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, many people couldn’t imagine how we could embark on such a trip, especially at a young age. They wondered how two 30-something’s with average jobs, save enough money to leave for a 3-4 year journey.  Well we had to sell the farm and live on the boat for a couple of years. Its a cheap way to live with a $250/month mooring fee versus $$$$ mortgage payment.  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 an freezing boat, is not a delightful highlight of our live aboard experience. Another is having a car exposed to thieves, since our vehicle was broken into a couple of times. 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, we got to know our boat inside and out. Also, Moorea’s Captain, Kelly, he 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 or healthy enough to enjoy it. We cut our dock lines July 2005, did a shake down cruise around Vancouver Island to test the equipment and fixed the thing 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. By the way, both of our names happen to be Kelly, but to stem the confusion aside 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 First Mate, Kelly 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! Canada, July 2005 New Zealand February 2007
	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. July 2005
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. July 2005
	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!    February 2006
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  March 2006
	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. August 2006
	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. March 2007
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! February 2008
	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. May 2008
A Tale of a Gale: The weather forecast looked fine for a short sail from Capri Island, along the Amalfi Coast to the little city of Salerno. In fact we had two wonderful days of sailing with Stephen & Yvonne, in the Mediterranean that is known for inconsistent winds and sloppy seas. Even though we left our southern exposed anchorage at 5:30 am, because the wind started coming up in the south, the sun was coming out with a nice breeze for a quick sail along the coast. But as we neared Positano, a quick squall with a white wall of rain hit Moorea and Crew like a tone of bricks and what was a short gale force wind event that lasted only minutes, resulted in strong winds and choppy seas for three more hours. But our guests toughed it out and we made it to safety in Salerno at a small marina. This is one story for the books and a tale of a gale we shall tell. (corny, I know) September 2008
3 Crew & 3 Countries: Rutledge (Captain’s Father) & Pat rejoined us and brought along a new mate, Lori (Rutledge’s girlfriend) to sail with us from Trinidad, Margarita Island and the final destination, Curacao. We had to make quick stops in each country in order to meet time schedules. The crew got to experience first hand, some rough seas and squalls on their passage with us. I bet they could tell you its not all wine & roses aboard a boat when the weather turns a bit nasty, but they did great. The favorite island was Curacao, but unfortunately the first whole day there, we spent most if it getting all the Check In formalities in order, then they had to catch a flight to start their journey home. February 2009
	Handling the Lines in Panama: We needed three extra people aboard Moorea to handle the lines through the Panama Canal Locks and Dan, Sheryl & Emily (First Mate’s Father, Step-Mother & Niece) answered our call. They had a chance to see how the canal operated and it was their first time on Moorea, so they also experienced a bit of the life on a 35’ sailboat. After the canal transit, we had a few days to explore Panama City and the jungle around it, shopped for souvenirs and had some good food (especially the ice cream). They left the warm climate behind to the chilly Northern States. March 2009
Completing the Circle: Ann and Mark decided to go south of the border and meet us in Puerto Vallarta and help celebrate our circumnavigation. It was good to see them and we escaped the heat swimming at their hotel’s pool. They helped us provision and we walked the Malcone and visited some of the souvenir shops in PV, but their best day was swimming and snorkeling in the bay. Ann and I saw many colorful fish and the Kelly & Mark had spotted a pack of sting rays swimming near the bottom, their spotted backs covered the rocky floor. May 2009