Hatteras Wall
An Epic to Benefit Fairwinds – Nantucket’s Counseling Center
From Hatteras Light, NC to Brant Point Light, ACK, Starting June 21, 2022
In Memory of: John Loughlin (9/28/63 – 10/19/04)
In Honor of: Annie Backus (46 Years of Service - Cottage Hospital / LPN - Patient Care Tech, Medical Surgery)
Do you remember the epic journey Adam Nagler made on his paddleboard from Virginia to Nantucket last summer? He paddled the open ocean to inspire donations to Fairwinds. His respect for Fairwinds is huge, as is his commitment to mental health, so he is paddling again this summer.
But, in true Adam fashion, he’s ramping it up. This year, he leaves from Cape Hatteras, NC on June 21. In Adam’s words, this journey is “an effort to push beyond the edge of possibility and everything that has come before.” The outbound (NC to ACK) stage of his trip, which he has dubbed “Hatteras Wall,” will be approximately 550 miles long. He will navigate about 45 miles west of the canyons of the continental shelf and be at sea for 16 or more days.
This journey is made solo, unsupported, without stops on a 14’ standup paddleboard.
The journey is:
· A point-to-point crossing in open-ocean.
· Out of sight of land.
· Going to break record for the number of days at sea without coming ashore.
· Not driven, in part or in whole, by trade winds, trade swell, or a prevailing ocean current.
If you are excited, amazed, and/or impressed by the challenges Adam is taking on, you are not alone. Fairwinds is grateful to Adam for once again using his unique platform to make a powerful statement about the importance of mental health care and in support of Fairwinds’ commitment to offering all services to all people, regardless of their financial or insurance status.
Adam says: “In a time of great need, Fairwinds, their staff and volunteers, are there for their neighbors, and I need to be there for Fairwinds. My mission is their mission.”
If you wish to donate in support of Adam and his journey to raise awareness for Fairwinds and its mission, please use the link below, and in the notes section, write “Adam Nagler” so we can track the gifts that he inspires.
www.fairwindscenter.org/support-us/donate
Adam Nagler has taken every precaution to ensure his safety. We will keep you apprised of his progress on social media, including updates about Adam’s GPS coordinates and prevailing weather, or you can follow him on Facebook at Adam Royce Nagler.
Follow Adam as he travels through his odyssey:
share.garmin.com/share/adamnagler
Password: GoTheDistance
Course
Stage I: Outbound
Launch: Cape Hatteras Light -Buxton, NC
Land: Brant Point Light - Nantucket,MA
Distance: 600+/- mi (521 nm)
Paddle Hrs: 300:00:00+/-
Paddle Days: 20+/-
Stage II: Inbound
Launch: Brant Point Light -Nantucket, MA
Land: Montauk Point Light - Montauk,NY
Distance: 250+/- mi (226 nm)
Paddle Hrs: 125:00:00+/-
Paddle Days: 8+/-
Equipment Type: Standup paddleboard (Stock 14’ x 30”)
Form of Expedition: Solo, unsupported, non-stop (outbound). Solo, primarily self-supported, port stops
between legs(inbound).
Launch, Course and Weather:
(1) Launch:
Will be based on near-term (day to week), mid-term (week to two week) and long-term (macro western Atlantic basin) environmental analysis and projections; starting 6/21/22.
(2) Distance and Course (Outbound):
600+/- mi (521 nm)reflects navigation on the line, following a course 40+/- mi (35 nm) to the west of the canyons of the continental shelf (Norfolk Canyon to Hudson Canyon).
(3) Distance and Course (Inbound):
250+/- mi (226 nm) reflects point-to-point navigation on the ‘outside’ (ocean course). Ports/harbors serve as launch and landings for crossings, with mid-leg beaching likely (a function of tropical systems in the track).
(4) Duration:
24+/- projected paddling days in sum at 15 hrs x 2.0 mph (1.75 kts per hr) per 24 hr period (moving time). Moving time does not include: a). Sleep (on sea anchor to windward / on drogue when running to leeward). b). Medical. c). Nutrition and hydration organization. d). Equipment management and repair and e). Safety protocols (communications with safety manager, course plotting / navigation / corrections/ diverts if any).
(5) Divert:
Hurricane season in the western Atlantic officially begins on 6/1, although systems may develop in May (as they did in ’21): a). Tropical development at the start of the season tends to occur in the Gulf of Mexico, off the mid-Atlantic coast or across the Bahamas of the northern Caribbean. b). In contrast to later season storms (which form off the coast of west Saharan Africa, track at a lower latitude, can be identified as far as two weeks in advance and from up to 4,000 mi / 3,475 nm away), early storms may form in close proximity to launch at the Hatteras Light. c). Their often rapid and intense development, combined with an inopportune track, would require an immediate divert to the coastline. d). Depending on location on course, a straight divert would take a min 12 hrs / max 36 hrs of paddling. e). During the ’21 Atlantic hurricane season (in sum, the third most active on record) eight tropical systems impacted last year’s expedition Deep Fog Re-Direct: three delayed the launch date, one required a course divert on the outbound stage and four necessitated beaching between ports on the inbound.
