ulling around the southern tip of Monte da Guia on the island of Faial in the
Azores, it was hard to comprehend that we had just completed the most difficult part of
our transatlantic crossing. Having left Jensen Beach, Florida, almost a month before, we
had stopped in Bermuda for a couple of weeks before untying the lines 8-1/2 days prior
and pointing the bows ever east toward the Azores. For so many years we had worked to
get to that moment of arrival, pushing through boat construction, fear, and inexperience,
and now the relief and sense of accomplishment on completing the goal was surreal.
Who would have thought that the bucket list of future dreams my husband and I had
written back in university (the one that included #6: Live on a boat and cross the ocean)
would become a reality almost 20 years later and would involve a 65-foot fiberglass power
catamaran shell we found in a farmer’s field in New Zealand and our two teenagers, Lauren
and Stefan? Now, with smiles and high fives all around, I was glad I had opted to make the
long voyage.
Still, there had been days during the past two years when the reality had been less
than romantic. After shipping the catamaran we later called Chrysalis to South Florida,
we subsequently sold everything and the four of us moved from Cambridge, Ontario, to
Florida in order to complete the remaining construction. Although the superstructure was
new, it was empty; all interior work had yet to be completed: plumbing, electrical, engines,
and woodwork. Having built several homes, we were familiar with basic construction,
but soon learned that the nuances of boatbuilding—quirky corners, weight distribution,
accommodating the salt-water environment—could be daunting. Every system had to be
custom designed and installed by us. The labor had been exhausting and had taken longer
than we had anticipated, but we had managed to save a fair bit of money.
Confirmed landlubbers with no boating experience other than canoeing in northern
Ontario and a week’s vacation on a Carnival cruise ship, we nonetheless moved aboard
and began the steep nautical learning curve. Acclimating to life in tight quarters, learning to
operate our systems, docking, and anchoring required teamwork and patience, something
we quickly learned out of necessity. To gain experience, we cruised the eastern seaboard
of the United States, Canada, and the Bahamas
for two years before beginning our transatlantic
passage. Our goal was to spend two years in the
Mediterranean, homeschooling the children and
letting the places we visited further inspire our
educational experience. P Story And Photography By Kim Petersen
Opposite page: Overlooking the town of Horta, a
destination that represents the culmination of dreams
for so many passagemakers. Left: Living aboard and
passagemaking can be addictive. What started out as a
two-year plan turned into a seven-year adventure.
A Cruising Family Explores THE AZORES
