Puddle Jumpers Ready to Pounce

We were thrilled to meet dozens of westbound cruisers Monday at the Vallarta Yacht Club (in the Paradise Village Resort), during our annual Pacific Puddle Jump Sendoff Party. Here’s a sampling of the folks we spent time with:

Jose Castello and Gina Harris of the San Francisco-based Beneteau 423 Carthago sailed south from San Francisco last fall with the Baja Ha-Ha, but the South Pacific was always their ultimate goal. What inspired them to set out while only in their late 20s? “The idea started while we were sailing on San Francisco Bay, wishing it was warmer, wishing the water clearer, wishing we didn’t have to go to work, and reading inspiring cruiser blogs every day.” After only two years of focused preparation they threw off their docklines and headed south. “As long as we’re having fun,” says Gina, “we plan to stay out two or three years.” 

“Ve are not typical cruisers,” says Vladimir Madorsky of the San Diego-based Transpac 49 Wave Dancer. He and his wife Galina Palace left Russia in the late 80s, came to the US, and worked their way “up the corporate ladder.” Then, as Vladimir puts it, “Ve got out of the rat race, bought this boat and sold all our earthly possessions.” They started sailing on the Chesapeake only six years ago, but are headed to the South Pacific with an open-ended itinerary.

“We are on a mission to go west,” says Randy Webster of the Portland, OR-based Jason 35 Velic. When he was a young kid, growing up in the Philippines, he spent most of his free time “swimming off the beach, sailing small boats and paddling outrigger canoes” — as well as reading about the adventures of Robin Lee Graham in National Geographic. Many years later he met his now-wife Ruth while racing in the Northwest. Their game plan: a complete circumnavigation. 

On Sunday and Monday we will help our partners from Tahiti Tourisme host two additional events in Panama at the Shelter Bay Marina (Sunday, March 6, 10 a.m.) and at the Balboa YC (Monday, March 7, 10 a.m.) All westbound cruisers are welcome to attend. Look for reports on all these events in the pages of Latitude 38 magazine.