Thanks for asking Jackie.
The result was mixed. I sailed farther out and longer than I ever have but not far enough to complete the qualifying sail.
Here is the link to the Delorme page.
https://share.delorme.com/ToddOlsen
I have two windows of time to do the qualifying sail, this one and early June.
The forecast was for up to 25 knots NW with declining but still active seas and an anticipated decrease in wind coming into this weekend. I know from other small sailboats that I can sail around SE Farallon Island without getting sea sick, but if I focus on something or go down into the cabin, I start feeling queasy. In the afternoon, Tues, the day of departure, after passing SE Farallon Island, I was dry, but getting chilly. I went down to the cabin and soon became sea sick. For the night, I continued to sail out, and I told myself, before going, that if I was going to pull the plug, I would wait until noon the next day, to make the decision with the sun well up and me warmed up from the night.
I wish I had done that. By 7:30 the next morning, not eating, sleeping (nausea trumped sleep), or drinking much water, I was concerned that I would get myself and others into difficulty. The Delorme inReach Explorer worked well, maybe too well, supplying a track for my wife and daughters to check on progress and a text line to communicate. They sent along supportive messages such as, "Hope the first day went well!", "Do you have entertainment?", "Are you okay? Did you bring Meclizine?", and "Maybe come home n try again another time?".
What I really needed was General Roper to send a msg to tell me to toughen up.
So I decided to put aside my personal goal to wait until noon and turned back 7:30A.
For next time, I will:
1. Look for a forecast with <25 knots WS if not off wind.
2. Try 1/2 scopolamine patch. The side effects can include, "confusion, agitation, extreme fear, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior". I already know I will hallucinate, I did this time, so I do not want to further encourage this. I may just do a day trip out to the Gulf of the Farallones on the medication, me in and out of the cabin, testing things out.
3. More seriously consider a downwind destination as a Plan B, before pulling the plug AM second day.
Todd