New Horizons

/ Stella Maris & Flying Fish

STELLA MARIS

&

FLYING FISH

Explore. Dream. Discover.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” –Mark Twain

Welcome aboard! These are postings about a youthful spirit cocooned in an aging body sailing around the world trying to make sense of a changing planet. Enjoy the ride!

There is saltwater coursing through my veins—literally.

There is saltwater in all of us. The salinity of our blood is nearly identical to the salinity of the ocean. That may be a biological explanation for why I feel compelled to set sail across miles of open ocean. Other reasons are still not so clear.

When I was 25 years old, I left Florida for Europe alone in a 23-foot sloop named Betelgeuse–eight days after I was married. It was a voyage of high risk and adventure; remarkably, 45 years later, Ginny and I are still married. My life has been a blessing. I sailed in my youth. Then, I worked hard. Now, I am sailing again. After a five-year circumnavigation aboard Flying Fish, a 46-foot cutter, much of it solo, I now sail a more friends-and-family friendly catamaran–Stella Maris–designed for extended passages.

Join me as I raise the halyards once again and embark on new journeys across miles of open ocean. Sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places where boats carry me. Many of the passages will again be sailed single-handed. There will be challenges and personal discoveries. (At age 68, I am no longer bulletproof.) It will be the continuation of a voyage of memoir, and a reaffirmation of life on this planet.

Now, onward! Capt. Jack Sparrow said it best: “Bring me that horizon.”

Please click “Follow” at the bottom of this page so that you don’t miss a new update, and please consider sharing this post with others who might enjoy following these sailing voyages.

The most current posts always follow this welcome message. There is an post index menu on the right side of the page. I welcome your comments, and I will always respond when I have an Internet connection. I will never share your personal information.

To see where Flying Fish sailed after leaving Key West in 2017, click here.

To see the passages of Stella Maris in 2023, click here.

Instagram: FlyingFishSail and StellaMarisSailing
Facebook: Jeffrey Cardenas

Text and Photography © Jeffrey Cardenas 2024

Let this be a time of grace and peace in our lives – Rev. John C. Baker

16 thoughts on “New Horizons”

  1. Jeffrey,
    I ,Iove your writing style. You perfectly convey your feelings in word to paper. I am very excited for you. I respect your ability to pursue your passion and maintain a stable and wonderful family life.
    I am putting you in my top 5 Idols next to Elvis, Sinatra, David Lee Roth and Ben Franklin

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    Reply

    • Hi Bill. They don’t make the 460 any longer but there is a new version of it. The lead time on my boat was delayed because the former owner apparently ran out of money and never finished it. The new (and current) owners picked up the project and expedited the build.

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  4. Jeff I’m here in Nosara thinking of our previous trip here and to Witches Rock! We had fun…still see you jamming down the line at warp speed!! Be safe my friend dave

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  6. I have been enjoying your trip vicariously. At one time I too wanted to sail around the world but even with an IP 35 Cat , it is now toomuch. I have set my sights on someone else driving, preferably QE2 , but there is neither time nor money enough . Sounds like you are having a great time. Wish I were there, sometimes.
    Jeffrey L Miller MD IP35 Cat#9 Pupule 3

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    • Thank you for your comments, Jeffrey. The most perceptive of the words in your post is the final one “…sometimes.”
      Sometimes I wonder what I am doing out here alone, so far from my family.
      But then I realize the privilege of being able to view the world from the deck of Flying Fish and I am overwhelmed with gratitude.

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  7. Hi Jeff. I am in the same waiting room where we last spoke and realized I had not received any updates on your fantastic voyage. I looked up flying fish and am happy to be caught up again. Your passage in the shipping lanes was scary. I hope I am back on your update list. Be careful and enjoy the thrill. I hope you have caught up on your sleep. ⛴🚢🛳🛥⛵️⛴🚢

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  8. Hi Jeffery, I’m an old Key Wester, friend of Janey and Harlan Franklin and once a avid fly fisherman. As a kid running around the Sun & Sand club there was a family friend who was a Navy pilot who’s name was Buddy Cardenas. I just wonder if you were related. I’m greatly enjoying your trip!

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    • Hello Mike, Thank you for following Flying Fish. I didn’t know a Buddy Cardenas but the Franklins were kind to me in the early Key West years. Harlan was a fishing mentor although he had a curmudgeonous streak to his personality. I learned quickly not to ask him where he was seeing fish.

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  9. Is that the Jeff and Ginny( Tuesday Girl) whom I met in St Maarten just before Luis blew in? if so WOW! you went big and followed your dreams. Didn’t you guys get married around 1994 on Anguilla.Lotsa love if I got this right.We are around the same age.Cheers from South Africa and Pete Bell

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