Go Anyway: Sailing Around the World with Parkinson's

by Lyn Foley

Two California hippie artists watched enviously as elegant yachts cruised the waters of San Francisco Bay. A dream was born – they’d work just long enough to earn money to run away to sea. Eighteen years later, Lyn and Jim Foley sold everything — down to the last teacup — and moved aboard 40-foot Sanctuary. Then, just before they ventured under the Golden Gate Bridge to follow their dream 43-year-old Jim was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. They decided to go anyway.Go Anyway tracks Jim and Lyn's ten-year adventure, logging more than 35,000 sea miles and 39 countries — from getting their sea legs, to the storms that tested their skills and perseverance, from languorous days savored in romantic tropical anchorages, to the hustle of foreign cities. And all the while, they battled the fierce foe that was Jim’s illness, learning life lessons that can be appreciated by sailors and non-sailors alike. Go Anyway is a story of true grit, of warmth and laughter, and ultimately, of triumph over adversity.

Genres: Travel

365 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 21, 2012

Reviews

[Sean Sexton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a typical "cruising" couple, two people who buy a sailboat and sail around the world over a number of years. As a standard cruising story, it contains a fairly typical narrative about all of the places visited, the people met, and the sailing exeperiences and problems encountered.

What makes "Go Anyway" a bit atypical is the fact that Jim Foley was diagnosed with Parkinson's shortly before the Foleys began their trip. Giving them the new, Jim's doctor strongly advised against a challenging trip around the world on a 42-ft sailboat. As they left the office, an intern whispered to them, "go anyway". That became the Foley's mantra. They did "go anyway" and ended up sailing around the world and having a grand adventure.

The writing in this book isn't brilliant. But, as is usual with these narratives, it's not about the writing or even the arc of the story about the sailors. Instead, it's a description of an adventure that many of us might consider as inspiration for our own adventures.