The Beginning

From Theo

Hello Everyone!

My wife (Wanda) and I (Theo) and our two dogs (Mambo, a Portuguese Waterdog and Isabel, a CockaPoo) aboard our Lagoon 450 sailing catamaran are about to start a sailing adventure to South Pacific and beyond... We have been thinking about doing this for a long time but there was always something to stop us. Finally, we realized that there will always be something. We just had to make the decision and do it. So, here we are, two days away from the start of our adventure!

At delivery day in Marina Del Rey.

We have been working on our boat for close to a year now. Trying to learn it, as we were powerboat people, adding and fixing equipment, etc. Again, there will always be something. It is a boat after all and, as you all know, there is no such a thing as a perfect boat. There is always something to work on, which I seem to be constantly doing... Overall, the boat is great and is working fine. There are no major issues. It is fully equipped with the latest/greatest safety equipment, charts, etc. I must confess that I enjoy researching and, most of all, I always over prepare, almost to a fault. So, I have at least two of everything, almost...

One of our first times sailing alone.

I know that real sailors will be laughing at me when they see our poor overloaded boat. But, we are planning to enjoy this trip, in every way possible. I am really looking forward to start slicing the Pata Negra ham leg I have on board! As much as I am looking forward to the fresh sashimi from the fish we will, hopefully, catch along the way. I really expect us to gain weight during our 3 week sail to Marquesas.

Did I mention that we will have two French friends with us? Bruno, a VERY experienced sailor and sailmaker (UK Sails), and Marie, a way more experienced sailor than us who flew from France for this trip, will be with us for the trip to Marquesas. Thankfully, they speak great English and do not mind my almost constant questions. It also goes without saying that we will have lots of French wine on board, at least for the majority of the trip.

Our official departure date is Friday but, since sailors are superstitious, one never starts a trip on Friday. So, we will sail to Catalina, meet our friend Charlie (owner of NAOS Yacht Sales, our favorite Lagoon dealer), eat and drink lots of wine, spend the night and start our S. Pacific trip on Saturday. Can't wait to leave the marina.

Finally, I have to say that I am very proud of my wife of 24 years who suffered incredibly through her breast cancer ordeal. She is finally problem free and ready to experience life with much more focus and hunger. I am also changed from this experience. Many things that used to be important, do not even register now. I guess you can say that we are both hungry to experience life. Life is too short and no one knows what happens moment to moment.


-----------------------
From Wanda

Hello to my family and dear friends,

I am not nuts...I swear. I just wanted to make that clear from the get go. Let’s start by explaining how the idea of sailing to the South Pacific began. My husband Theo and I have always loved the ocean and owned a power boat.  He is from Greece and I am first generation Italian and most of my family lives in Rome. Obviously, these are beautiful places with many islands and we have been fortunate enough to visit some of them. We would walk through the marinas there and see the sailboats and dream about what it would be like to have a boat in Greece. We love Catalina, but we decided we wanted to explore more of the world. 

Et Voila!!

The giant light bulb appeared and the idea was permanently embedded in our brains. This was a long time ago. Gradually we felt the time was right to begin actually doing something about our dream. We purchased a 450 Lagoon Catamaran on December 31st 2012 and wanted to race in the Trans Pac to Hawaii in July. We were almost ready, but on May 15th, 2013 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Our life flipped on a dime, but we knew that our plans were not canceled, just postponed. With support from family and loving friends I endured what I had to and have now moved on to have even more determination to reach not Hawaii, but the incredible Marquesas  Islands. With the help and companionship of our new cruising friends, Bruno and Marie, the time has come and we could not be more excited. Planning, packing and long goodbyes. Now the adventure begins!! 

Et Voila...Here it is!!! Love to all...W