Really great read. Guy sounds like he lived a crazy life and went out in his own way. I have a hard time accepting that logic, but then again I'm a young healthy person. Perhaps he saw his strength and individualism dwindling with his age and decided that he'd rather go down at sea than lay in a bed for a year and pass away 'gently'.
One of my dads sailing buddies was a 80 some year old retired merchant marine. He used to take a small open sail boat out of the Golden Gate to watch the whales. Guys like that have made peace that the end is rushing up.
