Starship Stella Maris

/ Stella Maris & Flying Fish
As the sun sets, Stella Maris shoots across the Gulfstream in a race against an advancing cold front.
Photograph © Jeffrey Cardenas

Is this thing–this UFO–really even a sailboat? Tonight she is.

All weather forecasting models show that by morning we will have a strong northerly blast of 30-knot winds and 12-foot seas funneling into wedding-cake seas against a 2.5-knot current. They will be hellish conditions in which to cross the Gulfstream.

The good news is that morning is 12 hours away and we are on a fast broad reach. If Stella Maris continues to move like the scalded cat that she is, we will be in the safe harbor of Bimini for the duration of this blow.

Stella Maris, a Lagoon 42 catamaran, is a different animal compared to Flying Fish, the Island Packet 46 monohull that I sailed around the world. If the Island Packet is a boat that can sail through any weather anywhere in the world, the Lagoon is more akin to a beach cabin with a stick and a sail. I sold the Island Packet because my world voyage had come to an end, and I bought the Lagoon because it is a far more family-friendly sailboat. Tonight I have family aboard; my brother Bob is sailing with me.

This is a sea change in my sailing life. I am learning that extreme adventure is not necessarily a requirement for a fulfilled life. Now at age 67, I don’t feel the need to cheat death to feel alive. The catamaran is perfect for that. It can take me to foreign places comfortably and still pump just the right amount of adrenaline into my bloodstream.

On the forecasting map tonight the heavy weather continues to rumble southward as we sail north and east toward the Bahama Bank. Sailing at eight knots, we reef the mainsail as the wind increases and Stella Maris skims across the building seas.

“It’s a good boat,” Bob says. I am also warming up to her. A full moon lights our passage. We will beat the weather into Bimini. I am grateful to be underway again, and who knows where this new boat will take me.

Night watch aboard Stella Maris as she crosses the Gulfsteam. Video credit: Bob Cardenas

Thanks for sailing along with Stella Maris.

As always, sailing is not just about the wind and the sea; equally important are the places, the flora, fauna, and people encountered along the way.

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 the voyage. I welcome your comments, and I will always respond when I have an Internet connection. I will never share your personal information.

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Text and Photography © Jeffrey Cardenas 2023

“Let this be a time of grace and peace in our lives”   – Fr. John Baker

26 thoughts on “Starship Stella Maris”

    • You sound surprised, Larry Shames. There are no calm seas this week. And I certainly do not anticipate any prospect of a prosperous voyage (on the contrary). But there is great value physically, mentally, and spiritually to be underway again. Thanks for your comment.

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  4. Jeffrey, You we’re kind enough to sign my copy of your compelling Marquesses book several years ago. Let me know at bhays88@protonmail.com if your aol email still works and I’ll give you a lovely North Bimini story. PS We discussed a beer in Key West. It will be on me. Happy sailing,
    Brian Hays

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    • Marquesa was another peaceful pilgrimage. Thanks for buying the book and I am glad that you enjoyed it. I’ll reach out to you about your Bimini story. I spent some of the best days of my childhood there.

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  5. How lovely to hear you are back on the water again and we look forward to many beautiful pictures and the prose to go with them. Maybe you will even be tempted to come back to NZ. After all, David and I are both late 70s now and we have just returned from a day on the track with our new car. Rained out! But at least we will be on time for the Gulf Harbour Radio net! One cat. Yesterday talked about turning off the underfloor heating! How boats have changed.

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  6. Love it Jeff! Safe travels, and looking forward to hearing about and seeing pitures from your new adventures.
    Hi Bob! Not sure if you remember me, from being a kid, playing with Kathy banging pots and pans on the roof on New Year’s at your house in Plantation.
    Chrissy Lihan

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  10. Oh Jeffrey, I am so excited for you, Stella Maris, and all of us following your dreams once again. Safe travels from your family of friends in the Carolinas. Tom and I wish you safe travels, fair winds and many adventures to fill a lifetime! Happy sailing…

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  13. Jeffrey, So excited and happy for you to be out on the high seas again and love the photos and video with the full Hunter’s moon! Ah, and what a great name the Lagoon 42 was given, Stella Maris , Star of the Sea will protect her sailors! Happy and Safe Sailing!
    Byron Clark

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  14. As always, it is a delight to be the vicarious voyeur on your journeys. I hope Stella Maris – the stick-&-sail beach cabin that she is – brings you & Ginny much joy on your current & future travels, always.
    Em

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