We Wanted a Different Life… This Is Where It Took Us

Strong weather across the channel kept the family aboard Sailing Big Lost sitting at anchor in Tahiti rather than sailing back to Moorea. Friends anchored across in Moorea radioed reports of 40-knot wind gusts and boats dragging through the anchorage, prompting the crew of four to hold their position in Tahiti to tackle boat chores and schoolwork. The unexpected pause at anchor opened up time to examine the route that brought their family of four across thousands of miles of ocean to French Polynesia.

Their journey at sea did not begin with seasoned mariners or decades of offshore experience. With a goal of stepping away from societal demands and finding shared family adventure, the crew flew to the BVI to take delivery of an unfamiliar 62-foot charter catamaran, stepping into a whirlwind of provisioning and vessel preparation before setting out on their maiden offshore passage.

From the BVI to the Rio Dulce: A 102-Day Cruising Apprenticeship

The family’s very first offshore run was an ambitious route spanning 10 days and 16 hours from the BVI across the Caribbean Sea to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. Navigating a 62-foot charter catamaran with minimal prior passage-making experience proved an intense trial, but reaching the river marked only the beginning of their technical education. In Guatemala, the crew spent the next 102 days working through heat and humidity to transform the charter boat into an independent cruising vessel, including planning and executing a comprehensive solar refit.

Those 102 days in the river demanded constant troubleshooting, mechanical repairs, and patience. When the refit was complete, they cleared out of Guatemala and sailed to Guanaja, Honduras, earning their first true taste of self-sufficient cruising. Leaving Honduras for Mexico, however, delivered an abrupt lesson in maritime realities when rough offshore conditions battered the vessel.

A Broken Halyard in 14-Foot Seas and a Diversion to Cuba

En route toward Mexico, the vessel encountered a severe storm running 12 to 14-foot seas. Under heavy loads, a halyard snapped, forcing the crew to wrestle with unruly sails while managing seasickness among the crew. The rough conditions made maintaining their planned itinerary impossible, leading to an unplanned landfall in Cuba.

“sailors don’t operate on schedules. We operate on weather, and sometimes that means going somewhere you never planned to go.”

Cuba offered warm hospitality, but the crew faced a critical logistical barrier: the island lacked available diesel fuel needed to operate the catamaran’s engines and systems. Knowing they could not remain without reliable fuel supplies, the family departed Cuba and sailed north into the Bahamas, where clear anchorages and island hopping allowed them to find their footing as full-time cruisers.

Downsizing to a 44-Foot Catamaran and the 1,000-Mile Atlantic Passage

Less than a year into their cruising journey, the family recognized that their 62-foot charter boat was far too large and demanding for a family of four to handle comfortably. Making the difficult decision to pivot, they sold the 62-foot catamaran and acquired a 44-foot catamaran that better aligned with their practical cruising needs. Taking delivery of a new vessel meant restarting the learning curve, but this time with valuable seamanship experience under their belts.

Departing Florida late in the season, most cruising friends had already made safe harbor in Grenada. Rather than fighting contrary trade winds and currents south along the traditional island chain through the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, the skipper chose a bold route: pointing the bows east and sailing more than 1,000 miles straight into the open Atlantic Ocean to reach the US Virgin Islands. The long Atlantic passage brought them full circle back to the BVI where their journey began, confirming how substantially their maritime skills had developed.

Navigating the Eastern Caribbean, Colombia, and the Panama Canal

Working their way south through Saint Martin and down the Eastern Caribbean chain, the family reached Grenada as hurricane season loomed. Grenada marked a strategic crossroads for Caribbean cruisers. Rather than continuing seasonal loops up and down the Eastern Caribbean, the crew chose to turn west toward Panama and the Pacific Ocean.

The westbound passage led them through Bonaire for diving, followed by a watchful passage keeping well offshore of Venezuela to avoid unpredictable local winds. In Colombia, the crew explored coastal culture and cuisine before pushing westward into severe squalls and active lightning storms. Arriving in the San Blas islands of Panama, they provisioned, completed repairs, and established a dependable backup source of electrical power in preparation for ocean voyaging.

Transiting the Panama Canal aboard their own 44-foot catamaran stood out as a monumental milestone. As the final set of lock gates opened toward the horizon, the family officially entered the Pacific Ocean, knowing every mile sailed over the preceding year had prepared them for this ocean.

Crossing the Pacific: Galapagos, Marquesas, and the Tuamotus

After a provisioning stop in the Galapagos, the crew set their sights across the vast expanse of the South Pacific toward French Polynesia. The multi-week crossing across thousands of miles of open water transformed them into self-reliant sailors, completely reliant upon their vessel and each other.

“There was no marina around the corner, no store, no mechanic, no one coming to fix something if it broke.”

Making landfall in the Marquesas brought immense relief along with new customs, language, and island dynamics. From the Marquesas, the family cruised into the Tuamotus, navigating low-lying coral atolls and tidal passes where the demands of ocean voyaging began to feel like second nature. By the time they reached Tahiti, living together in close quarters aboard their catamaran had become their established way of life.

Passage and Vessel Milestones

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