CHANGES a month, we say, "We'll take it for a month!" Marathon became our base for daysailing, swimming, water aerobics, local exploration, live music and taking the local bus all the way to Key West. We met a lovely couple who took us out on their new-to-them Pacific Seacraft for anchoring and maneuvering practice. We took others out on our Sweethaven for snorkeling. And, of course, there were poolside sundowners. Winter is winding down and we begin thinking about completing our mini-circumnavigation of southern Florida. We talk about all the big, fast, wake-making boats near Miami and up the east side of the state. We just can't find a reason to join them. So, we take our time and work our way back up the quiet side of Florida. Back to the anchorages hidden by mangroves. Back to the beauty of small towns. Back to Indiantown for Sweethaven's safety during the summer and hurricane season. Next year, we will head east from Indiantown, cross the Gulf Stream, and spend a season in the Bahamas. — Noreen 6/3/24 JOIA — X-Yacht 49 Stuart and Marisa Jackson A Quick Round Trip Channel Islands Captain Stuart Jackson, a lifelong sailor, ARC veteran and pilot, had been planning this South Pacific odyssey for a year. We filed necessary paperwork through the Pacific Puddle Jump and set sail from Channel Islands Harbor on April 2 aboard JOIA, Jackson's 2020 X-Yacht 49, a high-performance cruiser, elegantly sporty and configured for bluewater sailing: three lithium batteries, two AGMs, inboard diesel generator, Starlink, bow thruster, power winches, watermaker, AC (which we enjoyed in the sweltering heat), a bread maker, and even a cappuccino machine. Aboard for the PPJ, in addition to Stuart, were Jan Passion, Connor Mullins, Madeleine Lithvall and Yosh Han. No matter how prepared one is, one can never predict Mother Nature's moods nor how and when things break. Here's our journey in three segments. Leg 1: Channel Islands to Marquesas, 2,800nm We sailed through 30+ knot winds, heavy seas and gray rains for nearly a week before the sun came out. We changed our sails as many times as a Broadway musical changes costumes, relying heavily on our Code Zero. We spent Page 88 • Latitude 38 • July, 2024
our days splicing, repairing clutches, rewiring cables and filleting yellowtail. We swam across the equator and celebrated with a party en blanc. After 16½ days, we arrived in the Marquesas, greeted by a double rainbow, dolphins, and the Bay full of yachts on the Oyster Rally. Nuku Hiva smells of frangipani and juicy mangoes. After exploring the island and provisioning, we swapped crew — Stuart's wife, Marisa, and sister, Sue
SoPac and back (clockwise from above): There was never any shortage of sushi on the trip; PPJ crew (l to r) Madeleine, Jan, Stuart, Conner, and Yosh — all in white at the equator; although navigation was electronic, Stuart kept sharp on his celestial sightings; forgot spare O-rings? Make your own!; 'JOIA' pauses for swim call; checking out the "shark nursery" at Rangiroa's Blue Lagoon; hanging out at the equator.
Dudley, joined the boat — and sailed to Baie de Taiohae, an enclosed anchorage surrounded by otherworldly mountainous cliffs, before setting sail for the Tuamotus. "Swimming on the equator, going to the top of the mast enroute, stunning phosphorescent lights, and swimming at an isolated, gorgeous waterfall, surpassed my dream of crossing the Pacific." — Jan "Compared to the ARC, we were able to push harder during this crossing — more reaching, changing sails and optimizing the trim with faster average speed." — Madeleine "I get it now: the sense of freedom, the stars overhead, being enveloped in nothing but sky and sea, and chasing the horizon. It's intoxicating." — Connor
Leg 2: Marquesas to Rangiroa, 600nm; Tuamotus to Mo'orea and Tahiti, 220nm Marisa and Sue had never sailed on an overnight passage and thought we were "island hopping." Instead, there were several hundred miles of brutal sailing between those islands. Nothing is more frightening than when you hear the captain shouting, "All hands on deck!" in the middle of the night. We came topside to find the boom was wobbling and