The 2007 season was dedicated primarily to bringing Raven to North American from French Polynesia, with lots of stopover time in assorted South Pacific paradises. We joined her for a second cruise through French Polynesia, this time the atolls of the Tuamotus and the remote and mysterious Polynesian islands of the Marquesas.
As soon as Mike and I flew home from the Marquesas, Raven, Rod and our newest crew member Paola went to sea for the 2,000 mile passage to Hawaii. It was a fast, trouble-free trip and Raven broke her own speed records, averaging some 200 miles every day and completing the trip in 10 days, 5 hours.
Rod thoroughly enjoyed his layover in Hawaii – pubs, billiard halls, surf breaks, cellphone service and high speed internet all made the U.S. a nice change from the more spartan resources of the out-of-the-way destinations where we’ve been traveling. Raven spent a total of four months in Hawaii during the summer of 2007. Mike and I made two trips to enjoy the islands and escape Tucson’s summer heat. In August we even imported daughter Michelle, son Eric and grandson Drew for a taste of tropical cruising around Oahu. On our second visit in September Mike and I were solo again, as Rod was off on vacation to his favorite spot, the Philippines.
On September 22 Raven embarked on the 2,800 mile passage from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. Elize (Canadian) and Nick (British) flew into Honolulu to crew on the long passage. They are both accomplished sailors and well-acquainted with both Raven and Rod. Mike and I had a great time here in Arizona vicariously following Raven’s GPS track across the Pacific via Google Earth mapping. Be sure to check out the video clip Nick filmed on the trip and posted on YouTube.
Raven made a fast safe passage, arriving at the Kona Kai Marina in San Diego in the wee hours of Saturday, October 6. Mike and I drove over and welcomed Raven and her international crew to our home country. The following week was devoted to some serious house-cleaning as it was our first opportunity ever to drive, instead of fly, to the boat. We brought the big dually pickup truck to schlep all the unnecessary accumulated “stuff” back to Arizona for storage or disposal. We even had a chance to invite Jan and Signe, Raven’s previous owners, for a visit – their first time aboard Raven since selling her to us three years earlier.
The terrible San Diego wildfires of 2007 started shortly after Raven’s arrival and Rod was kept busy hosing the deck clean of thick layers of falling ash – an ongoing job for several weeks. Some important refit projects got underway, highlighted by a new Northern Lights generator and a revamped inverter system. And then the winter months in San Diego brought chilly weather and gray skies – causing us all to start making plans to head South of the Border in 2008!
Video: Sailing Fast from Hawaii to San Diego