An Astounding Tale of Overcoming Cancer, Sailing 2600 Miles to Alaska and Finding New Direction.

Watch the video trailer now. TURN ON YOUR SPEAKERS AND CLICK THE PLAY BUTTON BELOW. When redirected, start the video normally.

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     Dick’s fast-paced Manning Up In Alaska is a riveting, good read and an entertaining adventure book. At times we laugh; at other times we hold our breath. Regardless of whether we’re sailors or landlubbers, he holds our wide-eyed attention with this action-packed tale as we sail with him and his wife up the coast from Mexico to Alaska aboard his 47-foot sailboat, Last Resort.
     The amazing truth is that lifelong sailor and hard-driving entrepreneur Dick Drechsler didn’t expect to live, much less cruise 2600 miles of ocean. After neck and throat cancer treatment confined him to taking nourishment from a feeding tube, he lost his energy, humor and will to survive. He was forced to retire; he was unable to travel. Worst of all, he was no longer able to enjoy his passion for sailing.
    This book is about how, despite these very long odds, he refused to give up. His story of regaining partial use of his throat; pursuing a lifelong dream to cruise in a sailboat and discovering a new, exciting avocation is a page-turner in every regard. And, in the end, Dick came to dedicate his life and this book to helping other cancer survivors enjoy life and even thrive.

OLYMPIC BOUND....BUT HELP IS NEEDED...

As I've said many times before, the best thing about our cruising lifestyle is the people we meet along the way. Recently, we had the pleasure to meet a young sailor, Fraser McMillan. Fraser spent the better part of his childhood aboard a sailboat, circumnavigating with his parents. He has gone on to be a world-class sailor in his own right, sailing a 470 and taking 3rd place in the 2008 North American Championships and 1st place in the  2008 Canadian 470 National Championships. There is a good chance that Fraser might crew for us in the 2010 Pacific Cup (San Francisco to Hawaii). We applaud young sailors and like to help, so if you'd like to help Fraser and the rest of his team achieve their dream to compete in the 2012 Olympics, YOU CAN HELP. Visit their team website, www.KULA470.ca to learn how. Note that's .ca, NOT .com!

Here we are under spinnaker for the first time in over a year! What a great feeling crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca in 15 knots of wind with the spinnaker up again...at last. For those of you that would like to SEE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP FROM MEXICO TO ALASKA IN 2008, I HAVE MIGRATED THE ENTIRE WEB PAGE TO A NEW LOCATION. TO BE REDIRECTED TO THAT PAGE, CLICK HERE.

>>>>>>>>>  WHERE ARE THEY NOW??? <<<<<<<<<

In response to this frequently asked question, we have set up an INTERACTIVE POSITION REPORTING SYSTEM. CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR CURRENT POSITION.  HINTS: ONCE THE NEW WINDOW OPENS:   (1)Click on any icon to read about our position.  The BLUE ICON is our latest position,   (2)  The more we travel, the smaller the scale of the map, so to get a close-up view of our exact location, use the plus + tool to zoom in, and  (3)  If you want to see the map with a satellite photo overlay, hit the HYBRID button on the upper right of the screen.

BLESSING THE FLEET

Our sailing season began with the blessing of the fleet during the sailby at the Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club. We were honored to be the guests of our friends Betty and Kees Duyndum aboard their Cataline 320.

ANCHORED OUT

Our season began with a week on the hook. It's so nice to be free again! This shot was taken from the kayak, which I used for the first time at Princess Bay, Portland Island in British Columbia.

Here's Sharon (the Executive Officer aboard Last Resort) enjoying her first kayak outing of the new boating season.

During our first week of cruising, we were lucky enough to visit Butchart Gardens. We started by anchoring in Tod Inlet to sit out a very brief gale. We shared this serene anchorage adjacent to Butchart Gardens with nearly a dozen other vessels seeking shelter in this extremely well-protected inlet as well.

Tod Inlet was the site of this cement factory, circa1907.

This is what the site looks like today. Other than a few remaining pilings in the water, nature has completely reclaimed the site.

After the weather front moved through the area, we brought Last Resort into Butchart Cove where we tied up to the free mooring buoys to safely leave the boat while we explored the Gardens.

 No narrative is necessary to savor the exquisite beauty of Butchart Gardens.  ENJOY! But having said that, if you move your cursor over the individual images you'll be able to read the captions.

After leaving Butchart Gardens we returned to the United States. After clearing Customs we had the pleasure of attending the Catalina 42 Association annual rendezvous at Deer Harbor on Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands. They all made us feel very welcome and I had the opportunity to show them my slide show from the trip from Mexico to Alaska. We made some good friends that we'll definitely keep in touch with.

As I write this, we are anchored for a few days in  Port Ludlow, resting and playing before the serious business of my appearance before the National Press Club in Washington, DC. On the way here we stopped in Port Townsend and picked up the sails for the Hobie kayaks. Here I am trying it out for the first time.

Ever since I transitioned from cancer patient to cancer survivor, it has been my desire to find a way to give something back.  I have envisioned a Foundation whose primary focus would be to build an Armada of Hope, consisting of boat owners willing to donate their time and yachts to provide an on-the-water respite for qualified cancer patients/survivors and their caregivers.  As I write this, the Sail Through Cancer Foundation is a reality.  Please visit our website:  www.sailthrucancer.org  to learn more about this worthy endeavor. 

   >>>>>>>>>>>  STAYING IN TOUCH WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!! <<<<<<<<<<< 

You can see where we're headed by clicking on this link to the CRUISING SCHEDULE  tab on the upper left hand side of this web page.    We will be getting all our email, so please write or better yet.....  PLEASE CLICK HERE TO LEAVE A MESSAGE IN OUR GUEST BOOK!  WE WOULD REALLY, REALLY LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU !!!!  THANKS FOR TAKING A MINUTE TO TELL US WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO.  SEND EMAIL TO:
rdrechsler@vacationdevelopment.com.

Dick and Sharon Drechsler