Introduction
Renewal Time is my favorite boat of all time. Strong and forgiving on her voyages. I sold her in Papetee, Tahiti and to this day still miss her like a lost friend. A friend she really was. I sailed her for over 15 years around coastal British Columbia including a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island along with exploring inlets and crannies far up the coast past the top of the island. Then single handing her 10,000 miles offshore created a bond and I will always have that for this fine vessel.
Through these pages maybe I can share some of Renewal Time and for other boat owners with questions about her, her fitting out, or her voyages, do not hesitate to e-mail me.
It was May the 21st, 1997 when Renewal Time and I started on our great adventure. It had been in the planning a life time. I took early retirement and started fitting out the boat about 6 months before departure. It was a big job but rewarding. The initial plan was to sail the first season to New Zealand via Honolulu, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Tonga. Leave the boat for the hurricane season and then the following year sail Tonga, Australia and spend the off season doing the eastern Australian coast including
Through these pages maybe I can share some of Renewal Time and for other boat owners with questions about her, her fitting out, or her voyages, do not hesitate to e-mail me.
It was May the 21st, 1997 when Renewal Time and I started on our great adventure. It had been in the planning a life time. I took early retirement and started fitting out the boat about 6 months before departure. It was a big job but rewarding. The initial plan was to sail the first season to New Zealand via Honolulu, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Tonga. Leave the boat for the hurricane season and then the following year sail Tonga, Australia and spend the off season doing the eastern Australian coast including
Pulling away from the
Royal Vancouver YC
Royal Vancouver YC
Tasmania. Then the next spring do the long slug home to Vancouver.
It didn't quite work out that way but above all I have no regrets about making the trip. If I had not done it I would have really regretted it all the rest of my days and moreover would have missed one of my most gratifying experiences.
It didn't quite work out that way but above all I have no regrets about making the trip. If I had not done it I would have really regretted it all the rest of my days and moreover would have missed one of my most gratifying experiences.
ADVICE
To anyone contemplating such a voyage I say DO IT! The boat does not have to be as well fitted out as Renewal Time (I didn't need or use half the stuff) and if you leave it too long you will never go. One important point, I think. While I had an overall plan I never swore to uphold it and that meant I could quit anytime without feeling I had failed. When I did quit early I did feel a sense of real accomplishment and had enjoyed the whole experience.
By the time I had cruised some around the Tahitian islands I felt I should call it quits. I had a minor breakdown in the electric's which required a return to Papetee. I was now late in the season (September) and had only long passages ahead. 550 miles to the Cook's, 750 to Tonga and 1200 to New Zealand. I would have to leave Tonga by early October. What with the certainty of repairs along the way it did not sound like much fun. Contributing to my decision was the fact that most cruisers are out there partly to see the world. In my business travels I had been to most of the places and, in fact, was sometimes anchoring off hotels I had stayed in. Finally, I thought I had done it and it was time to move on.
I sold Renewal Time in Papetee and flew back to Canada to build a new house and get a new boat. You can review that by going to the My World and the Nonsuch pages. In hindsight, I probably should have modified my decision. Instead of selling Renewal Time I should have just had her hauled onto the hard in Papetee and then returned each season to her in different storage places. Oh well, who knows?
Move through the pages using either the Next Cal Association symbol on the right or by jumping on the bar at the bottom or top. Take your time. There is a lot of material. Have fun and let me know what you think.
By the time I had cruised some around the Tahitian islands I felt I should call it quits. I had a minor breakdown in the electric's which required a return to Papetee. I was now late in the season (September) and had only long passages ahead. 550 miles to the Cook's, 750 to Tonga and 1200 to New Zealand. I would have to leave Tonga by early October. What with the certainty of repairs along the way it did not sound like much fun. Contributing to my decision was the fact that most cruisers are out there partly to see the world. In my business travels I had been to most of the places and, in fact, was sometimes anchoring off hotels I had stayed in. Finally, I thought I had done it and it was time to move on.
I sold Renewal Time in Papetee and flew back to Canada to build a new house and get a new boat. You can review that by going to the My World and the Nonsuch pages. In hindsight, I probably should have modified my decision. Instead of selling Renewal Time I should have just had her hauled onto the hard in Papetee and then returned each season to her in different storage places. Oh well, who knows?
