John started sailing when he was 15, taking lessons in Marina Del Ray. While in the Navy, he joined the San Diego Navy Sailing Club and received extensive training and experience there. In college, also in San Diego, he bought a Columbia 22 and sailed, raced and cruised it extensively in Southern CA. During this time he also crewed on several race boats. After college, he moved to Northern CA and brought his Columbia with him and cruised the bay for several years in it. He sold the Columbia and used the money as part of the downpayment for their first house. This ended up being an almost 30 year hiatus. When he could afford another sailboat, he decided he would rather use his spare time flying because his weekend range was about 1500 miles flying vs. about 30 miles sailing. When he retired in 2006, he decided he was no longer “in a hurry” and bought the Valiant 40. He also started crewing on race boats again to help re-establish his sailing skills. Soon thereafter, he decided he wanted to do the SHTP. He had a schedule conflict for the 2007 Longpac, so self-qualified with a singlehanded sail down to Santa Cruz Island. This was his first time offshore, overnight alone and it only reinforced his desire to do the SHTP. His wife joined him there and they spent a month or so checking out the various anchorages on Santa Cruz Island (great, by the way!). He then brought the boat back up the coast. Since then it’s been much more working on the boat than sailing it. Things like all new standing and running rigging, new mainsail, recertifying the liferaft, the usual. He plans to have his boat inspection completed prior to his doing the singlehanded Farallons Race in April where he expects to be soundly trounced by his friend Andy Hall, the skipper of the boats he races on. Andy will be racing his WylieCat 30 “Life is Good.” He will have better speed and 10% of the workload; almost like cheating. John hasn’t convinced Andy to do the SHTP in the WylieCat this year, but there’s always 2010.

John’s goal is to sail the boat as fast as it’s capable of, safely, and chart a good course around the Pacific High and he will be content with his standing if he feels he has done this. His wife Jan and his brother and his brother’s wife and some friends will be waiting in Hanalei for him (unless he beats them there or he gets stuck in the Pacific High (ugh)). He plans to navigate primarily with a new sextant and crosscheck his newly acquired skills via GPS. He will vacation in Hanalei until it’s time for Jan to fly home, then he will singlehand it back via the San Juan Islands. They’re right on the way you know! He is really looking forward to sitting under “the tree” in Hanalei after the race and welcoming new arrivals and earning his belt buckle.