Toward the Next Horizon

As I write these words, I have less than a week before I fly down to Panama to begin another sailboat delivery, this time toward the mysterious palm fringed shores of the South Pacific Island known as Tahiti.

It's hard to believe that four years have passed since the last time I was in the beautiful, green, wonderfully crazy land that is Panama.

This next trip, I'll be making my way to Bocas Chicas, in the far west of the country on the Pacific side, where my home for the next four months waits; the Matrix 27, Arcturus. The Matrix 27 has been described as a faster, more modern version of the Flicka 20, a strong and capable boat, and very accommodating for a 27 footer.

Possible stops along the way to Tahiti include such destinations as the Cocos Islands, the Galapagos, Easter Island, Pitcairn Island, the Gambiers, and Raivavae. So many new islands await my shadow and I'm excited to return to Panama.

Matrtix 27

LOA: 27'3"
LWL: 23'2"
Beam: 8'5"
Draft: 3'5"
Displacement: 6,800 Lbs.
Ballast: 2,800 Lbs.
Year: 1987
Designed by Lou Nagy

Snapshots from the Apocalypse

Here's a few pictures from some of my most recent travels across the US as far east as Cleveland between early November and late December. I hitchhiked through Portland, Corvallis, and Boise (with a few stops along the way) to Salt Lake City, where I caught a rideshare with three cats, two dogs, three people and a turtle named Hudson all the way to St. Louis, Missouri. I definitely got along best with Hudson by the end of the ride. 

From Missouri I caught a greyhound to Ohio, and after visiting a friend ended up in Detroit, cleaning out houses that had been flooded out during a storm in August and spending some time in that city that has suffered so much but has so much potential. I was in Detroit through Christmas eve, when I caught a flight back to Washington. 

I'm turning back to the water on my next trip, which is coming up in early February. I will be delivering a 27 foot sailboat from Panama to Tahiti, hopefully stopping at places like the Galapagos and Easter Island along the way! More about that to come.

A few more pics

 San Francisco and the trip north:

More to Come

These excellent pictures were taken by my friend Mark Billingsby on a recent passage from Port Angeles, WA to San Francisco on board the Sauvage, a Waquiez 40 owned by Jim Eisenhart, president of Ventura Consulting. Great trip down, even better time in the bay and on the road trip back up with friends.

Good Times

Just got back to Port Scandalous after a month long sail up in British Columbia/the San Juan Islands. Sailed from Port Angeles to the San Juans for a two or three day trip, and life on the water was just too good. Meandered through the Gulf Islands to Nanaimo, made a side trip up to the Thormanby Islands and Lasquiti, and then crossed the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver to kick it with my homies from the Philippines volunteer adventures of last winter. Once again, a couple day visit turned into 11 days. I know what Rick James said was a hell of a ****, but man after almost two weeks in the city a nice peaceful anchorage was just what the doctor ordered. Got a full schedule of deliveries and adventures shaping up for the next year...