From Alaska to Tasmania

Can you guess what the following numbers — 154, 222, 190, 157, 157,  151, 154, 205, 193, 184, 204, 227 and 186 — represent? The first 12 are the daily runs, with the last one being the average day’s run, of Steve and Dorothy Darden’s crossing from San Francisco to Hawaii in July aboard their Morrelli & Melvin 52 Adagio. Shaun Peck was along as crew.

In 18 to 22 knots of wind, the Dardens, who used to live in Tiburon, reported that Adagio slid along at between 9 and 13 knots under a main or reefed main and a large reacher. They sailed the whole way with the ‘back door’ to the large cockpit open day and night, which allowed them to read or socialize while sailing.

Adagio was launched in Opua, New Zealand, in ’00, and the Dardens have since cruised her 30,000 miles in the Pacific. After several wonderful seasons in Tasmania, they sailed to Alaska via New Zealand, Tahiti and Hawaii. After a few seasons in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, the couple returned to San Francisco Bay for the summer. They are now headed back to Hobart, Tasmania — which they consider to be their homeport — via New Caledonia.