Jeff's Blog

And away we go

2006-06-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

It is less than a week until the start of the 2006 Pacific Cup race. The boat is on its trailer and leaves tomorrow for San Francisco Bay. On July 3rd at 11:00am Peter and I will begin our race to Hawaii. We will be splashing the Keeli Quinn on Friday for her final sail before the start. On Saturday we have the skippers meeting and barbeque at the Richmond Yacht Club. Sunday we provision the boat and attend to the last few details before we set sail.

The start of the race begins in front of the San Francisco Yacht Club.
When the gun goes off we will sail out into the bay and under the Golden Gate Bridge towards the islands.

It seems so long ago that we began working towards this goal. Now, after all of our hard work and time away from family and friends we are about to begin our adventure. I can honestly say that I have wanted to cross the Pacific since I can remember. I grew up on the coast when I was young and can recall looking out on the ocean and wanting nothing more than to just go out there and see what I would find. Finally after years of dreaming and a couple of attempts that didn't work out I am getting another opportunity to go. There have been moments during these last few months when I asked myself if it is really going to happen this time.
Peter and I have worked so hard to accomplish the goals we have set and we are almost there.

This race and crossing over 2000 miles of ocean has been my personal Mt.
Everest. In the last few days I have been feeling very much at peace with myself despite the frantic pace trying to get the last details finished. I know that once the gun goes off that it is for real and that the time has arrived to just go sailing.

I could not have asked for a better sailing partner and friend than Peter. We have become very close over the last two years. I have also become an uncle to Keeli. Seeing Peter and Kathy and their little girl together and happy is a great reward for being their friend.

I am also truly blessed to have someone very special in my life who's love and support has helped make this all possible. Thank you Kimberly with all my heart. I can't wait to see you at the finish line.

Thank you to the local sailing community who has helped me as a sailor and a person. I am proud to be a Portland, Oregon sailor and because of your support and help over the years I now have the chance to fulfill a live long dream.

Follow our journey
Follow us along as we begin the race by checking in with our site as well as going to www.pacificcup.org. There you will be able to leave us messages on the site for us to see once we arrive in Hawaii.

Aloha for now,
Jeff

Next up - sailing

2006-04-22T22:32:00.000-07:00

The day is fast approaching when we’ll have to get our boat down to San Francisco for the start of the race. We are just about to get her back in the water after a long winter of work and boat prep, not to mention the numerous events we have attended to raise more awareness for our campaign. With the sails ordered and the mast parts in, we have been busy replacing all of the gear we had taken off. The next couple of weeks will find us very busy.

Once we are in the water, the real fun begins...we finally get to go sailing. It has been hard doing all of this work and not being able to get out on the water. But in just another week or two we will be splashed and out practicing. It will feel good to trim some sails and get our boat up to speed. Along with practice, we also will be testing our electronics and making sure that we have installed everything correctly.

After we have done all of that, we will be heading back to Newport where we did our ocean training last year. We will be setting sail Memorial Weekend to get a few days on the ocean checking our sails and the rest of our gear. Including our freeze dried meals that we will be eating as we cross the Pacific...yum...yum.

So, if you see a couple of guys out on the water sailing all hours of the day in all kinds of conditions that will probably be us. We have lots to do and we are very excited about what lies ahead.

This last weekend we also had the inaugural Pray for Wind Party for our local sailors. We had a good turn out for the first of what will be many years of celebrating the upcoming sailing season by paying homage to the Wind Gods.

Please help and continue to pass the word along about our efforts to help the March of Dimes prevent and treat premature births. Look for us to be at this years Walk America. Go to our local chapter of the MOD for more information and where and when this event takes place.

Again, thank you to our supporters and those of you who have offered your help. It means a lot to Peter and me to have the encouragement of you all.

See you on the water.

Jeff

Preparing - more than just for the boat

2006-03-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Preparing the mind
Well, its been a couple of busy weeks this last month. It started with the West Marine Pacific Cup Prep Seminar in San Francisco in mid February. I was fortunate enough to hook up with Jim Quanci who won the race overall while double-handing a Moore 24. Jim and his wife, Mary Lovely, were kind enough to put me up for a couple of days at their home as well as a night on their Cal 40 which they will be racing this year along with their two boys. Having the chance to talk to Jim about his experience was very insightful.

Held at the Berkely Yacht Club, this location looks out on the bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Once you start the race and sail under the bridge you have truly entered the Pacific Ocean and are on your way to Hawaii.

