Introduction to Windarra

The Crew The Boat The Goal

This web site is how we can best share our experiences with family and friends through our written notes and digital photographs. We hope you enjoy the stories and the photos. The Crew Our family consists of Sarah, age 13, Jesse, age 15, and Katmandu, age about 8. Elaine and Rich have been sailing together since they first met as Aerospace Engineers eighteen years ago. What began, as a partnership to race a Hobie 16 soon became a lifelong commitment to raising a family and sailing in the Puget Sound area. As the family expanded our sailing aspirations grew into a partnership on a C&C 40, which was used to race in the Northwest windy seasons and cruise to British Columbia in the light air summers. Five years ago we realized there was more to life than the rat race and set about preparing for a world cruise. Like typical retentive engineers the “plan” was charted out and the launch date set. The Stevens 47 was purchased in Long Beach California in 1999 and with the help of adventurous friends motor sailed to Seattle. A two-year refit and learning experience followed and Windarra is the family’s pride and joy. Jesse and Sarah are experienced Opti and Laser sailors and active members of Windarra’s crew. Jesse’s interests are fishing, mathematics, and composing comic books. Sarah enjoys reading, sailing and Japanese anime. Sarah is participating in the Calvert School program and Jesse is working through the University of Nebraska Independent Study High School. They both are looking forward to meeting other cruising kids their age and the Baja HaHa cruisers rally to Mexico helped to provide that opportunity. Katmandu, a Maine Coon cat, is becoming an avid sailor although in the beginning going around Vancouver Island he was convinced “his monkeys” had lost their minds. However by the time Windarra reached some big seas off of Mendocino on the way to San Francisco he was his old gnarly self again looking for handouts and sleeping in whatever hot bunk was available. The Boat Our boat, Windarra, is a Stevens 47. It is the Sparkman and Stevens’s design #2390 and was designed in 1980. She was built in 1984 at the Queen Long yards in Taiwan. Those familiar with boats of this class would recognize the design as very similar to the current Hylas 49. Aft Stateroom Jesse’s stateroom Sarah’s stateroom Galley Main Salon We picked this particular design since it had a proven offshore cruising reputation, sturdy rigging, flexible sail plan and an interior layout that would be good for our family. Since we are traveling with two teenagers it was important for everyone to have their own space. Windarra has 3 staterooms, two forward and one aft. Rich and Elaine have the aft stateroom. Jesse currently has the v-berth forward and Sarah has the Pullman berth with two bunks. There are two heads, one forward starboard, the other just behind the navigation station, aft starboard. The forward head has a separate shower that is currently used as a hanging locker and repository for the cat’s litter box. The boat has a large center cockpit to keep us a little drier from the sea and provides ample space for our crew of four. It is a cutter rig, having two furling headsails, the yankee and the staysail and a large fully battened mainsail. On the aft deck is a radar arch, which holds the davits for our dingy and the various antennas and a wind generator, which takes the energy from the wind and helps recharge our batteries. The boat started life in Florida and as best we can tell was named after the original owner’s wife “Kate”. When we purchased her she was named “Noella” after one of the second owners. She served them well for ten years in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico. After a great deal of soul searching and a cookie jar full of names we named her “Windarra” which is Australian aborigine for “where to next?” or “which way?” It is a perfect name for our new life. The Goal Our family goal is to spend the next three years sailing to foreign countries, experiencing new cultures and meeting new friends. We hope to sail around the world in the process but recognize that in a rapidly changing world we will have to adapt to its changes. The three-year schedule is rather loose and is driven by the realities of Jesse and Sarah’s educational opportunities and the family’s health and well-being. After a great deal of research as armchair sailors we selected an itinerary and course that will take us west across the Pacific and through the Indian Ocean for the first two years and then through the Mediterranean and Caribbean for the third. The route is mostly downwind sailing and popular with many cruisers with similar aspirations and the course allows for all the passages to occur outside the normal hurricane and typhoon seasons. Safety is our highest priority and we have spent significant effort in preparing Windarra and ourselves for the adventure.