Singlehanded Send-Off

Solo sailor Nick Jaffe, 28, has gained a worldwide following thanks to his website www.BigOceans.com. Jaffe, an Australian software developer and artist, started his sailing career about four years ago when he began crewing on boats Down Under. He later moved to Germany to study photography but soon realized he’d rather be sailing — but he needed a boat.

He read every book he could get his hands on, scoured the web and finally settled on a Contessa 26 he found in Southhampton, UK. "I bought it sight unseen," he admitted. "I can never do anything by halves." Jaffe worked day and night to pay off the boat in six months, then moved aboard and began prepping her for an Atlantic crossing, including a few crewed shakedown cruises.

On September 17, 2007, Jaffe left Amsterdam on his singlehanded voyage down Europe, to the Canaries, on to Barbados and up the East Coast to New York City — blogging about it the entire way. Even with a budget as small as his boat, Jaffe has managed a world-class cruise, making good friends wherever he lands.

He recently landed in the Bay Area while he waited for his boat to be trucked from the East Coast. During his stay, Jaffe made a big impression on everyone who met him. Naturally, when it came time for him to leave the Bay — bound for Half Moon Bay before making the leap to Hawaii — some of his new friends escorted him out.

Jaffe will be leaving in the next day or two for the islands, where he’ll stay a week before making his way home to Australia. "People say I’m crazy and can’t do it," he smiled. "But they’ve been saying that from the beginning."

Follow his progress on his website and check out the July issue of Latitude 38 for more on this amazing singlehander.