Let It Begin

Hey, look, a blog post without pictures. I know, your thinking I've gotten lazy, battery dead on the iPhone or maybe my camera fell overboard. Nothing could be further from the truth, this is what you might call a primer blog. The intro to a series of blogs that might not be quite up to my usual editing standards, written on more than a few hours of sleep, or possibly written with one too many of those rum punches that seem to be favored drink of sailors. 

Way back in May of this year, I was looking to expand my sailing experience on open water so I turned to the internet. There are forums where people needing other people to help them sail their boats to different parts of the world advertise for help. You can check out the forum that I used here. I responded to two different adds that fit not only my time frame that I thought I could pull off such a caper but were also on the West Coast of the Untied States.

The first one I replied to, read as follows:

I'm seeking a crew and skipper to help deliver this sailboat from long beach ca to Hawaii. I recently bought this sailboat and had been survey. The sailboat will be ready this July,current its getting remodel and upgrades. I'm from Honolulu Hawaii and like to take her home.
Info about myself I'm a Hawaiian native 32 years old married with 2 kids. Sailing experiences is very limited.
My offer is All provision will be provide, and return ticket back to the states.
I'm seeking 2-3 deckhands and 1 captain. I must have acaptain. I'm looking for easy going people that can teach me things about sailing. I have spent over $100 thousand getting this sailboat blue water ready.
Info about my sailboat:
1984 48' ocean going ketch (sailboat) Bruce Roberts
120 gallons of water and 200 gallons of diesel. It has aPerkins 1200 amps hours battery bank. Solar panels and 2wind turbines, new Riggs lines mass and paint top and bottom I have VHF radio, weatherfax, satelite phone, tv,internet and I have GPS systems navigation. I have a 40 GPH watermaker from ro cruiser and freezer, Garmin Ghp 20autopilot, has RADAR. The boat has a 8 men life raft, systems are mainly brand new.

The other add was not as exciting as going to Hawaii, but still fit my schedule and location.

Looking for crew (1 or 2), for the trip from Alameda Ca. to San Diego. Some sailing experience appreciated. The trip will be played safe with no "have to" dates on arrival. Hopefully 1 or 2 nights hold up for weather, especially around Pt. Conception. I cover all costs for the boat and birthing. You supply or pay for your own food and such. Startin the end of August with an arrival in SD somewhere around the middle of September.
Vessel is a well founded Hallberg Rassy 35 with radar, GPS, liferaft, EPIRBand hot running water. Who could ask for more...

My reply to the first add must have fallen on deaf ears, apparently there were lots of people who wanted to go to Hawaii, and my lack of sailing experience was no match for twenty and thirty years of experience that the other replies had under their belt. 

My reply to the second ad was answered the same day.  Followed shortly by a phone conversation verifying I was part of the crew.  This lead to dozens of e-mails detailing such things as what to bring, where to meet, itinerary, etc.   

As I write this post, I'm just days away from heading out into the Pacific Ocean for a week and a half with a person I have never met in person, a boat I have never been on and a ocean that I know little about.  

Stay tuned as we enter a series of blogs where I take you along on a 450 nautical mile adventure upon the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Let the adventure begin.

~J~