I first started sailing 30 years ago. I was riding my bike down at the local park and saw a flyer advertising 4 weekends of sailing lessons on the lake for $20. It seemed like too good a deal to pass up, so that’s where I first learned the basics of sailing. From that point on I was hooked. I signed up for every sailing lesson on the Bay I could find, and then eventually started doing bareboat charters. I bought my first boat, an Ericson 38, in 1993 and shortly afterwards started racing with the SSS organization.

This will be my fifth Singlehanded TransPac. My first was back in 1996. The second time was in 2002 with a new boat, a 40 foot J/120 I named ‘Alchera’, which roughly translated means ‘Dreamtime’. Though I had a great second trip, I felt at the time that two Transpacs was enough for one person in one lifetime and it would be my last. However, in 2004 I entered and raced once more. Afterwards I solemnly vowed never to do it again. I even said, to all of my friends and competitors, ‘If I ever talk about doing this race again, please shoot me.’ Then I did the race again in 2006. No one shot me, though they often gleefully reminded me of what I had said two years previously.

I’ve accepted the inevitable, and now I’m racing again for the fifth time. No one believes me anymore, but this really is my last time. REALLY.

There’s something very addictive about this race. It’s hard to explain to the uninitiated. Even though each skipper gives their best effort to do well in the race, no one hesitates to help out and support their fellow competitors as well. We all share the experience of getting our boats ready and passing the qualification inspections. Then we all share the experience racing to Kauai for two or more weeks, talking twice daily on the SSB. By the time we cross the finish, we are a close knit family, having shared our best and worst moments, and we have made friends for life. Offshore sailing is a great way to break out of the mold of everyday life and its responsibilities, and making landfall at Hanalei Bay after two weeks alone with the ocean is an experience that should not be missed.