The following weekend Peter and I went to Seattle for our required Safety At Sea seminar hosted by The Sailing Foundation and held at the Seattle Yacht Club. This course was very informative. The main speaker was Chuck Hawley. He kept the pace, and the other presenters, moving. He even shared a awesome video of the giant 125ft catamaran "PlayStation" which has set several ocean racing records. It was the most extreme video I have ever seen of a boat in such conditions. Just amazing! Good reminder of why we were there learning the latest in safety gear and how best to prepare for any problems should they arise during our long distance passage to Hawaii.

Back to the boat prep
But, what about the boat? Well, we have been busy with her as well. We just finished putting down the new non-skid coating on the deck. Many, many thanks go out to Peter Reese for donating the materials and his time to help us get this important part of the project completed. Peter has a tremendous amount of knowledge with boats, particularly, sailing small boats in the open ocean. He is a huge asset to us as well as a good friend. He has that keen Kiwi sense of humor that keeps us in laughing our tails off during all the work we were doing. Thanks Mate!

What is next? We are now ordering all the gear that we will need to update or replace. Sails, running and standing rigging to name just a few. We will also be installing our electronics and testing them. Then, finally back in the water to do some sailing. It seems like forever since we have had her in the water, and we are both very eager to get some miles under her keel. Most of all practice, practice, practice. Check out the counter on our page and you will see just how many days we have left to prepare for our grand adventure.

"Praying-For-Wind" on April 14
And last. Make sure you have some free time on Friday April 14th. We are having the first annual Portland Pray-For-Wind Party. We have reserved a nice place to hold a gathering of sailors who are ready to begin their sailing season. So, keep checking the PLS campaign website or the local newsletters for more information about this fun event.

Thanks again to all who have signed up for our newsletter and the words of encouragement and support. It really helps to know we have so many caring people on our side that believe in our mission to help the March of Dimes.

We are so much closer now......

No Off Season

2006-01-31T08:08:00.000-08:00

Campaign a big hit at Portland Boat Show
Whew! What a crazy time it has been these last several weeks. All of the work that Peter and I spent getting the boat ready for the Portland Boat show was well worth the effort for our campaign. We talked to numerous people at the show about Project LifeSail. It was extremely rewarding to have people stop and listen to our cause. Many of them shared their personal stories as well with regards to premature births and how the March of Dimes helped them in their own lives. Look for some of those stories in our family of the month feature. We also sold almost half of the available raffle tickets that we have available for the trip to Mazatlan, Mexico. So, try your luck and get in on the raffle while the tickets are still around. Check our page for more details about this raffle as well as others we will be making available as well.

Media coverage expands
During the 9 day run of the boat show, we also received a bit of media attention. It started with being included in the main program for the show itself. Peter then had a spot on Good Day Oregon on KPTV 12. Also, we both were interviewed for radio by Bitsy Kelly who has an outdoor show on KUIK 1360AM. The show ran on a Saturday and it was a lot of fun for us to hear it. We even got a nice mention from the Salem newspaper. We were really hoping that being in the boat show would be a great way to start the year and get the word out and we were not disappointed.

Getting the word out
After the last night of the show, we torn down our display booth and got the boat back to the shop where we have been working under cover. The very next night we gave a presentation to SYSCO ( Small Yacht Sailing Club of Oregon), a local racing club here in the Portland area. The members were very supportive and bought several raffle tickets as well. Thank you SYSCO!

Our next presentation will be Oregon Women’s Sailing Association on February 8th. This club does a tremendous job of bringing more sailing to women in the Portland area. They offer many sailing courses taught by women in an encouraging atmosphere. They also are responsible for the Sail For The Cure. A local sailing event to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. OWSA is a great organization that I would highly recommend to anyone. In fact I am one of only 3 male members of the club. Thank you OWSA!

Winter work continues
Besides getting the word out to all that we can there is still boat work to do. Last weekend Peter and I took off all of the deck hardware in preparation of getting the deck redone with new non-skid – not an easy task, but a very important one. Once we get our deck done then we can really get going. We also are busy talking to our local sail maker, Kerry Poe at North Sails, making sure we have the right sail inventory. We have measured all of our standing and running rigging and are getting that ordered up as well.

So, maybe you can get a good idea of what work we have done as well as what lies ahead. It is a huge undertaking. The days are counting down and every day counts. While Peter and I chose to do this and accepted the challenge, we had a choice. Unlike the parents of a child who was born prematurely and possibly faces a lifetime of challenges. It is important for people to see what the March of Dimes has done and continues to do in their mission to help fund research and reduce the number of premature births. So please take the time to read more about this important work and help when you can.

