Faith

We met Tom and Marsha West at Turner Marine. They live aboard their 60 foot sailing vessel Faith. Tom built this boat in his backyard in Poland, Indiana, a farm town with a population of just over 3,000. He hauled Faith to the Ohio River and launched her, then cruised to Mobile Bay where he had a freak accident while anchored. Tom got tangled in the anchor chain which literally crushed his leg, breaking it in three places. Marsha was able to get help from the USCG who airlifted Tom to a trauma hospital but they were unable to save the leg. It's amazing that he survived the accident. To me, it's amazing that Marsha survived this too. I can't imagine the intensity and horror they each went through!

Big Blue Faith, Turner Marine, Mobile, AL

How Tom West Built A Pirate-Proof Yacht

Popular Science

Poland, Indiana Man Loses Leg in Sailing Accident

The Hoosier Topics Newspaper

Tom and Marsha are wonderful people; gracious and friendly. They began their journey to build and cruise Faith with no boat building or sailing experience. What they did have is a dream and the faith that they could make it happen. The first time I met Tom I was doing laundry. I watched him slowly walk toward me, noticing his cane and the metal prosthetic leg coming out from under his shorts. Tom made his way over to me. He noticed that I had a pile of wet clothes waiting on top of the one dryer that was working. He asked if the second dryer was out of order again. I told him it was. Tom pulled the cover off the machine and started fiddling with the electronics panel, telling me he'd fixed it several times before. I looked at him and said, "You must be an engineer!" He just smiled at me. Turns out he has multiple degrees, including one in Astro Physics.

Marsha & Tom West at Turner Marine Wednesday Night Pot Luck Dinner

We met Marsha on one of our dock walks. She invited us in for coffee but we were in a hurry and had to take a rain check. We wanted to get to know them better and hear their story. Not necessarily the accident story; more the story of their lives. We wanted to know where they found the strength to survive and to understand how they kept their spirit strong and their dream alive even after a life changing accident. Unfortunately, they left Turner Marine for a trip home to Indiana. Both of them struggling with health issues.

We were lucky to have the opportunity to meet up with Tom and Marsha when we visited Mobile at the end of March. They had just returned to the Marina as well. Marsha explained that they left in a rush after she was diagnosed with cancer, her second unrelated bout! Like many of the women I have met on this journey, she is my cancer sister! Marsha underwent major surgery and radiation treatments while she was home. I told her that she and Tom had been through the ringer with his accident and her illness. She looked at me and calmly replied, "That's just how life is!"

Tom told us his goal is to take this lovely yacht, Faith, and go cruising. He said that he didn't build her to have her sit in a marina. He wants to sail; in spite of the accident. Tom and Marsha are an inspiration. They are a reminder that this thing we do, living aboard our boat, is not always easy. It can be challenging and, at times, dangerous. Like others we've met along the way, we learned from them that your cup is either half full or it's not. Tom says he made several mistakes on the day of his accident. He's gone over that day hundreds of times. He's often thought, if only I could go back. But in life, we can't change the past. We can only learn from it. When times get tough we have to dig deep into our bag of experiences and make decisions based on what we know. Sometimes, we just have to have faith that things will work out in the end. When our journey gets tough and our confidence waivers, we will look back and remember Tom and Marsha and, hopefully, find a bit of our own Faith!

Our friends, Marsha & Tom West

We've had several great conversations with Tom and Marsha since our return to Mobile. During one of our conversations, Tom and I shared original quotes on life.

"Society sucks the life out of living!" 

Tom West

"The grass is always greener on the other side but sometimes 

we have to stop and appreciate the shade we've been blessed with!"

Beth Rogers

Detour With A Twist

Our current detour began with a week in Minnesota. Dave managed to catch the trending flu bug while we were there. It's a doozy! He had all the accoutrements including runny nose, headache, congestion, fever, chills and body aches. Too bad he had to bring it with him to New York City for the Architectural Digest show. His work is very physical and requires long hours on his feet. I worried about him the entire trip.

We love our visits to the Big Apple in the spring. This is our first time being here with real winter weather. It has been cold and snowy with a true Nor'easter arriving during our stay. It was cool seeing the city all shut down instead of crazy busy with tourists.

New York City After Nor'Easter Storm Stella's Visit

Unfortunately, I injured my back working out in the hotel fitness center. It's one of those things that happens to us "fit" people. One minute we are working our way through strength training; the next, we can't move! Things got really interesting with pain. Dave was ready to take me to a local hospital but I begged for one more day in bed and was thrilled to feel better by morning. My workouts have been curbed until 100% of the pain is gone. Until then, slow, gentle stretches and walking will have to do.

Each time we come to New York City I find new things and new places to explore. Our hotel was only a few blocks from Central Park so I visited as often as possible. Since I'm stuck with walking, I meandered through some new paths and found lovely spots that I hadn't seen before.

For the third year in a row we are in New York City for the St. Patrick's Day parade. It is hard to describe this day when everyone becomes Irish and everything is green! The parade boasts no cars (except for those at the start), and no floats. This is a parade of people, kilts, bagpipes and Irish pride!

The United Airlines New York City Half Marathon was on Sunday, March 19th. I was able to watch the runners from our 37th floor window. I made my way down to cheer them on, wishing I was running with them. The course starts in Central Park and makes it's way through Times Square and down to Wall Street. How cool!

Buzz Lightyear and Woody stop to take a selfie

As our stay in New York City comes to an end, we look forward to taking the train to Connecticut. We'll visit our family and friends there, then make our way back to sailboat Mystic in Mobile, Alabama. Finally, it will be time to resume our cruising journey.