We have figured out the best land transportation once we get to port...can't wait till they arrive!

"To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen, who play with their boats at sea – “cruising,” it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.

“I’ve always wanted to sail to the South Seas, but I can’t afford it.” What these men can’t afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of “security.” And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine – and before we know it our lives are gone.
What does a man need – really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in – and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That’s all – in the material sense. And we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention from the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by. The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it the tomb is sealed.
Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life?"

Sterling Haydon

One day she will be better than new.

Rated as a blue water boat (ocean crossing / wave spankin' boat), her mojo will be tested soon. Right now, she'd sink like a bag of used bricks. She has more holes in her than a cyclone fence. I spent a good few hours with the up and coming naval architect at the boat yard. He had good news and bad news today. The good news is the Super Wind turbine generator gets it's own solo pole. Bad news is the deck it's going into is as soft as a wet 45 year old sponge. But, Hanu is a small boat so the challenges are never too big. Michael, the boat yard tech, is going to cut out the bad stuff and epoxy good stuff to hold it all together. The other option would be to just glass everything in really good, but that really won't work because the stern anchor cleat is attached to that deck - and I don't need to tell anyone that a anchor cleat must be firmly attached to the boat. He said my head was too big too, and my ass. What he meant was the new toilet was larger than the one being replaced and they have to extend the base which puts the nav chair off the boat because there isn't enough room. With a small boat, you have challenges like this. Solution? Put a diner stool-type top to the chair - but I also want to keep the chair because of all the computer work I do for the business. I'll just have to do some monkey moves to get in and out of the chair. For safety, he suggested replacing the two larger winches with self-tailing, for which I agreed. It's dangerous to single-hand a six ton boat without steering. Oh, and because Hanu is smaller, she will only hold one solar panel, two just won't work - this limits our power regeneration more, but then, we'll have the wind and gas generator plus the diesel. Solar is free though. Bummer.

All in all a good visit! I'll keep you posted!

This is Hanu at her worst, but you must tear down before you rebuild. This is the latest video we have of her, plus some pictures I've taken to document her progress - and the progress of the entire project. While I have been planning this voyage for more (or less) ten years now, in the last few months I have been doing nothing but preparing myself, the boat and the business.

I was hoping to have Hanu in the water by now, but it's taking a few more weeks. This delay is, of course, because of the additions to the workorder I continue to make. An electric windlass, a washdown system, a new furling system for the jib, and lazy jacks for the main are just a few of the items added. In the meantime, the business is being prepped to run itself and will hopefully be launched in September. I was planning on the business being launched in March of 2013, so being ahead of schedule is certainly unexpected. The plan to go to the San Juans is still on, but whether I go to French Polynesia or the Caribbean is still up in the air - and frankly, not even a concern. I feel very honored to have made contact with Lin and Larry Pardey and Bob Bitchin, three of the most famous and respected sailors in the world - what better inspiration than a note from the masters of the sea? All I need now is that letter from Jimmy Buffett...and I think I'd cry tears of joy for weeks. Dreams do come true - if you "keep your eye on the ball" as my friend Chris would say. So I'll close this for now with another quote from Chris..."You only live once, what are you going to do?"