My stepmom Valda went to grade school with Rick Holway. Our families did summer activities together for decades. Rick was always an avid sailor, including a hot little catamaran in SoCal a long time ago. He moved through getting-bigger boats, eventually commissioning a new Newport 33 which he campaigned for many years as a single-hander on the ocean out of San Francisco. In my 40’s, having taken ownership of F27 Origami, I asked Rick for the mentorship needed to become a proficient singlehander in the challenging Gulf of the Farallones, the 30 mile stretch from the Golden Gate Bridge out on to the deep water of the Pacific. Rick’s coaching included evening chats, time studying boat safety gear at the dock, and plenty of sailing together. I “graduated” with a successful Singlehanded Farallones race, circa 2009 or so.

Recently Rick called to say he and Gail are leaving the Bay Area, moving near one of their sons down south. With Ravenswing far away, I asked skipper Rick Waltonsmith if he’d take us out for one more sail in RickH’s beloved stomping grounds. On September 11, we had a successful outing:

And OK, we really like sailing on that big tri Round Midnight. But, in early October, it was FINALLY TIME to launch Ravenswing again. Anton and I flew to Phoenix and took a shuttle van across the border and on down to Puerto Penasco. After two more days of minor work logistics, the big Travelift at Cabrales set her afloat again. WHAT A RELIEF!

We set sail on a Friday, and made a 435 mile trip with a good tailwind down to Puerto Escondido, the harbor near Loreto, Baja. I’m busy making some video for you now, to show the good time had by all. Stay tuned.