Eric Loss ’08, a self-portrait

On July 22, Eric Loss ’08 finished his nonstop solo voyage around the world. During his journey, Loss’ 35-year-old sailboat, the Odyssey, didn’t just capsize once in rough seas, but three times.

But after his first terrifying night in a storm off of Cape Horn, Loss said he began to downplay the frightening seas that he, increasingly serenely, sailed his 36-foot boat through.

“The first real storm I got going into Cape Horn was absolutely terrifying. I had a bad knockdown at midnight, and I was too afraid to go on deck, so I spent the whole night lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling, hoping nothing would go wrong,” he described recently by phone from his home in Laguna Beach, Calif. “It was interesting to see my transition later in the trip. It became a lot more routine. [I'd say,] ‘Oh, here’s a gale. I’ll just power through’.” Continue reading The Mental Ramifications of Sailing a Small Boat Alone Around the World