Roots of a Voyage
Part One: Reflection

by Dave and Jaja

Today is the 31st of July, 2001. The good ship DRIVER is anchored safely in the Tysfjord region of Northern Norway, about 110 miles above the Arctic Circle. A 997-millibar low pressure system, creating 35 knot winds, has been parked off the coast for two days. The mountains surrounding us are great to look at, and they give superb protection from dangerous waves. But during a gale, high mountains can also be a hindrance. The wind rushes up the windward side, then rushes down the lee at accelerated velocities.

The 35-knot wind speeding across Storjorden Bay is interrupted by frequent, 50-knot white-water gusts. DRIVER heels to these attacks, the rigging shakes, the anchor chain become rigid, and then it's over--until the next gust hits. We marvel that we are the only cruising boat in the area. If ever we think it's a bummer to be stuck in port, our spirits are lifted with this one thought: "IT'S BETTER THAN BEING ON THE OPEN SEA." It's not that DRIVER wouldn't survive the offshore conditions today, it's just that we appreciate being warm and cozy while safely riding out a gale at anchor.

Surviving a storm at sea is part of the Cruising Experience. Sail enough miles and you are sure to get whomped. During the four years we've been cruising on DRIVER, we have experienced four ocean storms with severe seas. One storm was during our passage from Florida to Bermuda (crossing the Gulf Stream), the next was between Bermuda to Iceland. There was the rough night on Iceland's east coast, and there were the phenomenal conditions during our passage to Spitsbergen last summer, up at 74° north.

Added up, that's 12 days of potentially life threatening bad weather. Spread it out over four years (or 1460 days), and we're left with a ratio of less than one percent bad weather at sea for the whole voyage. It's almost nothing. But...

...The most crucial preparations for an ocean voyage are made for that one percent...

When we first began looking for a cruising boat we had many criterion in mind, but foremost we wanted a boat constructed of metal--either aluminum or steel. Metal boats are not only incredibly indestructible, they are also very water tight because everything is welded together instead of bolted. (ie: deck hardware, hull/deck joint, chain plates, garboard strake and/or keel bolts ).

We wanted a good looking, 38 to 42 foot sloop with a modern underbody, an aft cockpit, and lots of gear. As we scoured boatyards near and far, and found nothing to our liking (ie: within our price range), our prerequisites for the "perfect" boat gradually dropped away. The only thing we held tight to was the desire to have a metal hull. As time passed, we wondered if we would ever find the "right" boat. Buying a used boat to take cruising was like raiding the refrigerator for a midnight snack. We definitely had something specific in mind, but knew we would probably have to settle for what was there.

We were serious about going cruising and we wanted to leave as soon as possible. To help stay on schedule, we had initiated a strict, two-year time limit to buy and modify a boat. Any boat that we could afford would need some modifying. A sacred departure date was helping to steer our budget and keep our dream moving forward. We were determined not to deviate from our departure date. Before we began our boat search, we'd decided not to buy a super cheap boat that would require years of work; nor did we want an expensive boat that would require years of monthly payments. Those two criteria had eliminated ninety-nine percent of the available choices. Typical to our nature, we were looking for something that probably did not exist.

Next week: The Search.