At first it sounds pretty outrageous: last month, Dennis Howard, a nearly blind sailor who set out on a voyage from San Diego to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on a small but hardy Flicka 20, ran into some bad weather. The gooseneck broke, the boom hit him in the head, and more bad weather was on the way. He called a friend and told of his troubles. The friend called the Coast Guard, which sent a cutter. The Coast Guard arrived on scene and boarded to assess the situation. Howard declared he was fine and wanted to continue his voyage.

I’ve always admired Roz Savage. Bored to death as a management consultant, at the age of 33 the British adventurer pulled the plug on her conventional life and went to sea—in a rowing boat. She started with the Atlantic, in 2005, and then kept rowing.

Scott Cassell is a former special forces diver, a very tough guy who spends a lot of his time underwater. I met Cassell back in 2005, when I went diving with him among the rapacious Humboldt Squid in the Sea Of Cortez, and wrote a story about it.

So I was glad to hear that he has once again answered the call, this time to fight for the health of the oceans.

Being a sailing fan is an intense and rewarding experience these days. So much to watch. So much to enjoy. We've had the Rolex Fastnet, Extreme Sailing Series speed and carnage, and the America's Cup World Series at Cascais, with Plymouth on the way. We've had Audi MedCup.