Oh, by the way, one of the most overheard comments we got during the boat show was "Your going to Hawaii in that little boat? You’re crazy!" Well maybe we are...just a little.

Fair winds.

Jeff

The End of One Season, The Beginning of Another

2005-11-15T11:28:00.000-08:00

Well, the local racing season here on the river is over and most of the sailors have hauled their boats out of the water until next spring with the exception of the larger boats that stay in the water year round. Peter and I went down to Newport a few weeks ago and loaded up "Twice Daily" and brought her home for the next phase of our campaign.

First Steps of the New "Season"
We have quite a bit of work ahead of us to get her ready for this coming January's boat show at the Portland Expo Center to be held January 7-15. We are very excited about having our little boat in the show. It is a great opportunity to reach several thousand people during the course of the event. But, there are several things that we need to do to be ready. First, we haul our boat and begin working on her - from power washing the hull to scrubbing and sanding the bottom to measuring for new rigging and lines to rebedding gear. This is just part of the list of work we have ahead of us.

More Than Just Boat Work
In addition to the boat work, we also are getting our presentation materials ready to go. With the chance to reach so many people we want to make sure that we are as prepared as possible. We have just 9 days during the show to get the word out about Project LifeSail and the March of Dimes. So, I encourage you to come to the show and look for us.

After the show we will be re-launching our boat and get back to training for the race. Nights, weekends, any available time that we have will be spent on the water getting ourselves ready.

Now That's The Kind of "Work" We Like
We also want to tell you about a big event that we have started planning. Mark your calendars for June 10th. On that day we will be having the 1st annual Columbia Crossings Cup Regatta. This regatta will be a one day racing event that is being held to benefit ProjectLifeSail and the March of Dimes. Along with the on the water fun there will also be an awards ceremony, food, music and raffles on the lawn at Tomahawk Bay Marina. For you folks that have been there you know what a great venue this is for people to spread out and have some fun.

This idea was brought to us by Ken McLarty, the Harbor Master for Columbia Crossings. He has been helping us since the first day I told him of our plans to race to Hawaii. Ken's help and friendship has become invaluable to us and we could not be doing it without his dedication to our cause. So, a big thanks to my friend Ken.

Well, I think that about covers this month's update. With the holidays fast approaching and all that goes with that, please take some time out and pass our newsletter along to those who you think may be interested in what we are doing. We would like to hear from more people who have had experiences with premature births and the March of Dimes. We would like to share your story with others to emphasize the important and critical work that the March of Dimes provides. Please contact us if you are willing to have your story told. Your support is what helps us keep moving forward.

If you find yourself driving along the Columbia River along Marine Drive, take a look out on the water. Those two guys you see sailing just might be us.

Have a great and safe holiday.

Thanks,
Jeff

Lots of sun & fun...but little wind

2005-09-15T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, now it is just getting to be a bit much. I mean the lack of wind. The one thing about sailing is that you need the wind to get you where you are going. We have a motor, but using that means we’re not sailing. Or maybe it’s just bad timing. Either way, it’s a part of our sport, and we have to adapt as we go along.

Our Bridge to Bridge race last month from Astoria to Newport was a beautiful trip down the coast but...wait for it..."No Wind". All our prep work and still we were only able to get in just a bit of sailing. And that in very light air. No boats were able to finish the race before the deadline. The most breeze we saw was about 5 knots which is not much and certainly not the bigger air we are hoping to sail in. However, we did see more whales than I have ever seen along the coast. Because we were sailing so slow we were able to watch them for hours as they followed along beside us. Mother Nature still has lots to share even if we couldn't convince her to turn on the wind.

Great welcome in Newport
I would say the best part of the race was our great welcome by the members of Yaquina Bay Yacht Club. From the cold beers passed to us from the committee boat as we crossed the bar to the hot towels handed to us at the dock and lets not forget the grilled tuna and salads put out for us at their new club house. I was even the first to use their new shower. The members there were great with their support and we will be back next year to try again. I would encourage anyone that is interested in offshore sailing to try the trip down the coast.

