ever get back to sailing my own yacht again is questionable.  I just know that I will never be able to replace what I have lost.  Only the memories remain.  You can share some of these memories by finding “siam sailing” on Youtube.