San Diego to Hawaii Buddyboat Wanted

"Does your site have a place to look for other cruisers to buddy boat with?" asks Honolulu-based sailor Paul Poehlman. "My girlfriend Jan and I are planning to depart San Diego bound for Honolulu sometime around October 15 and would like to find another boat of similar cruising speed as my modified Newporter 40 Pink Cloud."

We don’t have a forum to find other buddy boats, but we told Paul we’d post his note in ‘Lectronic Latitude so he sent us a little more info about himself. "I started my trip down the coast in Puget Sound, after owning and outfitting a sweet Chris Craft Sail Yacht 35 over the course of a few summers. I would fly back to Honolulu during the winter to work. It took 30 days to make it to San Francisco Bay, where I decided I wanted a bigger boat. I hauled out at Napa with plans to fly home for the winter, but I spotted Pink Cloud for sale. She’d been extensively modified into a stout staysail schooner, but had been neglected and needed some TLC.

"I spent eight months as a two-boat owner — not recommended — but this summer Jan and I left the Bay and turned left. We had a great time going down the coast, and hauled out at Baja Naval in Ensenada to rebuild the cockpit and other work. We’re almost ready to leave but we’d like to sail in company with another boat, communicating by VHF or sat phone texts (we don’t have an SSB). We’re expecting a 15-20 day crossing. Anyone interested can email me."