FROM THE HELM
The issue of the Marina Mirror you hold in your hands is late, and its tardiness has nothing to do with the boating lifestyle.
I thought that I was smart enough that it would never happen to me, but just a few days after the June issue came out, I got a computer virus, and it destroyed my hard drive - just like I’d always heard those viruses could.
Gone, instantly, was four years of documents, files and software updates. Gone was email addresses and photos, both personal and professional, and games. Gone was the Marina Mirror template, and any correspondence I’d had with any of you.
And ‘backing up’ was something I was always going to do ‘next week.’
Needless to say, my mind has been a little ‘gone’ for the three weeks since this horrendous event. I’ve spent 10– and 12–hour days staring at my computer screen, since … reloading, re-tweaking, re-creating, rebuilding. As I write, the final hours of July 2nd are slipping away, and I had to make my date at the printer for two days away yet.
It was a pretty harsh lesson to learn, and I hope it never happens again — to me, OR to you.
Speaking of harsh lessons, there were probably a few of those doled out by the sailing gods during this year’s spectacular and successful Cadillac Van Isle Sailboat Race. You can read more about that on page… . I did get off the dock the morning of the Van Isle start, and it was pretty exciting from our viewpoint at the south end of Protection Island, to watch 30-odd boats under full sail get off the start line.
Congratulations are in order for all of the sailors of that race… it takes tenacity to sail around this wild isle we live on. Hats off to the organizers of this world class event, too — especially this year, as Wayne Gorrie and Janine Bell ended up in their capsized boat, Red Shift, and for the first time since the beginning of the Van Isle, were not able to complete the race.
There’s lots more going on out on the water this summer — see our Events Calendar . I sure hope I can escape from this computer long enough to take some of them in. Looking forward to seeing you ‘out there!’