It’s been 10 years since I embarked on an offshore sailing trip with my wife and daughter. From August 2014 through July 2016 we sailed Apropos nearly 20,000 nm on a Pacific Ocean loop. Since then, it’s been fun sailing the waters of the Salish Sea–typically 1-2 week long trips in the summertime up north to the San Juan and Gulf Islands. But I miss the adventure of sailing offshore and traveling to exotic locations.

So when a friend offered me a crew position aboard his new Catamaran, I jumped at the opportunity.

That friend, Mike, did pretty much the same exact thing 3 years ago–he crewed on a boat from Panama to the Marquesan Islands aboard a new Outremer performance catamaran. Then he decided to order one for himself. Getting a new Outremer is no fast & easy task. The French-built vessels are in high demand and there is a waiting list just to get started. Fast forward to today, and Mike has taken delivery of his Outremer 45 in La Grande-Motte, France, sailed her for a few months in the Med, crossed the Atlantic, sailed through the Caribbean, and (as I write this) is currently on a passage between Bonaire and Colon, Panama. In 5 days, I fly to Panama to join him.

Our plan is to transit the canal, then sail to the Marquesas with a stop along the way in the Galapagos Islands.