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was presently surprised !

God is everything to me. He has protected me from the beginning and now that I'm approaching 80 he is even more prevalent in my life.

After the news that a school has banned a child with autism from taking a school trip, I feel the need to write this. There are fathers and mothers who don't invite these children to their children's birthdays. There are kids who want to be on a team but don't get picked because it's more important to win than include these kids. Kids with special needs aren't weird, they just want what other people want. To Be Accepted ! Children with special needs, also need full love and support!

8/19-8/20 2026: officially we landed on the other side of the pond. Last night at 18:52 UTC, Ran and I stepped off the Spirit of Waubun at the marina dock of Newlyn//Penzance. It was a brutal fight against the strong tides and 29 knots of NNW wind. We took out 3 and only 3 oars and one foot stretcher we have left on the boat. I thought to myself we had just finished the crossing of the North Atlantic Ocean expedition at Lands End Runnel Stone Buoy (as our time record had been set there) and just do a celebratory row to the marina dock 8 nms away to be official land-to-land tradition! I clinched my teeth, swore words I had never cared to say or resent others for swearing. My friends laughed so loudly about that. I’m glad I made their day. I thought we had the worst fight in this entire expedition! Of course, I was over reacted. By the time I was off the boat, we were cheered with champagne and gummy bears. I was definitely not normal enough to comm with anyone. I apologize for that. I’ll update more when I get on a train to London soon. Love you all!

Gentle Reminder: Suicide is not weakness. It’s not selfish. It’s the final symptom of a mind carrying far more than it was ever meant to hold a weight that became too heavy, too lonely, too unspoken. It’s not about failing to be strong it’s about pain that went unseen, untreated or misunderstood. If you’ve never stood on that edge, try not to judge what you haven’t had to survive. Show compassion. Show care. So many people are fighting silent battles you’ll never see and what they need most isn’t advice or correction it’s empathy, patience and understanding.

8/18/2026 (journey of a lifetime; finish line? landing?): it’s absolutely a fast and furious boat ride last night! The west wind/waves pushed us and made us much faster than scheduled. At 10:00 UTC, we are within 45 nautical miles from the finish line near Lands End and about another 8 nautical miles to dock in Penzance harbor (if the lock is open according to their tide policy) or the nearby Newlyn harbor (opening 24/7). So, though ETA is still unknown or unpredictable due to strong tidal effects near land, we are getting closer to seeing land! I’m very excited and grateful for all the following and support of our North Atlantic Rowing expedition, our first ever ocean crossing unsupported human powered row. In the last couple of years, I have learned so much from many ocean rowing legends as well as from my fellow ocean rowing friends/coaches. May our friendship and love for this massive ocean last forever. In the meantime, Ran and I will still need to learn how to safely land the Spirit of Waubun in Penzance/Newlyn. May your prayers and love carry us all the way. Our journey is your journey as you have been with us every day and night. A journal of this expedition will be released to anyone in a few days. The editor of my journal is a high school student Gary Dong, who founded a club in LA to help and support rare diseases patients. I hope to stay connected with you on land…while I’m saying goodbye to the ocean, for now.

8/17/2026 (less than 100 nm to finish!! New song “Steady the Rudder! Cheers from NWIRA empires and referees) Thank you my fellow US rowing referee group and the Canadian rowing empires)! Your support and cheering made my day!!! Also, congratulations to my Minneapolis Rowjng Club for another year of winning the Lipton Cup!!! My talented composer friend made us another new song posted on YouTube! As the rowing across the North Atlantic Ocean journey is near end, I want to thank everyone who have been following me and Ran, giving us all the cheers and support. We are inspired by all of you. We have learned so much from the oceans, from this adventure. We hope we continue carrying our mission to let the less seen be seen, less fortunate be fortunate, less loved be loved. https://youtu.be/jvMIpLu37Aw?is=yKg2To6gyVtMRj-L

8/16/2026 (near yet far; drunken “sailor”; prep for the worst): If the “Spirit of Waubun” rocks like a drunken sailor while going 3.5 knots speed with the waves/wind, I’ll not put my oars in the sea as we have only 3 oars left! There is nothing I can help move the boat faster other than making sure the boat is being steered in the right direction! — we are 152 nms to the WP outside Penzance UK. 152 nms seem very close, yet far away yet. We won’t see land until probably within 20 nautical miles in an average visibility day. Plus, near Penzance there are many rocks, reefs and unknown objects. The tides are usually very strong near land. We hope to have an ETA sometime late on 8/19 or 8/20 to avoid night navigation. I had received a message about another boat which planned to approach Penzance 2 days ago. In combination, the two legendary rowers had 11 times of ocean crossing experiences. The duo were so brave and fought the tides and wind for 24+ hours with total exhaustion, and finally the skipper had to make a safety call to the coastguard to tow them in. They were safe but they were devastated by this outcome. My mindset for us is safe landing. But of course finishing unassisted would be the best. It is ways out yet to Penzance, and I’ll stay total focused (very little or no SM) until we land. I would like to ask GOD, and all my friends and families to pray for Ran and I a safe landing. Thank you.

And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus Romans 3:24