Nearly 40 years old, the beautiful SV Wayward Wind, a 1984 Hans Christian ketch, was crafted in Taiwan. Built like a tank and laden with teak she is a heavy displacement double-ender that evokes the classic feel of a bygone age.
Her first owner was interested in learning to sail and eventually go cruising. For reasons unknown to us, his plan did not materialize and the boat was sold in 1985 to a family that did take her cruising. They sailed the East coast of the United States and the Caribbean. It is unclear how they got to the Pacific, but somehow they did, where they sailed the West coast. There is no documented information that she ventured any further into the South Pacific, nor did Wayward Wind have a Panama Canal certificate when my father purchased her in 1991. At the time, she was on the hard in Long Beach, California. As part of the sale agreement the previous owner agreed to sail her to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. My Dad was a career naval officer who, in his early 30’s, previously sailed his 28’ Columbia from San Diego to Honolulu, unfortunately could not afford the time this time. Once happily berthed at the Pearl Harbor Naval Station Marina, Wayward Wind sailed extensively around the Hawaiian Islands for a number of years.
In 1997, Wayward Wind sailed back to San Diego, with a select crew of family and close friends. While in San Diego, Wayward Wind sailed the bay and spent some time in Ensenada, Mexico for a yard period. After repairs, she sailed back to San Diego where she remained until 2000.
During the summer of 2000, Wayward Wind was shipped to the East Coast by truck and berthed on the Sassafras River in the upper Chesapeake Bay. She sailed the bay for four years and made two blue water trips to Rhode Island. One in 2002, sailing a New York Yacht Club cruise around New England, and another to sail the 2003 Marion to Bermuda Cruiser Yacht Race. After enjoying Bermuda, she sailed back to the Chesapeake Bay and continued to explore. Eight years later, she found a new berth in Little Creek, Virginia just inside the Chesapeake Bay bridge.
The decision to embark upon a world circumnavigation was made in early 2014. By September, she set out to sail AROUND THE WORLD! Initially taking the ICW to Beaufort, South Carolina she then sailed offshore to Fort Pierce, Florida where final preparations were made for the upcoming voyage. In December, she sailed onward to the Caribbean for the start of the World ARC in St Lucia, West Indies.
In January 2015 Wayward Wind embarked on an epic journey to sail the Pacific, Indian and Southern Atlantic oceans, visiting 27 countries/territories (some that many people have never even heard of like Niue, Vanuatu, Christmas Island, St. Helena) before returning to Florida in May 2016.
Later that year, Wayward Wind proved her seaworthiness and tenacity when Category 5 Hurricane Matthew hit Southeast Florida with winds up to 168 mph. She suffered some damage that broke all our hearts, however her hull and spirit were NOT wrecked. A bit battered, thankfully not broken, she proved she was not finished voyaging. After some time in the yard for repairs, Wayward Wind set back out to sea in 2018. My Dad sailed her north to Deltaville, Virginia to her new berth at Fishing Bay Yacht Club.
2019 is the year that my parents decided it was time for a smaller sailboat, one that could go anywhere, yet be simple to singlehand. Generously we were offered “first right of refusal” of taking over responsibility for Wayward Wind. Galen and I made the decision to live aboard Wayward Wind again and started planning our next adventures.
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