Pacific Crossing!

We are setting off on our Pacific Ocean crossing today! Our passage from the Las Pearlas islands in Panama (near Panama City) to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia is approximately 3,800 nautical miles. This will take Freya about 30 days. We will cross the equator in about a week and will then be sailing in the Southern Hemisphere. How crazy is that?!

We've been in Panama City for about three weeks preparing for this passage. Todd has been to the top of the mast and the bottom of the keel - fixing and performing maintenance on everything! Freya wouldn't be sailing anywhere without him!

While Todd has been in fix it mode, I've been in provisioning mode. Food is 3-5 times more expensive in French Polynesia, so Freya is stocked with staples for the next several months. The best part of provisioning was visiting an amazing indoor mercado in Panama City. All fresh local produce. The pineapples, papayas, and mangos grown here are amazing! We will be eating well on this passage. And when we run out of fresh stuff, our freezer is stocked with frozen fruit.

It's fitting we will be at sea on the day my dad would turn 90 on April 4. He taught me to sail at age four and instilled a life-long love of sailing. He always encouraged me to follow my dreams and would be excited and proud of me for pursuing this dream. He and my mom lived aboard their sailboat for 15 years and logged thousands of miles in the Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Sea of Cortez and of course, the Great Lakes. One of his dreams was to sail across the Pacific. My dad has a special place in Freya's cockpit and his spirit guides us every step of the way.

We will also be at sea for my mom's 87th birthday on April 25. She has been super supportive of us as we chase our sailing dreams. She's given me great advice along the way as she understands the ups and downs of this lifestyle. She has a spot right next to my dad in Freya's cockpit.

You're welcome to follow our passage via our Garmin InReach device. To access our tracking, click on this link: https://share.garmin.com/BCO8W. You can also text us via this link by clicking "Message" at the top. We'd love to hear from you. Also, if you click on View All, you can see our track from when we started using this device in the Bahamas in January.

We are departing today with several other sailboats and will keep in touch via single sideband radio and InReach. As far as weather goes, we are using a weather router (Chris Parker and his team) who will help keep us in favorable winds and currents. We will also access weather forecasts via SSB and downloads from our satellite phone.

One of my goals for the passage is to do some writing and catch up our blog. I should have time...LOL!

Next stop - Hiva Oa in the Marquesas! Go Freya!