PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMP PROFILES, PT I — If you've ever doubted that cruising sailors are a fascinating group of people, you should tag along with us on one of canoes. gation. "I didn't actually go to Australia our annual trips to Mexico and Panama. As with all to buy a boat, but I decided I wanted Each year in early March, just as a new Wharram to try the lifestyle, and I've loved it ever herd of Pacific Puddle Jumpers are about designs, since. I'd already had my fill of shovel- to set sail for French Polynesia, we corral the liv- ing snow out of driveways." them for interviews by offering free beer, ing space hors d'oeuvres and official PPJ burgees. is mini- Moshulu — Spencer 42 Invariably, they come from a wide mal and Gerry Parkhurst & variety of backgrounds, and sail on the sailing Alf and Kathleen of 'Kattu' Gail Jasmer-Wilson a wildly diverse fleet of boats — from systems are simple, and high tech gear Gig Harbor, WA is almost nonexistent. But keeping Gerry tells us Moshulu is a Seneca things simple is good, right? Alf and Indian name meaning fearless. But his Kathleen won't waste a lot of time isn't the first awaiting the arrival of parts via DHL. vessel to adopt The build took them 10 years it. The the four- and was inspired by neighbors on masted barque Saltspring Island who built a tri and Moshulu was circumnavigated during the 1960s. the winner of The boat's name, by the way, is taken the last great from the Tamil word meaning lash- Australia-to- ings — you guessed it, the boat's Europe grain structural members are held together race (1939), and by lashings. is said to have been the last The 'Moshulu' crew Nakiska — Freya 42 commercial sailing ship to round Cape Our official Pacific Puddle Jump burgees make Trevor Anderson Horn. (She's now a classy restaurant in great souvenirs. But you can only get one if you Georgetown, CYM Philadelphia.) attend one of our Send-Off fiestas. Trevor's story is unique within the While the background of this Moshu- Spartan fixer-uppers to gleaming yachts fleet. Although he's lu is not quite that impressive, she does equipped with all the latest bells and from Calgary, Alberta have a colorful history. She has already whistles. The common thread, of course, (don't let that Cay- done two circumnavigations, and will is that they are all poised to head west man Islands homeport turn 50 next year. in pursuit of one of the sailing world's fool you), he bought Gerry and Gail spent five years re- greatest adventures: crossing from the his boat in Austra- furbishing her before heading south West Coast of the Americas to French lia 16 years ago, and with the 2010 Baja Ha-Ha rally. Their Polynesia. At roughly 3,000 miles, it's has spent much of plan now is to do a short South Pacific the largest uninterupted stretch of ocean that time cruising it circuit. a would-be circumnavigator would face around the world. At Trevor of 'Nakiska' Sure they're a little rowdy. You'd be in a festive when traveling around the world via the this point, he's about to complete the mood too if you were about to set sail for the tropics. final quarter of a very slow circumnavi- fabled isles of the South Pacific. Yeah, it's a pretty big deal. And that's why, ever since coining the phrase Pacific Puddle Jump nearly 20 years ago, we've expended lots of ink honoring the sailors who make this ambitious passage. The voyagers you'll meet here gathered March 7 at the Vallarta YC in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico for our annual PPJ Send-Off Party. (We'll follow up next month by introduc- ing you to the adventure-hungry explorers we met at Panama's Bal- boa YC.) Kattu — Wharram Tiki 38 Alf Bangert & Kathleen O'Brien Hornby Island, BC Kattu is definitely one of the most unusual boats in this year's fleet. She's homebuilt to a James Wharram design that borrows concepts from ancient voyaging ANDY / LATITUDE PHOTOS ALL Page 92 • Latitude 38 • April, 2014 MEET ME IN PAPEETE 30° N • San Francisco The Beguine — Valiant 40 you keep your mistress on the 15° N • San Diego Paul & Celeste Carpenter sea" and this 38-ft cat definitely Marysville, KS qualifies as her husband's mis- Routes of the Despite being officially based in Kan- tress. Pacific Puddle Jumpers sas, Paul and Celeste already have a After nearly two years spent lot of sea miles under their belts. Now cruising in Mexican waters, the in her fifth year of cruising, Celeste ex- couple figures