Newport is a great place to sail out of as long as the wind is up. We left the boat there with the intent to get out for some weekend trips. Well, Peter and I went down last week and after getting the boat ready to leave the next morning and after a fine burger and beer compliments of the Rogue Brewery we spent the night on the Moore and dreamed of the fine sailing ahead of us. Well,.....wait for it...."No Wind". Arrrgggg.....nothing like waking up at 4:00am and hearing the fog horns blow. Well, lets see....have breakfast and wait for the fog to lift. Hmmm...finish breakfast and watch the fog come in even more. Well, back to the boat and..hey look the fog is lifting to reveal the beautiful ocean and oh...look..it is flat calm. Well, not much we can do but wrap up what we could on the boat and head for home. Very disappointing but not much we can do about it except try again. Which we will do this coming weekend. Anyone know a good prayer for wind please feel free to send it our way.

Keeping the sailing spirit
I was able to get some sailing in on Flying Colors, my C&C 35. I put together some crew for the Rose City Yacht Club's Long Distance race – a downriver race to St. Helens on Saturday and back to Portland on Sunday. We had a pretty decent sail down finishing 3rd. However, Sunday was our day. We were first boat to finish by almost half an hour. I was very happy to sail my other boat so well. We took a 2nd in class and 5th overall and for the second year in a row qualified my boat for the Winners Invitational in October.

Well, that pretty much brings you up to date with our program. Coming up next will be to get the boat back to town. We have a nice dry warehouse to put the boat in this Winter. We‘ll be drying the boat out and getting her ready to begin the install of our electronics package and other gear as well. Thanks to Ken McLarty for helping us with that. (Ken is the harbor master at Columbia Crossings and his help has been huge for us!)

So here we go one more time....heading out for some sailing and wind...will we find some?....stay tuned and wish us luck.

Jeff

Whew…it’s been one long month

2005-08-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

Starting strong
The wind is blowing from the NW at around 18 knots. The moon is half full and setting on the horizon. The Milky Way is stretched across the sky. Shooting stars every few minutes. This is what sailing is all about. Peter and I are helping Bill Huseby bring his boat, Sting, down the coast from Port Angeles, Washington. We left around 9:30 Friday night, picked up extra fuel at Neah Bay, and made the turn out of the Straits of Yuan De Fuca at 7:00 in the morning. Finally, after motor sailing into the afternoon, the wind clocked enough for us to set the spinnaker. From then on, it was about as good as sailing can get. Sailing across the Columbia River bar at sunrise was the best bar crossing ever for me.

We were also fortunate enough to get to spend some time talking with Bill. He has done the Pacific Cup race twice double-handed, and we were able to learn from him some good information on what works and what doesn't. You can never have enough good advice when planning to do a race like this. So, thanks to Bill for the ride down the coast. It is a trip that I will always remember.

Unexpected company
Well, back to our Moore. We have had some visitors staying with us on the boat. It just so happens that our man overboard tube is a perfect place to raise a family of swallows. By the time we realized they were living there it was too late to do anything but just watch them grow. Boy, was mom ever mad at us when we took her kids sailing. We were hoping that they would be big enough to fly out by the time we haul the boat for the Bridge to Bridge race. Well, as luck would have it, mom was teaching the kids to fly last week. And I am happy to say that our visitors have moved on, and we now have cleaned out the nest and blocked it up to make sure we don't take along any unwanted guests.

Gearing up
One week left before our first ocean race and there is much to do. Lots of things to keep us busy up to the day of the race. We have to haul the boat and get all the gear ready to go for our inspection. Get the boat to Astoria. Then get the car and trailer down to Newport so we have a ride home when we get there. A big thanks to Blain Goold for being our support driver. He is giving up a weekend to help us out. It is support like that that is of such great help to us as we practice and prepare for next years race. With every moment spent on the boat either sailing her or working on her gets us that much closer. I would say that our confidence has risen a bit because of the time we have been putting in and we are closer to being on track. We just need to stay focused and continue on with our building momentum.

Expecting the unexpected
Peter and I also had a good reminder of what can happen anytime, anywhere. We were out for a practice sail on a Saturday, flying our spinnaker and having a great sail when Peter had a terrible pain shooting through his back. Enough so to make him stop for a bit until the pain subsided. Well long story made short and after a short hospital stay, Peter passed a kidney stone. This was a very good reminder of what can go wrong and being ready for such things is very important to our safety. It just so happens that I was able to take a first aid course through work this last week. Both Peter and I will be taking additional medical courses so we are ready for any potential problems that may come up.

So, as you can see we have been pretty busy. It feels real good to be making some good progress and I for one am extremely excited about our first trip offshore on our sweet little boat. She is pulling on her lines to get out and run and if the weather cooperates then she will have her chance. We are ready to go and see our girl run.

