Welcome to my Journey
On 15th August 2006, I completed a 'NE Pacific Loop' by sailing to Sitka from Hanalei Bay in Kauai after the finish of the Single-Handed Transpac Race to Hawaii from San Francisco (which I started on 24th June 2006).
I'd left Sitka in 2005, as part of a cruise of SE Alaska, and sailed down the Inside Passage to British Columbia and on to Puget Sound, where I was forced to stop for the winter months, and then on to San Francisco offshore in May 2006.
As a result of these ocean passages, and having to overcome the varied problems that cropped up en route, I gained in confidence tremendously and set my sights on sailing around the world.
I sailed down from Sitka in September '06 to San Diego, via the Inside Passage & the West coast of Vancouver Island, making the journey from Neah Bay singlehanded offshore to San Francisco for my third time in October '06. After some necessary work there, it was on to San Diego for a lot more work on the boat with my circumnavigation in mind. Then came a fast journey offshore down the Baja (Mexico) in February, ending eventually in Zihuatanejo (Mexico) from where my solo journey around the world finally started on Monday 26th March '07. I reached Cairns, Australia, on 11th July '07, Richards Bay, South Africa on 16th November '07 and left Trinidad on 1st May '08. I was then incredibly unlucky to lose "Nereida" on a steep surf beach in Mexico less than twelve hours and about fifty miles short of completing my solo circumnavigation on 19th June'08. (See 'Travels' for more details of my route and for maps showing my position as I sailed around.)
My lovely new "Nereida" is now (April/May 2009) being commissioned on the River Hamble, near Southampton Water .... She's a lovely boat - a Najad 380, which is the updated, re-designed, faster version of my previous N361.I've made many changes and additions, so she's not a 'standard' N380 (one obvious, major change is that she's cutter-rigged, not a sloop). I hope she'll work well for me. (See 'Boat Details' page)
My plan is to trial her thoroughly around the Solent with both long and short passages, before setting off from Guernsey towards the Canaries where I'll check everything out thoroughly again while waiting for September - and the end of the Southern winter. Then I'll head south and around again.... but this time I'll be sailing eastabout.... We'll see how it goes, but maybe this time I'll manage to get all the way around!! It'll be totally different from before.... starting from the Atlantic and heading east in higher latitudes, passing the Five Great Capes.... It'll be a definite challenge but I've a good sturdy boat and I'm looking forward to it.
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