SIGHTINGS was a perfect schooner day: the 12-mile course gave them a nice reach out past Point Loma to the entrance buoy and a close reach back in. On the last leg, the real race started as the lead boats began closing in, giving them a chance to outmanuever each other. First across the finish line was Byron Chamberlain’s beautiful 51-ft Rose of Sharon, followed very quickly by the rest of the fleet. The Class A trophy and the Schooner continued in middle column of next sightings page
‘Ka’iulani’ will return to the Bay next year for the America’s Cup.
americas — cont’d peake Region Accessible Boating, an organization that gives sailing opportunities to mentally and physically challenged people. “I knew this trip would be hard for any captain on any sailboat,” he said. “Although my boat was small and my budget meager, it was my unwavering determination and previous sailing experience that got me through. We are all capable of incredible things; all you have to do is believe in yourself.” What’s next for the intrepid singlehander? No doubt a nice, hot shower was at the top of his list, but since then he’s been Matt Rutherford is the first person to solo circumnavifielding interviews from all gate North and South America nonstop. corners of the mainstream media. After the hullabaloo settles down, we suspect Rutherford will start planning his next grand adventure — a return to the Arctic to shoot a documentary. Check out his site at www.solotheamericas.org. — ladonna
bon voyage, ka’iulani It was clear, sunny and calm on April 7 when the Sausalito-based 86-ft gaff schooner Ka’iulani cast off her dock lines and headed for Tahiti. After more than a decade plying the Bay as a charter schooner, educational vessel, and more recently as a private yacht, Ka’iulani finally headed out for a year-long excursion to the South Pacific. Ka’iulani is no stranger to bluewater — her original owner had her designed by Bill Crealock and built in 1984 to go around the world. During her voyage, the owner fell ill and passed away in South America. Ka’iulani returned to California and soon after landed in San Francisco Bay. Her new owner was sailing entrepreneur Rob Michaan, who hoped to make her a successful charter boat. A marathon effort to certify the schooner as a passenger yacht was followed by years of struggle to make ends meet. Eventually Michaan sold the boat in '06 to Chris and Holiday Johnson of Sausalito. The Johnsons were by no means novice sailors — they sailed their Sausalito-based Swan 46 Bluefin to South Pacific in '01, and cruised for three years while they filmed a documentary about sharks called Stewards of the Reef Reef. The Johnsons had hoped their three-year cruise on Bluefin would satisfy their appetite for cruising and allow them to get it out of their system, before returning to settle down and raise a family. But their cruise did the opposite; it whetted their appetite for more. So they returned to Sausalito, sold Bluefin and began looking for a boat that would not only accommodate their many friends and associates, but also the family they planned to have. A friend told them about Ka’iulani and it met their needs. Fast forward to '12 and, after years or refitting nearly every inch of Ka’iulani — from rig to engine, deck to galley, as well as raising two children while doing it — Chris and Holiday finally decided they were ready for, well, a holiday. So they threw a 'standing room only' going away party at the Sausalito YC, complete with a South Seas motif, Tahitian buffet and Polynesian dancing, with Holiday herself — a former professional dancer — taking part. It was a way for the Johnsons to say thank you to all the local vendors, shipwrights, mechanics, riggers, sailmakers, and others who made their trip possible. After goodbyes and good wishes, Ka’iulani departed with a crew of continued on outside column of next sightings page May, 2012 •
Latitude 38
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MARK DUEHMIG
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