Jeff

Tick, tock...tick, tock

2005-07-14T08:11:00.000-07:00

That’s the clock ticking down. We have less than a year to be ready to race. Next year while everyone will be celebrating the July 4th holiday, we’ll have started our race. It may seem like a long time, but you would be surprised at just how fast it gets here. I learned while preparing "Witchcraft" for the 2000 Pacific Cup that the amount of work and time it takes can be a bit overwhelming. While we have been able to check off some things on our list, there is always more work that fills it up. So much to do and you never really feel like there is enough time. But, somehow it will all get done. After all we have no choice.

Peter and I have been able to get some good work days on the boat. There have been some pretty light air days, so instead of sailing we’ve been staying busy working dockside on the boat. Rebuilding winches, splicing lines, working on our deck layout, and of course we are always diving on the bottom to keep up with the green growth (we call it mowing the yard). As always during these work days, we talk and get a better feel for our progress and where we need to pick up the pace.

Mid-season ocean race coming up
Our next big event is the Bridge to Bridge race from Astoria to Newport, Oregon. Yaquina Bay Yacht Club in Newport puts on this great race which is normally a downwind run. This should give us a good opportunity to get some decent practice driving the boat in conditions we can somewhat expect during the Paccup. For this race, we will be taking on extra crew. Eric Simenson, who raced the boat to Hawaii in 2000, will be joining us. Eric is our crew chief, and his experience with the boat and doing the race is extremely valuable to us. We’re glad to have him onboard. Also, joining us will be Bryant Alexander. Bryant’s trimming knowledge will be a great help to us as we work on deciding which sails and what sail combinations work best under various wind and sea conditions. I’m very confident that given the right weather and sea state, we will do very well in the race.

This past month Peter has also been working very hard putting together our sponsorship package. We have met with a few potential sponsors and are looking at different promotional ideas as well. Look for us in next year’s Northwest boat shows. As always, we are open to many ideas and offers of help.

Strong community support appreciated
While we may be the ones actually sailing the race, it simply would not be possible without the support and encouragement of individuals in our local community and our family members.

I feel very fortunate to be part of something I think is very special. I am learning again just what a commitment this is and what it takes to get us there. I am very proud to be associated with the March of Dimes and the people there who work so hard to make a difference for families who need their help. Reading about the families that have agreed to share their stories has been an inspiration to me. So please take some time and read their stories and share them with others who may be interested. You never know when a family member, close friend or your neighbor may need their help.

As for us, the clock keeps ticking.

Sailing, sailing and more sailing

2005-06-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

No wind.
Well the last few weeks has been rather busy. I sailed the Oregon Offshore in mid May. Normally a pretty good trip up the coast but this year was a rather slow one taking us almost 60 hours to get to Victoria, BC. Sometimes the wind just isn't there to go fast. Unlike last year when Peter and I sailed together on the Mumm 30 "Mummbo Jummbo", skippered by Arden Newbrook. We got there in about 28 hours reaching speeds towards the finish at over 23 knots (very fast for a sailboat).

Big wind.
The following week I sailed in the J/24 Nationals in Seattle, Washington on the local J/24 "Bite Me", skippered by Phil Campagna. It was about as exciting as it gets racing in a major one-design event. One of the biggest in the country. Imagine 47 sailboats all trying to start at the same time fighting for the best spot on the course. Mother nature had a few surprises for us as well and by the end of the 7 race series, we had encountered winds in excess of 37 knots. There were several squalls that came through the race course and every boat fought hard to keep things under control. Several boats had problems including our own. Torn sails, broken tillers, collisions, bumps and bruises were just some of the results of the strong winds. We also had a big reminder of what can happen. During one of the bigger squalls a boat capsized and was lost to the bottom of the Sound. Well, certainly gets one to thinking. And my thought was we don't want to do that.

So, now I am back in town telling Peter about it all and making sure that we learn from such events. Safety is the most important aspect of this long race. While there is numerous safety gear required for the race, knowing how to use it becomes very important in case of any emergencies we may encounter while we cross the Pacific. So we will be working hard learning how best to respond to any conditions we may come across.

From no wind to big wind.
So, now back to sailing the Moore. Peter and I raced her for the first time this past weekend. The goal being to get some long distance sailing in. We started the race in light winds which favoured our light boat. We held back our competition for quite awhile. Once the winds started to pick up the heavier boats started to catch up to us and try as we might, we could not hold them off.