How Does It Stack Up- Superlatives: From Adam…
If only 1/4 to 1/3 of the outbound stage of this year’s EPIC were to be completed following the planned offshore track (before a combination of variables required taking a more coastal route), it would still be the longest standup paddle on a stock board re: a). A point-to-point crossing in open-ocean. b). Out of sight of land. c). Number of days at sea without coming ashore. d). Solo. e).Unsupported and f). Not driven, in part or in whole, by trade winds, trade swell or a prevailing ocean current.
Why Cape Hatteras: From Adam..
It’s out there, exposed…The Graveyard of the Atlantic…sitting precariously on a sandspit at the intersection of two of the world’s most powerful currents (the Gulf Stream flowing north and the Labrador flowing south)…open to heavy weather from every direction. A point of effect or impact (since time began) from hurricanes and Nor’easters, 100s of square miles of shoals, magnificent dunes, at times unnavigable (at other times, just wicked hard), home to gritty year-round settlers and thick with green and black flies.
Why Nantucket: From Adam…
See Cape Hatteras above, except for the flies. When you get to Nantucket the hard way, you’ve earned it. One error in navigation or “momentary lapse of reason”, and you’ll get spit out. My Island in the Stream. The seafaring history, landscape and architecture will pull you in, but it’s the people that will steal your heart (my islander friends are some of the finest people that anyone could ever hope to know).
Why Fairwinds and Mental Health Services: From Adam…
“You can’t do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do,” – Jana Stanfield. In my family we always approached therapy as an opportunity to learn and grow, rather than something to fear or to be embarrassed about. When the pandemic first hit I started having mutual support FaceTime calls with islander friends (a number of whom are single and don’t have family nearby). It was during these calls and subsequent research that I became intimately aware of how essential Fairwinds’ services are to the island (especially those suffering from anxiety, depression and addiction). As the pandemic evolved, the breakdown in mental health became all too real (with a series of suicides, families dissolving, careers upended, the stress of constant adaptation etc.). In a time of great need, Fairwinds, their staff and volunteers, have been there for their community, and in that spirit of getting the job done in the face of toughest odds, I am committed to being there for Fairwinds. My mission is their mission.
Fairwinds’ Mission Statement:
Fairwinds - Nantucket’s Counseling Center provides confidential, quality professional care to adults and youth on Nantucket Island, who seek mental health and addiction services. All are welcome, regardless of ability to pay.
Donation Focus:
To support those patients:
· Who cannot afford to pay for any of the services provided (many must prioritize the most basic needs for their families - food, rent, perhaps some physical healthcare for their children etc.).
· Who are not insured, but can afford to pay part (but not all) of their fees out of pocket.
· Whose insurance for mental health or addiction services has reached its maximum benefit before the course of treatment is complete (an all too common occurrence with many health insurance plans).
· Who are insured, and can afford to pay part (but not all) of their copay.
In Memory of John Loughlin: From Adam…
My buddy (our buddy) was one of the greats. Never does a visit to the island pass without many a remembrance of our guy…
The beloved husband of Pamela J. (Mueller) Loughlin of Newton, MA. Loving and adoring father of Madeline Jean Loughlin.
John graduated from Plymouth State College in New Hampshire, Class of 1986. He served on the board of directors at William Lawrence Camp and was a skiing instructor for 16 years at Loon Mountain. He truly loved being on the mountain (and in the mountains),teaching and the Loon community. John was a natural athlete, a loyal friend and worked his butt off to take care of his family. A devoted husband and adoring father, he graduated from Ridgewood High School (NJ) in 1982. After graduation from college he spent 10 years living in Boston, and with his “big” personality, he had a big presence in the Boston Community. He was loved by all and made each person feel special by taking great interest in your interests. He worked in sales at Network Plus for 12 years in Quincy. John will be remembered for his passion in life and living it to the fullest. His enthusiasm was contagious and spirit truly genuine.
In Honor of Annie Backus: From Adam…
My friend Annie served as a Licensed Practical Nurse at NCH for 46 years before retiring last year. We have kept in touch a whole lot over the last six months (talk of the scallop harvest, preparations for big storms, how her family’s doing, the scuttlebutt around town and on the water etc.). I thought it would be a neat thing, and most appropriate, to do my paddle in her honor.
Being a native islander, Annie could really relate and connect to many of her patients (and their families). They were family friends, her school teacher, Sunday School teacher, her neighbor. At three in the morning, when they were calling out for a loved one, it was really important to her to know that she could help fill that void; being a familiar person.
This is how Annie described her life experience at the hospital just before her last shift:
“I have worked here at NCH since October 21, 1974. My first and only professional job. I started when I was just 19 years old, fresh out of nursing school. Green as green can be! Most rewarding has been all I have learned since beginning my career. All the patients I have cared for, all the lives I have touched and all the people I have met including patients, staff and administration. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of the NCH team. And to all my patients over the years, who entrusted me with their care through several generations of families. From bathing a newborn and holding the hand of a dying patient, to monitoring those with behavioral health challenges or comforting children and young adults, who were really scared of their hospital experience. I have seen and done so much, but now it is time to move into my next chapter. What a journey it has been. See you at the beach!”
