Since Huzzah departed Tacoma Yacht Club last September 1, 2015 for blue waters, great ocean passages and unimaginable adventures, over 7,350 nm's have passed under the keel! That's over 1,200 hours (or 50 days) of sailing at a respectable speed of 6 knots. And I still have over 2,500 to go this year before reaching Hawaii in November. Over that time, I have lived aboard for 329 days (and counting), which might seem crazy considering I can't even stand upright in much of the boat. Below is my perspective of the first year.
In late 2014 and the summer of 2015 during Huzzah's preparation and re-fit., I pondered often if I was really doing the right thing. After all, I would be away from my family for almost a year, and after so much time, would my grandsons even remember me? I knew my youngest grandson Henry surely wouldn't, as he was just a few months' old. But to be gone for so long was going to be hard - on everyone. And getting everything ready was so much work. But I always knew the answer for me was a clear yes, and I kept thinking back to the Mark Twain quote for reaffirmation of my motives; "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover".
So a few days after the send-off party with family and friends, it was finally time to take the "Big Left Turn" (as sailors say) down the coast with my capable crew of longtime friends Ken Slattery and Fred Morrison. Ken is an accomplished sailor, and Fred is a great cook who would eventually prepare great meals for some 70 days of cruising! Our first day at sea started out a bit shaky as we were greeted with a brisk southerly wind and steep six foot waves. We were unceremoniously baptized by Neptune on that day off the Washington coast. It wasn't much fun, but the wind eventually died and we ended up motoring for the vast majority of the trip to in calm seas. Yes, we had our moments of big wind and seas, but it was a fairly easy voyage in total. With stops in Coos Bay OR, Crescent City, Eureka, and Bodega Bay, we made it to Francisco Bay in 12 days.
Jody drove down from Gig Harbor to join me for a month aboard in San Francisco. And, while SF Bay cruising pales by comparison to the beautiful Northwest, we had fun. I even got a chance to see my oldest sister Judy - which is always a hoot. Too soon, our time had passed and Jody headed home. Fred and Ken rejoined Huzzah in SF early last October, and we soon departed for the next leg of the journey to San Diego. We made stops in Half Moon Bay, Monterey Bay, San Simeon Bay, Morrow Bay, and Catalina Harbor before arriving in San Diego on October 12th. Ken & Fred flew home a few days later, while I completed the many unfinished projects and some new improvements we'd identified along the way. San Diego is a great harbor, and we found a nice, reasonably priced marina to stay in. It's also my brothers Pete & David's neck of the woods, so I had the rare opportunity to visit with them and their wives. Again, a really great time for me. Jody returned the following week, and we continued preparing Huzzah for the Baja Ha Ha sailing rally to Mexico. Friends Don & Rosalie arrived a few days later, then Ken arrived and we had our crew.
The Baja Ha Ha is a weird but fun sailing rally to Cabo Mexico. We had a great trip with comfortable sailing in moderate conditions, great fishing, awesome weather and a truly fun crew. The ladies kept us well fed in spite of Jody's persistent mal de mer (aka seasickness) symptoms, and the stops in Turtle Bay and Santa Maria Bay were very festive respites as well. Too soon the rally had finished in Cabo San Lucas, and it was all but over. We sailed well, and the passage was very satisfying. By now it was the second week of November, so Ken, Jody and I ferried Huzzah North to La Paz MX where she would wait for us until after the Holidays.
The new year found Jody & I traveling to San Francisco to get a temporary residency Visas for French Polynesia from the Consulate there, then on to La Paz. Wow was it hard to leave Gig Harbor though! Valerie gave us a ride to the airport and all I could think about was not seeing my girls and grandsons for eleven months! I still remember how emotional that day was - and many since, quite frankly. In late February, friends joined us in La Paz for a couple weeks, then Jody returned home. By mid-March, Ken, Fred & I were finally ready for the big passage across the Pacific, or so we thought. A last minute glitch with a radar cable and refrigeration caused a us a ten-day delay. Finally, on March 29th we headed to sea for almost 19 days of continuous sailing, covering 2,900 miles before making landfall at Fatu Hiva, Marquesas, French Polynesia. Then it was on to the islands of Hiva Oa, Tahuata, Ua-Pou, and finally Huku Hiva. Ninety-five-degree heat and 95% humidity was not to my liking, so after two weeks, I was ready to move on from the Marquesas Islands.
On May Day, we pulled anchor for the next island group called the Tuamotu Islands, about 540 nm's to the SW. The passage couldn't have been better, but when we arrived the weather turned windy and rainy. After a few days in Fakarava, we visited Apataki, then Rangiroa. Due to the wet, windy weather, we departed the Tuamotu Islands group after only nine days for the Society Islands - another 200 nm's to the SW. After another great passage, we arrived at Huahine Island in the Society Islands, where we stayed for almost a week. We were hanging out with friends we'd met along the way, which is always fun for three guys waiting for their wives to arrive. Then we were off to Tahaa, Bora Bora, Raiatea, then back to Huahine, before sailing to Tahiti in early June to meet up with our wives. The wives joined Huzzah for two weeks of cruising Tahiti and Moorea islands. The weather wasn't great, but that seems to be one of the risks of cruising here. Our friends then departed for the US, leaving Jody & I to ourselves until Oskar & Rose arrived in early July for two weeks.
Rose and Oskar arrived in the middle of Jody's bout with Dengue fever, which put a bit of a damper on our departure from Tahiti. But Jody is tough and bounced back quickly - given the circumstances. Then we were off to Moorea where we swam with Sting Rays, Black tipped sharks, and lots of tropical fish. By the time we left, they had done some kayaking, zip-lining, pearl shopping etc. It was all over so quickly, but they had a good time and it was fun to celebrate my 60th birthdays with them. We were sad to see them go, even if Oskar repeatedly beat his Grandma at Mexican train.
Two days later on July 25th., Jody and I did our first overnight ocean passage together sailing over 100 miles in sloppy conditions from Tahiti to Huahine. Jody did very well, which was a real confidence booster. We then spent a couple weeks in Huahine, a week in Tahaa snorkeling, before spending our 37th wedding anniversary in Bora Bora. We absolutely loved Bora Bora, and ended up spending three weeks there. It is a really special place for those who get off the beaten path and tourist hangouts. And, as most cruisers continuing West pass through there, we got a chance to see and catch up with old friends we hadn't seen for a while.
In mid-September, we had to face the reality that we'd been cruising together for three months already, and needed to start working our way back towards Tahiti. Over the next week we'd sailed to Tahaa for another snorkel, and are currently waiting in Huahine for a good weather window for Tahiti, 100 miles to windward. Tomorrow, looks good and we planned to make our second overnight passage then. Wish us luck.
It's been a blast so far! Having Jody aboard has been my dream come true. We have explored, grown together and discovered what we already knew - we miss our family and home. For me, it's been an opportunity to live my dream while I can. My first year of this journey has met all my expectations, and I have no regrets.
Cheers from Huzzah!