As we got closer to St. Helens, the winds increased and we had to make a sail change down to a smaller headsail. Peter did a great job of getting that done while riding the bow of the boat up and down in the increasing waves and wind. I swear the guy was having a great time being bounced around and soaked with cold water. Once the sail change was done the boat balanced out and we got ourselves back in the race.

We rounded the turning mark to head back upriver setting the spinnaker. Once we had that set, the race really began for us. It was amazing to get her going so fast.When sailing downwind the boat really is in her element. Peter kept trimming the chute hard while I worked hard to keep her flat and fast. We topped out at about 13 knots and the other sailors watched as we came racing up behind them whooping it up a bit as we planed along the water - the fastest we have had the boat to at this point in our training.

Well the finish line was the town docks in St. Helens and after a long day of sailing down the river we had another 20+ miles to go to get back home. Peter took the helm and sailed us back to town under spinnaker all the way to the railroad bridge just below I-5 where we had to wait a bit for all the trains to cross before they can swing it open for us. And just for the record, we held off the other boats that also decided to sail home.

When the boat was safely tied back up to her slip, Peter and I, although tired after 12 hours of sailing, were very happy with our overall effort. We learned much more about how the boat sails and how to work together to make her fast. We will be doing several of these longer sails to keep ourselves on track for next year's race. It is getting closer. In just a little over a year, we have a start line to be on. We are another step closer to being there.

Jeff

Two steps forward, one step sideways

2005-05-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

Well, the boat is finally back home. Home being Tomahawk Bay on Hayden Island, Row H slip-41 - courtesy of one of our first sponsors, Columbia Crossings, who donated the slip to us for our campaign. Of course visitors are always welcome.

We got the deck gear re-bedded and the mast back up. Although we had some problems when we first tried to get the rig up (we bent one of the fittings on our shroud), we came back the next day and with our spare rigging finally got the stick up and now she looks like a sailboat again.

Peter got our sails onboard and after we tune our mast and tweak a few things, we are going sailing! Time in the boat is the most important thing right now. We have laid out our summer sailing schedule and we will be quite busy. As the weather gets better and the winds pick up we will be out on the water as much as possible.

Part of our plans include racing in this years Bridge to Bridge race from Astoria, Oregon to Newport, Oregon in mid-August. It’s generally a downwind run which will give us more experience in the conditions which we expect during next years Pacific Cup race.

During the time we have been working together we have been learning more and more about the work that needs to be done. While we make our game plan for that days work, we have found that not everything goes as planned. Whether it's the wrong size bolt or the forgotten tool we are finding that we must plan for such minor setbacks, take care of them, and move on. Pretty much like life. Through it all Peter and I have kept our sense of humor, which will come in handy in our little sailboat as we cross the Pacific Ocean.

The support and encouragement from our local sailing community is vital to our program and we are very grateful for their help.

We have also had some great people step forward and offer us their help with some gear. Thanks to Bill Huseby for the single side band radio, and to Timm Lessley for the flares. These greatly reduce our initial budget.

Also, a big thanks goes out to Kevin Flanigan for his much appreciated financial support. We also want to thank Corinthian Yacht Club and their members for the support as well. Thanks to all.

Please feel free to contact us and come by for a look at the boat and maybe even a chance to go for a sail if the timing is right. See you on the water.

Jeff

Jeff's Blog

2005-04-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

April 2005

Finally! Back working on the boat. Man, it feels so good to be able to
get back to work on the Moore. Since the first of the year I have been
dealing with a life event that we all must face at some point in our
lives. My Mom was diagnosed with cancer in early January and underwent
surgery a short time later. She was sent home to recover but then
complications developed that sent her back to the hospital. The cancer
had spread and the prognosis was not good. She was given a short time to
live and I took over a month off from work to be with her and my family.
Making it very hard to get any work done on the boat. I was very
fortunate to have the time to be with her and say goodbye. We faced it
together as a family and while it was very difficult it was also an
amazing experience to be with her during this time. I would say that it
has been one of the most powerful moments in my life. Well, after Mom
passed away, per her request I spread her ashes on the Columbia River
where I live and sail. That too was very moving. With that being done it
was time to get moving again on our campaign to sail our little boat to
Hawaii. Nothing like working on your boat to get some good therapy.
My sailing partner Peter and I are now getting back into gear and
turning our focus on the coming months ahead and the large amount of
work that needs to be done. I am very excited about what is going to be
a very active spring and summer getting as much sailing in as possible.
Next July's start of the Pacific Cup will be here sooner than we think.
It feels great to be back.