Adventures on the Sailing Vessel Moorea The big decision, break away and travel! Having learned of our plans to circumnavigate the globe on our 1974, 35’ Dufour sailboat named Moorea, family and friends expressed many concerns and questions along with positive and negative statements.  The most prevailing expression was the wonder of how two 30-something people with average jobs, save enough money to quit their jobs and embark on a 4-5 year journey.  Some thought we were trust fund babies, but most new the sole income was acquired through selling the house, working our jobs and living on the boat for 2 years, a cheap way to live with a $250/month mooring fee versus $1600+ mortgage.  But living on the docks compared to living in a home is a sacrifice.  Walking from the car to the boat, during a damp, cold Washington winter, to a barely frozen boat, is not a delightful highlight of our live aboard experience.  Keeping the heater on while away from the boat is not practical, since the electric heater could potentially start it on fire.  Another is having a car exposed to thieves, since our vehicle was broken into a few times, finding the hidden tools or just briefly leaving a set of gulf clubs in the car will bring these scummy individuals out.  But the sacrifices were worth it, we got to know our boat inside and out.  Sailed her on long weekends, took her on vacations and outfitted her for the journey.  This preparation was important, but I am amazed at the number of cruisers that hardly sailed and are among us on this adventure, however some of these cruisers have had more difficulty in their travels than a sailor with experience.  Luckily for us, Moorea’s captain, Kelly, was taught to sail by his grandparents at a young age.  Kelly inherited the love for the activity and introduced it to me by purchasing a 22’ Catalina, sloop just after our honeymoon.  This little boat sparked a light to our future way of travel.  I had always wanted to travel, but lack of time and money prevented this dream.  Kelly dreamed of circumnavigating the globe on a sailboat, but he thought being newly married and a mortgage payment would hinder his plans. But fortunately we both came to the conclusion, to take the time and escape for a few years and fulfill the dream, while we have our health and youth to make it happen.  There are no guarantees that if we had waited till retirement for this adventure, that we would be around to enjoy it. We cut our dock lines July 2005, did a shake down cruise around Vancouver Island to test the equipment and fix what we broke back in  Washington before taking the big plunge down the west coast and onto future destinations.   Knowing that we can get back into a mortgage, have the 40+ hour work week and obtain all that we left, I am glad this door is open to us, a new way of living and experiencing life and will do what we can to keep it going.  By the way, both of our names happen to be Kelly, but to stem the confusion of which person I am referring to, my husband goes by the name of Kelly, Kelly Boy, El Kelly or Captain while I am referred to as Kelly Girl, La Kelly, Galley Slave, or First Mate.  Hopefully this clears up any identity issues. Please contact us if you have any questions.  We look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy this site. Bon Voyage Kelly & Kelly Girl kk_moorea@hotmail.com                                                                             This site will be updated along our journey with pictures & our destinations. You will also find pictures of crew (family & friends) that will meet up with us along the way. HOME
Crew Captain: Charles Kelly Also Known as, Kelly Boy (KB) or El Kelly This Captain knows Moorea inside and out. He maintains the engine, heating & cooling systems, works on the rigging and insures crew safety.
	First Mate: Kelly Also Known as, Kelly Girl (KG) or La Kelly Wife to the Captain, Cook & Ham Radio Operator, and this First Mate claims she won't get sea sick. (to date…no sea sickness)
Visitors who have met up with us along the way!
Stow-Away: Rutledge (Pop) This Stowaway met up with us in Canada and New Zealand.  He is great in the galley and good at the wheel, plus he brings us stuff from the state that we can’t get else where (or the price is way too much in other countries).  Yeah Pop!
	Stowaway: Brittney Our Niece, Brittney decided to try her hand at sailing. She joined us from Everett, WA to Nanaimo, B.C. She was a natural tying bowline knots, figuring out our Lat. & Long. on the charts and sailing Moorea with ease.
Happy Crew: Tom & Jen Our good friends Tom & Jen met up with us in Campbell River, B.C. They were good sports when our Roller Furling broke and we ended up motoring instead of sailing during most of their stay.
	Another Gringo,Stow-Away: Cyndi Very courageous, this ex-Landlubber joined us in Puerto Vallarta for 7 days of fun, escaping Mom duty and rainy Washington.   Sailing around the bay she has seen breaching whales, snorkeled and witnessed the attack of the bees!
Crew for the Day: The best weather for a nice day sail and the perfect company.  El Kelly’s Grandma, Aunt Joan, Aunt Roxie along with their friends Deb and Debbie were vacationing in Puerto Vallarta while we were there preparing for the Pacific Crossing
	Swabbies from Rarotonga to Palmerston Island:  Andrew and Audrey got the word out at the Harbor in Rarotonga that they were looking for adventure and a ride to Palmerston Island.  We discussed the challenges of sailing, like seasickness, possibly rough sea conditions and cramped quarters.  They were still game and made for delightful company on our two night sail and even did a 2 hour night watch shift…..thanks guys!
Kiwi Cruisers:  Murray and Julie caught a flight to Tongatapu then boarded a puddle jumper to Neiafu to meet up with us for a long weekend.  We took these two sailing around the Vava’u Islands and they caught onto the “yachtie” lifestyle real quick.  Looking forward to visiting their homeland and family in November.
	Land Cruisers:  Chris, Sara and Jeremiah flew many long hours from Washington to New Zealand.  We toured the country side, visiting “The Lord of the Rings”, Hobbiton movie set, Rotorua hot springs, Glow Worms in Waiatomo and of course the Sky Tower in Auckland where Jeremiah jumped from the top.  Fun to have a family visit, we enjoyed their stay.
Surf and Turf cruisers: When the Captain’s Dad, Rutledge and his friend Pat decided to visit us in Phuket, Thailand, being the adventurous kind, we knew they would love both water and land travel. Visiting James Bond Island, Phi Phi Lay where the movie, “The Beach” was filmed and a road trip to the Gulf of Siam where some of the exploring we did. Also having extra hands on deck to hoist the sails and anchor was a nice relief to the Captain and First Mate!
	Canal Rider: When the Captain’s Aunt Jana expressed interest in meeting up with us in Egypt we were thrilled. She had visited before and wanted to show us some of her favorite spots. We were also able to give her a new experience too, riding along on the Suez Canal. Partaking in many tours around Cairo and eating great food was great, but I think the best thing of all, was the air conditioned hotel room.