Question 1

Why are you still only in Mexico? I thought you were going around the world?

Accepted Answer

Our original plan was to sail to the south pacific in April of 2024, however we wanted to first get a long stay visa for French Polynesia.  This is essentially the Tahiti area.  If you don't get the long stay visa, you can only spend 90 days in the country before you have to leave.  We didn't want to sail 3000 miles to be kicked out of the country after only 90 days. A long stay visa allows you to stay a full year.  When applying for the long stay visa, we found it complex and took a really long time to get.  We should have started the process earlier.  We found that when applying, the French consulate takes your passports for about 2.5 months, so by the time we would have gotten them back, it would have been too late in the season to cross the pacific ocean (due to weather), so we decided to wait until the next season/year.  At the time we realized this, we were in Puerto Vallarta.  By June, that location is right in the middle of hurricane zone, so we needed to either head to Panama or all the way up into the Sea of Cortez to Puerto Penasco to escape the hurricane zone from June to November.  We chose to head north and place Blue Safari on the hard (out of the water) to perform maintenance and also be able to drive to San Diego.  In late November, we headed back south.  Essentially all our plans to sail got delayed an entire year, but we are back at it and sailing south!

Question 2

How did this begin?

Accepted Answer

We started dating in 2010 and travel was a big common interest.  From 2010 to 2013 Lisa was introduced to sailing on Mark's boat at the time, which was a Hunter 42 (a monohull).  In 2013 we went to the British Virgin Islands and chartered a 46 foot Leopard Catamaran named Kokomo II.  This was the first time for Lisa to be on a catamaran.  After sailing around the islands there, the dream was formed.  How could we travel the world by catamaran?  We wanted to travel by boat so we could go to places where not many others have travelled.  We want to explore as much of the world as we can, experiencing other cultures and ways of life. In 2013, there were not many videos available, so we started off planning alone.  A year or two later, we discovered SV Delos videos which became a huge inspiration for us, that we could actually cross oceans and explore the world by boat.  We just needed a capable boat that could take us anywhere in the world and the funds to do it (and a few more little details).    Its taken 10 years, but we finally have what we need to go.  Tons of planning over the last 10 years got us to this point.  Even family and friends were beginning to think we'd never leave the dock. As of April this year, we finally had all the boxes checked for the things we needed in order to go.  We feel like life is calling our bluff to go while all the stars are aligned.  We are super excited to finally start exploring!

Question 3

How long will you be gone?

Accepted Answer

Its too hard to tell exactly.  We have planned to have the ability to go for several years, but it all depends how much we are enjoying it.  Most likely a minimum of several months, and at a maximum several years.  The goal isn't to claim we sailed the world, but to explore as much as we can, while we are able.   If that means going all the way around, it would take several years and we would have countless memories.

Question 4

Aren't you worried about pirates?

Accepted Answer

The short answer is no.  Being worried about pirates is a little like being worried about being carjacked.   Pirates tend to operate in known areas, well documented by numerous websites.  The sailing community is close knit, keeping everyone informed of bad areas to avoid.  Mostly, we will avoid areas with known pirates.  In areas where pirates exist, they tend to prey on single isolated ships.  For that reason, we plan to join groups like the Baja Haha and Panama Posse to have strength in numbers.  In the sailing world, we call it buddy boats.

Question 5

Will it just be the two of you going?

Accepted Answer

No, we plan to have other crew along the way.  The number on board will almost always be 4-6 people.  If you have sailing experience and would like to join us for a month or two, drop us a line.

Question 6

How will you carry all the wine you'll need?

Accepted Answer

If you know us, this is a very good question.   We're working on this one.  Possibly we will tow a big barge behind us.

Question 7

Will you be working remote as you go?

Accepted Answer

No, both of us have to quit our jobs to make this happen.  Its not easy, we have both been in our careers for 25+ years.  To walk away from that comfort zone is the hardest thing we've ever done.

Question 8

Are you selling your house?

Accepted Answer

No, we plan to have roommates to share the cost of the house and keep and eye on everything while we are gone.   We want to make sure we have a place to stay when we come back to go to Glamis dunes and visit family and friends.

!

Question 9

What safety gear do you have on board?

Accepted Answer

Check our gear page for a partial list, but in general we have followed the guidelines for required gear as  defined by the Offshore Racing Council (ORC).