Three Generations of Tusitala Sailors

When 33-year-old Briana Moseley says she has sailing in her blood, she’s not exaggerating. Having crossed the Pacific to New Zealand last season, she represents the third generation of Moseleys to cruise aboard the 47-ft Tusitala, which was built by her grandfather, John Townsend.

After she inherited the boat several years ago following her father’s death, Briana and a former boyfriend cruised the vintage sloop south from California in 2012, then on to the Galapagos in early 2014. After two months there, they set sail for the 3,000-mile crossing to the Marquesas. "We left in early April and had reinforced trades the entire way and made it in just 18 days!" relates Moseley. "One of the most incredible aspects of the entire trip was the wildlife, which Tusitala saw up close and personal all through the South Pacific. We hove-to for a night before entering the Tuamotus and were surrounded by a pod of sperm whales. We then had amazing diving in the reef pass in the Tuamotus and could see hundreds of reef sharks," says the former San Diego Zoo researcher. 

Read more about Briana’s travels and the remarkable history of her boat in the March issue of Latitude 38.