the time is right for •Cabo a South Pacific cruise — "while we still have our health and wits Puerto •Vallarta about us!" 0° "Thirty-four years, three They met their crew, Dani Zihuatanejo• (grown) kids later, Peters and Jack Whittmore, in and we finally get to Mexico. The foursome may sail together all the way to Australia. pursue our dream!" Marquesas• Wind Cutter — Island Packet 485 Panama plains that the last time they decided to Craig & Carol Fleetwood > head offshore from Mexico they ended Portland, OR 15° S Galapagos > up in Alaska. so now it's time to "do a Based on the following, we'd 180 and head for the South Pacific." bet that few PPJ crews are more excited The folks you'll meet here set sail from Ban- Plans are open-ended. about chasing the deras Bay. But many others jump off from And yes, the name is taken from that sun over the hori- Panama, Galapagos and elsewhere. famous Cole Porter song. zon than Craig and a 20-ft Flicka — that process took 13 Carol: "From the years, but he got 20 years of sailing out Pied-a-Mer III — Seawind 1160 moment we said, 'I of her before deciding to upgrade. By Pam & Eric Sellix, Clatskanie, OR do,' we have talked contrast, Gail is a relatively new con- about this day. Thir- vert. She learned to sail only five years ty-four years, three ago. (grown) kids later, 'Windcutter' Craig and we finally get to Rhapsody — Herreshoff Nereia 36 pursue our dream!" Alan & Laura Dwan, Los Angeles Wow. That's a long time to defer ad- It's not often that we see the name venturing, but there's every indication Herreshoff in a Puddle Jump fleet list- that they'll make the most of it now. ing, and this one is a rare beauty. De- They left us with this pithy comment: signed by L. Fran- "When people share concern over our cis Herreshoff, but safety while sailing an open sea, we like launched in 1981, The happy crew of 'Pied-a-Mer' to say, "'We'd rather die living, than live this 'modern clas- Pam explains that the colloquial dying.'" sic' sports a ketch translation of her boat name is "where rig, and measures Starshine — 42 feet overall. Shannon 38 Why the South Dave & Gail Kenyon Pacific? Alan can Deale, MD trace his inspira- "We came down tion to sail there on the Ha-Ha this to his reading of 'Rhapsody' traditionalists year and decided to Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around keep going," explains the World when he was about 12 years Dave. He and Gail old. Their game plan is to spend two plan to island-hop all seasons exploring the South Pacific be- the way to Australia, fore circling home via Hawaii. then figure out what comes next. Oogachaka — Kadey-Krogen 42 Like many, many Ken & Patty Sebby Puddle Jumpers Umatilla, OR over the years, Dave Easily one of the most unusual boat credits his reading of names ever to grace a Puddle Jump fleet David Lee Graham's roster, we have to wonder if Oogachaka Dove (40 years ago) was chosen because it would be fun to with sparking his lust say on the radio: "Harbormaster, this is for bluewater sailing. Oogachaka, Oogachaka, Oogachaka." The first step in that Trivia champions will know it's taken process was building from a 70's pop hit Hooked on a Feeling. April, 2014 • Latitude 38 • Page 93 PACIFIC PUDDLE JUMP PROFILES, PT I — In any case, this boat is also dis- tinctive, as she's Chara — Amel Maramu 48 night races. Before she knew it, she and one of only two Robert & Joyce Sarff Robie were in love, and were beginning motoryachts in Seattle, WA their cruising adventures together with the 2014 fleet. When we asked Bob how long he'd the 2011 Baja Ha-Ha. They've become Much to his credit, been wanting to head out into blue wa- so enamored with the cruising life that Ken stepped up to ter, he paused to think. But his grown they're already thinking about doing act as net control- a second Mexico-New Zealand-Hawaii- Repeat x3: 'Oogachaka' ler for boats jump- Mexico loop after they complete the first. ing from Mexico. He and Patty plan to reach New Zealand by the end of this Cygnus — Cabo Rico 38 season. Joe Lavash, Newport, OR Technically, Joe has already 'cruised' Bangorang — Fountaine-Pajot 42 the South Pacific, but in his mind that Colin & Wendy Gegg, Ventura, CA first crossing didn't really count. He Speaking of unusual boat names, was, after all, aboard a US Navy vessel how about Bangorang — the battle cry that made a beeline past all those gor- of the Lost Boys from Neverland (in a geous islands without Peter Pan movie).