Bon Voyage, Ka’iulani

It was clear, sunny and calm this Saturday when the Sausalito-based 86-ft gaff schooner Ka’iulani cast off her dock lines and headed for Tahiti. After more than a decade plying the Bay as a charter schooner, educational vessel, and more recently as a private yacht, Ka’iulani finally headed out for a year-long excursion to the South Pacific.

Ka’iulani is no stranger to bluewater — her original owner had her designed by Bill Crealock and built in 1984 to go around the world. During her voyage, the owner fell ill and passed away in South America.

Ka’iulani returned to California and soon after landed in San Francisco Bay, owned by sailing entrepreneur Rob Michaan, who had hoped to make her a successful charter boat. A marathon effort to certify the schooner as a passenger yacht was followed by years of struggle to make ends meet. Eventually Michaan sold the boat in ’06 to Chris and Holiday Johnson of Sausalito.

The Johnsons were by no means novice sailors — they sailed their Sausalito-based Swan 46 Bluefin to South Pacific in ’01, and cruised for three years while they filmed a documentary about sharks called Stewards of the Reef.

The Johnsons had hoped their three-year cruise on Bluefin would satisfy their appetite for cruising and allow them to ‘get it out of their system’, before returning to settle down and raise a family. But their cruise did the opposite; it whet their appetite for more. So they returned to Sausalito, sold Bluefin and began looking for a boat that would not only accommodate their many friends and associates, but also the family they planned to have. A friend told them about Ka’iulani and it met their needs.

Fast forward to ’12 and, after years or refitting nearly every inch of Ka’iulani — from rig to engine, deck to galley, as well as raising two children while doing it — the Chris and Holiday finally decided they were ready for, well, a holiday. So they threw a ‘standing room only’ going away party last month at the Sausalito YC, complete with a South Seas motif, Tahitian buffet and Polynesian dancing, with Holiday herself — a former professional dancer — taking part. It was a way for the Johnsons to say thank you to all the local vendors, shipwrights, mechanics, riggers, sailmakers, and others who made their trip possible.

After good-byes and good wishes, Ka’iulani departed this weekend with a crew of seven local saliors led by Capt. Jim Linderman. Next stop Hawaii, Marquesas and Tahiti. The Johnsons’s plans are to return next year for the America’s Cup and make Ka’iulani available to local non-profit sailing programs.

Meanwhile, the Johnsons believe that no matter how big or small of a boat a person can afford, or for how long one can cruise, that one should go when they can, rather than wait. “It’s all about fulfilling the dream,” says Chris.

We couldn’t agree with him more. Bon voyage, Ka’iulani.