Move through the pages using either the Next Cal Association symbol on the right or by jumping on the bar at the bottom or top. Take your time. There is a lot of material. Have fun and let me know what you think.
My Sailing History
Age 6, stepped in my 1st Sabot and in heavy air tore the chain plates out.
Teens - sailed Y-Flyers on Lake Winnipeg
Edmonton:- Raced Fireballs at Edmonton Yacht Club, provincially and at C.O.R.K
Raced Contenders at EYC
Raced Invitations at EYC
Raced Lasers at EYC and Kelowna
•In 1981 I bought a Cal 22 and sailed her on Lake Wabamum, near Edmonton, and trailed it to Vancouver to take extended cruises on the west coast including Sooke, the Gulf and San Juan islands, inlets as far north as Rivers Inlet.
In 1984 I added a Siren to the fleet so I could reserve the Cal 22 for the west coast.
In 1986 moved to Vancouver and bought Renewal Time and sailed BC coastal waters as far north as Queen Charlottes, did West coast of the island and went into (at the time) uncharted inlets such as Seymour over 11 year period clocking over 15,000 miles.
•May 21, 1997 took off single handed for the south Pacific
1998 bought Grand Banks 32 and then sold it right away to get Sinecure, a Nonsuch 26.
•During my insurance career I traveled the world and was able to sail in many different places on friend's or chartered boats, including (not in any order):
Many voyages in the Solent and English channel on SeaLords and similar
HobieCat racing and "cruising" in Bahrain
crewed on Gretel II, Sidney, Australia
delivery trip of 44 footer "Nimbus" from Fiji via Astrolabe area to Western Samoa
3 two week bare boat charters in the British Virgin Islands
two week bare boat charter out of St. Petersburg, Florida plus a 4 day disaster but that's another story
raced J24's in Bermuda
cruised Bermuda numerous times on a variety of boats
dingy sailed in Bahamas, Corfu, Cairo
day bare boat charters from Maui, Hawaii
Ranger 29 for 2 weeks on Lake Ontario
Fireball cruising and racing while living in Montreal
Offshore Cruising course (for fun) out of San Diego and then just cruising area including Catalina
AND some more I have just kind of forgotten.
Teens - sailed Y-Flyers on Lake Winnipeg
Edmonton:- Raced Fireballs at Edmonton Yacht Club, provincially and at C.O.R.K
Raced Contenders at EYC
Raced Invitations at EYC
Raced Lasers at EYC and Kelowna
•In 1981 I bought a Cal 22 and sailed her on Lake Wabamum, near Edmonton, and trailed it to Vancouver to take extended cruises on the west coast including Sooke, the Gulf and San Juan islands, inlets as far north as Rivers Inlet.
In 1984 I added a Siren to the fleet so I could reserve the Cal 22 for the west coast.
In 1986 moved to Vancouver and bought Renewal Time and sailed BC coastal waters as far north as Queen Charlottes, did West coast of the island and went into (at the time) uncharted inlets such as Seymour over 11 year period clocking over 15,000 miles.
•May 21, 1997 took off single handed for the south Pacific
1998 bought Grand Banks 32 and then sold it right away to get Sinecure, a Nonsuch 26.
•During my insurance career I traveled the world and was able to sail in many different places on friend's or chartered boats, including (not in any order):
Many voyages in the Solent and English channel on SeaLords and similar
HobieCat racing and "cruising" in Bahrain
crewed on Gretel II, Sidney, Australia
delivery trip of 44 footer "Nimbus" from Fiji via Astrolabe area to Western Samoa
3 two week bare boat charters in the British Virgin Islands
two week bare boat charter out of St. Petersburg, Florida plus a 4 day disaster but that's another story
raced J24's in Bermuda
cruised Bermuda numerous times on a variety of boats
dingy sailed in Bahamas, Corfu, Cairo
day bare boat charters from Maui, Hawaii
Ranger 29 for 2 weeks on Lake Ontario
Fireball cruising and racing while living in Montreal
Offshore Cruising course (for fun) out of San Diego and then just cruising area including Catalina
AND some more I have just kind of forgotten.
"Supice", my Catalina 22 upon which I learned so much - sailing in BC. Note: taken from dingy while solo under sail
Click pictures to see larger