We did it! We crossed the Pacific Ocean!

What has taken me so long to write a blog? I think it’s been about two years next week. I can answer that question. We finally did it. We left the British Virgin Islands in January of 2025 and sailed all the way to New Zealand.

For those of you that follow along on our Instagram @SVHappyTogether or on our YouTube channel, Sailing SV HappyTogether, you are well aware. For those of you who don’t, surprise! Of course, Lennie and I had a lot of cruising experience prior to this big year of sailing, almost 12,000 nautical miles. For those of you who have followed us since 2015, you know that we sailed all the way to California and back via the Panama Canal twice, but we had never taken such a big trip as to cross the biggest ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is so big that every continent on Earth would fit inside of it. How is that for scale? On this trip, we sailed to Panama non-stop in January of 2025, and it was a rough crossing to say the least – 30 knots of wind and 15-foot waves. Even our weather router, Chris Parker, suggested we wait, but we told Chris that we wanted to test the boat and our abilities. Both passed the test.

Crossing the Panama Canal is always exciting, even though it was our third time. Lennie thinks three times is enough, and I remind her that there will be other needs to move our boat from west to east or vice versa. She is suggesting we go around Cape Horn instead. We left Panama in March of 2025 and sailed for the Galapagos. This included an equator crossing, and we had the usual rambunctious ceremonies hosted by our chef, Caz. Galapagos is a bucket list item for sure. We swam with the penguins, saw the turtles, and hiked the volcanoes. We only spent a week, so it was just a taste, but we’ll be back.

It was a thrill to leave Galapagos and know that our next port of call was Nuku Hiva, Marquesas, 3,200 nautical miles away. For those who don’t know, that is the longest open stretch of ocean with no chance for a stop on Earth. We had a few minor breakdowns that were easily resolved en route, and all in all, we had a wonderful passage. We finished the trip in 16 days and

averaged almost 9 knots, which is really fast. Upon our arrival, my friend Mike, who always joins us for passages , and our new chef Caz, left the boat. But before they departed, Mike, Lennie and I visited the local (famous) tattoo artist for the traditional sailor ink. They had been with us for 35 days since leaving Panama. We have never eaten better!

Lennie and I spent the next two months cruising through the Tuamotus atolls and diving the passes with sharks so thick you could walk across their backs Finally, we left the last atoll for Tahiti. That was another 1,200 nautical miles. We arrived in Tahiti to enjoy all its glory: tall volcanic mountains, warm French culture, and yes, Whispering Angel rosé. We took the opportunity to fly home and visit family, and then brought the kids and some of the grandkids back for a cruise around the Society Islands and, of course, Bora Bora.

After about few months in french Polynesia, it was time for us to move on, and the next stop would be Tonga, another 1,500 nautical miles west. Mike flew in for that passage, and it was not smooth sailing. There’s a convergence zone of weather halfway to Tonga, and it converged right on us. We still made the trip in seven days, which was pretty fast, but we were excited to finish that leg. We spent a few weeks sailing around the Va’vau group in Tonga, and yes, we even swam with the whales. There’s only a few places on Earth you can do this, and Tonga is one of them.

Lennie and I continued on alone to Fiji, and that was another aggressive sail with 30 knots of true wind for the 500-mile passage. We arrived in Fiji and it was everything we imagined. We loved scuba diving with sharks and soft coral so crazy looking you would think it was drawn by Dr. Seuss. We also drank kava during ceremonies with the local chiefs on remote islands. Of course, we visited Tom Hanks’ famous Castaway Island in the Yasawa group.

We spent about a month in Fiji before making the final 1,200-mile journey to New Zealand. This is usually a rough stretch of water and requires caution. Unfortunately, our weather was flat calm, so no sailing and lots of motoring. Everybody that has done this trip told us to enjoy it while we had it, because usually this was a difficult trip, so motoring wasn’t all bad! We arrived in the town of Whangarei where we met the local customs officials and biosecurity officers because, boy, do they take that seriously here. We moved the boat to Auckland and flew home for the holidays.

What a year it had been. We spent approximately eight months total on the boat in 2025. We came back in January for a couple of months of New Zealand exploration, including two weeks on the South Island and hiking on glaciers in the Southern Alps. It was amazing and right out of Lord of the Rings. Now we are cruising Happy Together along the north coast of the North Island and spending time in popular cruising grounds such as the Bay of Islands. As I write this, we are

anchored in front of the town of Russell. It’s adorable in a Key West sort of way and was the original capital of New Zealand. We use Russel as our base for re-provisioning and restaurants when we feel like taking a break from cooking three meals a day. We go out for three or four days and find the most amazing remote anchorages and islands to visit and hike. New Zealand has beat all our expectations.

You know us, and you know we always have a plan, and we have a big one after this. Stay tuned for future blogs, and if you want to see in detail any of the above adventures, they were all documented well on YouTube and Instagram. Happy Sailing.