July eBook pages 1-91 (16.1 MB) - Latitude 38

SYLVIA HEASMAN
SIGHTINGS
Page 84 • Latitude 38 • July, 2010
pensioners — cont’d hopkins
were allowed to take were their car, a caravan, and $700 U.S. They’d
sold most of their possessions, but their money had been frozen by
the government. As a result, they were only allowed to leave Zimbabwe
with what’s known as a ‘holiday allocation’ of $700 U.S.
“Within a year of leaving Zimbabwe, Bob was told that he was terminally
ill with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. At age 49, he was advised
to get his affairs in order, as he only had three months to live. He
lost his job, but the company organized a small pension for him. Bob
decided to become a guinea pig by submitting
himself to experimental drugs to fi ght his cancer.
Three months later he was still alive. Six
months later he told the doctors that he would
rather die than go through another round of
chemo. But when they gave him a fi nal checkup
to record the results, they discovered he
no longer had a trace of cancer — except in
the scar tissue. Bob was euphoric, and before
long had started another business.
“In ‘05, when things in South Africa looked
as though they might become a carbon copy of
what happened in Zimbabwe, Bob decided to
Bob and Dawn Heasman.
retire. But he and Dawn began to worry again
about their future. The last thing they wanted was to once again lose
everything they had worked so hard for because of political unrest
and a badly managed government.
“One day Bob turned to Dawn and said, ‘Let’s sail around the
world.’ Dawn, a strong and resilent woman full of optimism and cheer,
had been Bob’s leaning post during tough times. She had taken each
day and conquered it, wondering if her sweetheart would live to see
another sunrise. Her response to her husband’s suggestion was, ‘OK,
what do I need to do?’ She was 73 at the time!
“In ‘06, my parents sold everything, right down to their last teaspoon,
to scrape together the money to buy a cruising boat. They found an
ocean-going catamaran in the Caribbean, an F/P Tobago 35, that looked
just right for them. It had been standing on the hard for a long time
and the owner wanted a quick sale. It was checked out by a friend and
pronounced good, so they bought her. But in the two months it took
to complete the purchase, the rand — South Africa’s currency — had
taken a beating, so they lost even more of their savings. Somehow they
managed to scrape together enough to complete the purchase.
“Bob and Dawn were both excited about starting a new life on the
sea, but Dawn was apprehensive, too. After all, they were both in their
70s, and she’d never sailed before. Bob, who had sailed and raced
dinghies when he was young, felt more at home aboard Kudana. The
couple did, however, fi nd a captain to show them the ropes for the
fi rst three months until they gained confi dence.
“After sailing in the Caribbean, the couple sailed 1,200 miles to
the Panama Canal, then embarked on a long but successful crossing
of the Pacifi c. It was just the two of them, a couple of courageous
old-timers setting out to fi nd a new life for themselves.
“At age 75, the two applied for residency in New Zealand, but it
takes two years to process such an application, and visitors are only
allowed to stay in the country for six months each year. In other words,
my parents had to leave for the interim period. New Zealand isn’t close
to any other country, so after making many expensive upgrades to
their fl oating home, they set sail for Tonga.
“On the morning of May 18, with the wind blowing 18 knots and
the boat sailing at six to seven knots with reefs in the main and headsail,
the mast, new mainsail, boom and rigging came tumbling down.
The forestay had failed. The couple made a few attempts at salvaging
some of the gear, but found it to be impossible in the six-ft seas 40
miles off Ha’afeva, Tonga. Using a hacksaw, they cut it all away.
continued on outside column of next sightings page
life was turned upside down by Hopkins's
ill-fated prosecution, he's still just barely
holding his head above water. Let go from
his previous job more than a year ago because
of the time he was forced to spend
on his case, Bismarck is still unemployed.
He long ago liquidated all of his assets to
pay his legal bills but still owes upward of
$35,000. (You can donate to his defense
fund through Paypal by sending money
to bismarckdinius@comcast.net. If you'd
prefer to send a check, email ladonna@
latitude38.com for instructions.)
The good news is that Bismarck just
Normally a 67.5-mile run up to Stockton
from the Bay, this year’s Delta Ditch Run
was dubbed the Delta Ditch Beat. Most
boats were able to fl y some color near
the fi nish line at Stockton Sailing Club.
Read all about it starting on page 104.