Principessa

Don Farley & Thoa Hansen
 

My sailing in Hawaii started with windsurfing and a Prindle 18' catamaran that was sailed extensively in Kailua Bay during the mid 90's.  In 2000 I bought an old Islander 36' sloop and did some outer island trips with her.  After the selling of Mahealani (the Islander) I bought Principessa, a 42S7 Beneteau from Long Beach.  She is a sloop rig with all lines and controls in the cock pit which allows for single handed sailing.  This was an internet find that required a couple of coordinated visits, with mainland trips and the normal mountain of obstacles that go with any purchase.  As with all boat purchase stories, sanity took a back seat and I purchased her and sailed her over to Hawaii in May 2002.  After several outer island trips we still sail on occasion but are finding sailing time challenging due to teenage children, home construction and working obligations.  We have made a few outer island trips to Lana’i, Molokai and Maui and continue to look forward to the sailing adventures that are out there with the voyaging society.

 

  
 
Symphony 
 Bob Spenser & Magi Sarvimaki
 

In 2003, we both arrived in Hawai'i "temporarily" from different headings; Bob from California to continue his career in the computer industry, and Magi from Finland (Magi being a Finnish version of Maggie) to teach architecture at the UH Manoa. Although Bob's work took him back to California some time ago (Magi's addition: partly because he couldn't leave his darling Symphony alone for long periods), Magi is still an Assistant Professor at the UHM School of Architecture, and we are finally ready to sail our Hans Christian 38T, Symphony, to Hawai'i from the Channel Islands Harbor, CA, as Bob's retirement is approaching.

For an enjoyable crossing, the past years, and especially months, have been filled with boat maintenance (Bob's addition: lots of varnishing and mast climbing for Magi) and purchases of new "toys", such as wind wane, new set of sails, radios and other communication devices, and safety additions (life raft, drogue, para-anchor, etc.), as well as sailing around the Channel Islands during spring and summer breaks. Now, we are more than eager to cast off the lines in California and join the HYC Cruising Society in exploring the Hawaiian Islands - before further blue water cruising to the South Pacific.