Now that 'Moonduster' has a Max Prop, Meretsky is hoping to up his daily average from 165 to 180 miles.
aft and I set the 3/4-ounce chute. I carried it for nearly 12 days straight. On the 'night' before my landfall, the sunrise turned into sunset without the sky ever getting dark. With the blade back up, I charged right into Sitka's inner harbor, dropping the sails no more than 100 yards from the dock. I don't have the typical cruising boat, to a large extent because she's wood. She's an S&S 47 that was launched at Cross Haven Boatyard in Ireland. Denis Doyle, her first owner, raced her extensively, including in the '73 and '75 Admiral's Cups as a member of the Irish team. At the time, the Admiral's Cup was the most prestigious offshore race event in the world. I bought Moonduster in '92 — despite rigger Glenn Hansen's warning: "She's a great looking boat, but you'll have to replace every single thing on her." He was right, but she's been a fun boat to own, and because of her I've
met many sailors from the British Isles who have fond memories of their times aboard her. A sistership, Love & War, was lofted from her same lines in Australia. She turned out to be one of only two boats to have won the Sydney-Hobart three times — including last year. The other was the legendary 39-ft Freya in the mid-'60s. Moonduster is, at the moment, rather heavy — probably near 40,000 pounds. I'm carrying more provisions than I did before in an attempt to offset the high prices in French Polynesia. I'm also sailing with 12 bags of sails — #1, #2, #3, staysail, storm jib, main, backup main, storm-tri, plus one 1/2oz chute, two 3/4s and a 1.5. This is a lot more than most boats carry, and frankly, is kind of stupid. After all, I can't change headsails while underway and therefore plan to use my #2 for
almost the entire trip. The #1 and #3 are along just for buoy racing, should those opportunities arise. I arrived too late to get crew for the recent Banderas Bay Regatta, but it's those sorts of low-key events I hope to find as I go. My current focus is getting to New Zealand via a slightly modified Milk Run that favors islands a bit off the beaten path. But I don't really know what that means, as I haven't looked at the charts or cruising guides much. But I have nearly 1500 miles to get across the ITCZ before any of that really matters, which gives me more than a week to sort it all out. From New Zealand, I'm seriously thinking about sailing east across the northern edge of the Southern Ocean to Tierra del Fuego, and then north up the canals of Chile, which is what they call their inside passage. Sometimes that trip sounds fantastic, but other times it sounds like too much while solo on a 35-year-old boat. Regardless, beyond all that, I'm committed to being uncommitted. I'm not looking for crew, but have found that the most amazing people fall into my lap with regularity. That said, I built Moonduster's interior based on an old cruising adage, the origin of which I can't recall. But it holds that the ideal cruising boat seats twelve for cocktails, six for dinner, and sleeps but two. Moonduster is a one-cabin boat, which makes crewed passages fairly intimate affairs and, as a result, either delightful or awkward — or awkwardly delightful. Having done my first long solo passage at age 38, and now starting my second at age 48, it's clearer than ever to me that the time to go is always now. Don't wait. Life is short. — wayne 03/19/08 Ten years after his first long solo cruise, Meretsky, who no longer has the ponytail, is off once again on his ex-Admiral's Cupper. LATITUDE/ANDY
BOTH PHOTOS COURTESY MOONDUSTER
IN LATITUDES