ALL PHOTOS CAMPBELL'S SLOOP
IN LATITUDES
Above: Anchored in a fiery sunset. Left: Orcas visited the anchorage in Agua Verde. The day before, it was whale sharks. Above: Miles of smiles . . . Left: Susie with author and Baja nomad Graham McIntosh "who paddled his kayak over to ask for water." Center: "We did it!" The Ha-Ha crew (l to r) Myrna Welsh, Susie Campbell, Susan Hernandez and Patsee Ober. Above right: Husband Don and son David were two of many post-Ha-Ha crew who flew down to enjoy the Mexican cruising experience.
There's not much in a sailor's life that compares to making landfall after a long ocean crossing. This is 'Pakele Loa' in Fatu Hiva
er imagined and I learned that we're not alone out there. The universe is always watching over us. — Susie 5/6/19 Pakele Loa — Tayana 48 Tim Hogan and Anna Wirth South Pacific Landfall Sausalito "Land ho!!," bellowed from the cockpit. I raced topside faster than a kid hoping to see Santa Claus on Christmas morning. And there it was . . . the silhouette of Fatu Hiva beckoning in the distance. After 21 days at sea on a Pacific crossing from Nuevo Vallarta to French Polynesia, the volcanic spires jetting from the lush green vegetation was a sweet sight, even more glorious than Herman Melville and other masters of the South Pacific lore
PAKELE LOA
people on the island, and these mothers decided to do something about it. We committed to helping them start their own nonprofit, and support them financially with enough money to build a lifeguard tower. I plan to meet with the lifeguard department in my town and start collecting old lifeguard equipment to send to Cedros. These kids have learned to swim, compete, boogie-board, surf, SUP (I left my board there), and enjoy healthy friendships with others. Chasing my dream paid off and conquering my fear was worth the sleepless nights. The two times we departed an area I was fearful about departing, I was either greeted with a beautiful moon to light the way or a sign of sunshine and calm seas just beyond the horizon. The beauty overcame my fear in a way I'd nev-
had described. My husband caught my eye and sweetly whispered, "We did it." Our cruising story began in August 2018. After casting off from our home port of Sausalito, and in search of a great adventure, we headed under the Golden Gate Bridge and turned left. Along the way, we've explored some of California's great coastal treasures. In Half Moon Bay, we bought live Dungeness crab off a local fishing boat. In Monterey, we watched sea otters play in kelp for hours. In Santa Cruz, we stuffed our faces and rocked out at the Mole & Mariachi festival. In the Channel Islands, we tied our dinghy to a palm tree and hiked to see hundreds of elephant seals. In L.A., we blew our entire monthly cruisers' budget on a night at the hippest sushi restaurant. In San Diego, we joined the 2018 Baja Ha-Ha fleet for a seriously fun and action-packed ride down the Baja Peninsula. It's funny to realize that we saw more of California in this period of cruising the coast than we did in our many years of living there. Mexico left its own unique impressions on us. Often it was the natural beauty — the crystal-clear waters and white sand beaches, set among cacti patches and the dramatic cliff lines of the Sea of Cortez. Other times, it was the people we met — the friendly locals and impromptu anchorage parties with a hodgepodge of cruisers. Sometimes it was the critters —the sea turtles who swam alongside in Espiritu Santo, or the songs of the whales heard through the hull while at anchor in La Cruz.