I spent the early hours of my Saturday morning lounging in bed with my dogs, drinking coffee and reading from a beautiful book that was recently given to me by a dear friend. The book is called Blue Horizons and is a wonderful collection of short pieces about some pretty badass sailing adventures. Beth Leonard’s writing style speaks deeply to my soul, my sense of adventure and how the two are inseparable. I lost myself in her dreamy prose for a couple of hours and then headed out on a beautiful Southern California day for a walk with my pups. As I meandered out onto the Venice Pier to take in the waves and the view, something hit me….today is April 2! That means that my departure for Hawaii is 3 MONTHS FROM TODAY! Deep breath! A thousand deep breaths……

I am more ready than I have ever been, yet still healthily nervous about the whole endeavor. I am living and breathing all things Haunani and sailing right now, and yet in these coming 3 months, I still have some key things to prepare on my boat, a 400-mile qualifier to complete, and a boat to get to San Francisco. More deep breaths!

Sometimes I cannot believe that this is all happening! I suppose I should not be surprised at myself, for once I decide to do a thing, there is no stopping me, least of all time constraints. Who says I can’t decide to sail to Hawaii alone and get my boat and myself ready for something I have never done before in 10 months? Ha! It makes me chuckle at myself as I look back at my history of many such (insane?) undertakings. I would like to say it is all me, my headstrong nature, and my powers of manifestation that have made this happen, but I could never have even contemplated this without the help and support of so many incredible people. The one that stands out the most however, is my dear friend and soul-brother, Thomas Lehtonen.

Thomas has been 100% on-board since I announced this hair-brained scheme last September, and has never once questioned my intentions or plans. He has gone above and beyond to bring Haunani up to and beyond par. Not only has he graced my boat with his far-reaching and unmatched expertise, but he has also graced my life with his undying support, deep loving friendship, pep talks and gut busting sense of humor. He is the first to comfort me and lift me up when things get hard, and also the first to let me go out and do what I need to do (without cautioning or judging me) when he knows I need to prove something to myself. My friendship with Thomas could never fit into any kind of description, and certainly not into this blog post, but suffice it to say, I could never have gotten here without his love and support. I love you Thomas! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!