Susan, Sequoia, and Todd go sailing

Here are some FAQs… and answers too!

When are you leaving?

Early October. Maybe Oct 7 or 8?

How long will you be gone?

Our initial plan is 6 – 8 months, but it depends on how much fun we have and how much money we have!

Where are you going?

We’ll be sailing down the California coast, visiting the Channel Islands, stopping in San Diego and Ensenada. After November 1 (end of hurricane season) we’ll make the approximately 750 mile trip down to Cabo San Lucas. Then we’ll jump up to La Paz, then we’ll cruise around mainland Mexico for the winter. In the spring, we’ll head back up to the Sea of Cortez. That is the general plan. We don’t have a detailed plan.

Here is a basic map; what it calls the Gulf of California, we’re calling the Sea of Cortez.

What kind of boat do you have? How big is it? Can you sleep on it?

It’s a 38 foot sailboat, with two cabins, each with a double berth (bed), a galley (kitchen) with a propane oven and stove, and a settee (dining table).

See photos and if you’re really interested, see the list of boat specs.

Is it safe to take your boat offshore?

Sugata has been to Mexico and Hawaii before, with her previous owner Marcus. Back then her name was Restless. But a great boat by any other name is still a great boat. She’ll take good care of us!

‘Sugata’? What’s that mean?

Sugata is one of the names of the Buddha and it means ‘one who has gone happily along the path’.

Is Sequoia going with you?

Yes! She is a natural sailor- loves the water and doesn’t get sea sick!

What about Sequoia’s school?

She’s been homeschooled for the last two and a half years (really closer to unschooled) so this isn’t a big change. And she’ll learn more sailing to Mexico than she would in school!

What about your jobs?

We’re leaving them.

What about your house?

We’ll be renting it out to a wonderful guy named Omar and his cat Zoe. We are so happy to have found them!

Can we come visit you?

Yes! We can let you know about where we’ll be, and you can either meet us and spend some time with us on the boat, or rent a house near us. We can probably have singles and couples aboard very comfortably. Families may work out too, if we’re in a place where people can sleep on deck. We’ll have to see how it goes!

So you’ll be sailing back in spring 2008?

That is one possibility. We might sail the boat back up here… it is a hard slog (called the “Baja Bash”)! Or we might leave the boat in a marina in Mexico for the summer. Or we might sail to Hawaii. We don’t know yet.