On May 11, 1980 John Lennon performed "Oh Yoko" from Cold Spring Harbor where he had taken up residence at his beach house, Cannon Hill, with Sean and two assistants while Yoko was secretly going cold turkey and coping with heroin withdrawal symptoms. It looks just like a hundred in-home performances by artists staying isolated from the Covid-19 pandemic.
In any case, it was here on Long Island, where Lennon would buy a yacht and set about learning to sail.
In early June he would set off on a harrowing 630-mile sailing adventure. He would tell Playboy about the storm in which he had to take the wheel while the crew dealt with sea sickness.
“I was there driving the boat for six hours, keeping it on course. I was buried under water . . . smashed in the face by waves for six solid hours. It won’t go away. You can’t change your mind. It’s like being on stage; once you’re on, there’s no getting off. A couple of the waves had me on my knees. I was just hanging on with my hands on the wheel . . . and I was having the time of my life. I was screaming sea shanties and shouting at the gods! I felt like a Viking . . . or Jason and the Golden Fleece.”
The adventure rejuvenated Lennon and his creative spirit. He would soon begin writing songs again.
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