Stella Maris Sail

My specifications for the new construction of a transoceanic sailboat were simple:

Build me a boat that is not going to break apart when I am 2,000 miles from the closest land. And build me a boat that if it rolls over in heavy weather will return upright, quickly. Hull integrity and safety in mid ocean were non-negotiable factors in my selection of a design for Flying Fish. I have confidence that the Island Packet 460 is going to keep me upright and afloat.

Island Packets have established their ocean cruising credibility by logging millions of sailing miles around the globe. The owner of the company, Bob Johnson, holds a Master of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from MIT. At the core of each of his designs are construction features chosen with an unwavering focus on the demands of sailing offshore in safety. The International Marine Certification Institute has awarded them its highest rating—Category-A Ocean—meaning the boats qualify for ‘unlimited offshore use.’

Much more will be written here about the details, construction, and ultimate performance of Flying Fish but as her first fiberglass is being laminated I’m sleeping easily with the confidence that Island Packet is building me a good boat.

For more information read the chapter on IPY in: The World’s Best Sailboats Volume II, by Ferenc Máté. He is one of the most widely read and respected of sailing authors. His books, From a Bare Hull, The Finely Fitted Yacht, Best Boats, Shipshape and The World’s Best Sailboats Volume I are all nautical classics.

Construction begins on the new Island Packet 460 Flying Fish

The Internal Grid Unit, IGU, will be fitted and fiberglassed into the hull mold

The boat’s internal structural grid will be fitted and fiberglassed into the hull mold

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.”

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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.

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