Randall Reeves and Harmon Shragge Continue Around the Americas

Randall Reeves and Harmon Shragge are back on the water aboard Reeves’ 41-ft aluminum cutter Mōli for Leg 3 of their Around the Americas voyage — Newfoundland to Uruguay. The pair docked at St. John’s, Newfoundland, on September 21, 2024, after what Shragge described as “a life-changing journey” through the Northwest Passage starting at Kodiak, Alaska. Mōli was hauled and winterized in October, and in March, Reeves returned her to the water and began preparations for the passage to Uruguay.

Among other tasks, Mōli’s mast was reinstalled (removed due to the harsh winter weather), her bottom painted, batteries replaced, new Racor fuel filters installed, and a new, “well, pretty much rebuilt autopilot.” When Shragge arrived early this month, the attention was on restocking the pantry for the 10-week voyage from St. John’s to Uruguay, with island stops along the way.

Anything “fresh” (less than two years old) was considered salvageable. “We threw away a ton of food that had gone bad, plus a mountain of food that was still good, but we decided that we would never eat,” Shragge wrote. “I.e. couscous, bags of Clif Bars, and six jars of jam (we kept five others).” They then provisioned at Costco, Walmart, and the local supermarket. They had great fun exploring the local produce, and in particular Taylor’s Fish, Fruit and Vegetable Market. “And this store had it all — cod tongues and cheeks, and lobster. These fishermen were bringing in five-pound live lobsters they had just caught, for sale at $8.99 a pound (Canadian!).”

They also discovered “old-world maritime staples” such as salt beef and hard tack. “These two foods provisioned much of the nautical world from the 1600s until the advent of refrigeration. Not sure why they are still in production but tradition dictates it so, and I guess that someone still dines on these ‘delicacies.'”

Once food had been taken care of, they moved onto the boat and refilled Mōli’s water and fuel tanks. It was then time to say their goodbyes and cast off.

At the time of this writing, Mōli is at 38°16.872′ north and 27°41.611′ west.  “Where’s that?” you ask. According to Google Maps, they’re mid-Atlantic in the region of the Azores Islands.

Reeves and Shragge’s Around the Americas Voyage will eventually bring them back to San Francisco via Cape Horn — but not before some thorough exploration of remote islands and far-flung countries.