Dave Pike, Pickleballer in a Dinghy

Respond to this post by replying above this line New post on Six Thousand Miles Alone in a Dinghy Grand Finale is Almost Here (and I’m alive to tell the story) by Journey June 30, 2017:  Down Day Today--No Travel Miles for Journey, Wilson, or I Ok, just checked the weather and it is looking like we will be making a dash for the finish line tomorrow.  That is a big YEA and bigger RELIEF! We will be coming from Whitehall which is about 27 miles away.  Assuming we can get away from the dock at around 8:30 am, I believe we can be into Grand Haven between 11:30 am and noon. Unless the weather forecast is really off or we have fog like this morning, I think this is a safe bet. Once into the breakwater at Grand Haven, I will try to do a live Facebook feed assuming we have good cellular coverage.  I have made my page public so anyone can watch the live feed.  Click here to go to my Facebook page. Ann will be traveling this last and final leg with me and we will be stopping at the Marina Boardwalk Dinghy Dock (right behind Farmers Market) to help celebrate my stupidity, tenacity and "Crossing that darn wake with about 5,400 miles between waves".  It has been a ride that I will never forget, nor the people along the way!  Those of you who are pickle ballers, wave that paddle proud so I can see them when I come in.  My daughter, Nancy, will be at the dock (with a Pickleball Paddle in Hand) and we will give her updates as to where we are and she can relay them to those of you at the dock. In another week or two, after a little more thought (unlike my shoot from the hip blog posts), I will share some of the "life lessons" along the way and share some of my deeper thoughts about the why now, why a small boat, why solo, why, why, why? I would like to think I learned a little more about myself somewhere along the way as well as all the people who supported my Journey along the way. That includes all of you who voluntarily chose to follow my posts, even though I can get off topic or probably bore you to death a random thought along the way. To those of you who are still wondering what Pickleball is, I encourage you to go out and give it a try. The boating community and the Pickleball community are both great support groups and encouraging as you learn  boating or  pickleball skills! To those of you who have told me that I have in some way inspired you, that is an unexpected thrill for me.  It has never been about that, but I was inspired by an canoeist (Verlin Kruger) years ago and by a couple of young women (Kate and Jessie) who did the great loop a few years ago in a very small sailboat  and blogged about their adventures along the way. I think they lite the fire that had been smoldering for a number of years. So, if you are in the neighborhood tomorrow, please consider stopping by.  I would love to see you! Journey | June 30, 2017 at 7:07 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: http://wp.me/p6sWcX-104 Comment    See all comments Unsubscribe to no longer receive posts from Six Thousand Miles Alone in a Dinghy. Change your email settings at Manage Subscriptions. Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: https://sixthousandmilesinadinghy.wordpress.com/2017/06/30/grand-finale-is-almost-here-and-im-alive-to-tell-the-story/

Tournaments

Chris Walkley gives instruction to the players in Harwich's Chutes and Ladders Tourney

Upcoming Tournaments

July 16 Georgetown Mixed Doubles for Intermediates and up

contact Sue Trainoff at trainoff2000@yahoo.com

August 18,19 and 20
MA Senior Games
Marlborough MA 
visit http://www.wardparkpball.org/ma-games

July 28,29 and 30th
NH Senior Games
Manchester, NH
Contact Walt Hooker at pickleball@nhseniorgames.org

June Howell's Belmont Tourney

June Howell's Senior Pickleball Tourney in Belmont

 Special Thanks to June Howell of the Belmont Recreation Department for making it all possible, Michael Rubin of Reading who made the possible happen and Ruane Crummett the greatest Octogenarian pickleball player on the planet

Overall Individual Winners

Sue Trainoff of Danvers and Paul Knight of Alaska

The Sixties

Jack Drinkwater of Reading and Kathy Hingston of Concord

The Seventies

Arlene Deardorff Bedford and Michael Carey Concord

A Pickleball Journey

At some point in our lives many of us come up with an idea that others consider crazy. But despite that we push forward because we have become obsessed. And those that follow through become enriched by the experience. 

And so it is with Dave Pike 

https://sixthousandmilesinadinghy.wordpress.com/

NAN
Notice the pickleball shirt and ball. When Dave stops he looks for a place to play pickleball.  He has now completed over 4 thousand miles of "The Loop"

And that is why Marjorie and I drove to Albany, New York to play a few games of pickleball with Dave.lay.

  

And Dave thought we were crazy

Lexington Players

The Lexington A Team

It's been three years of play in Lexington and there are some strong players stepping it up