When Jess was a young man he had a dream. He dreamed of traveling the world by sailboat. Much later he started dating Tracy and told her about his dream. It sounded intriguing to her. She was an adventurous type but both Jess and Tracy are engineers which makes them fairly risk-averse. How do you combat an aversion to risk? Knowledge and skill. Shortly after Jess and Tracy were married it was time to start the journey towards the dream. They bought a 1979 O”Day 25 named Into the Mystic. Mystic was a forgiving boat and they could kind of sail her. After taking her out about 3 times Jess was ready to learn more and he convinced Tracy that they should race! The first race was a disaster. Not only were they not able to finish the race before the wind died they also hit and dragged the start bouy right in front of the committee boat. Talk about embarrassing. They embraced their humble and continued to race anyway and soon not only were they completing races, but they were not always last! Progress was being made and the pair learned how to sail Mystic quite well.
Jess was looking to learn more and decided it was time to get charter certified so that they could learn more about coastal cruising. Over three weekends learn they did. There were even tests that had to be passed. By the end of the journey, they could competently captain a sailboat, reading charts, following signage, understanding currents and tides and anchoring. What an adventure! The next season they decided to charter a sailboat in the San Juan islands. The charter company had only one bluewater boat that could be chartered. It was an Island Packet 37 called The Sea Otter. They cast off on The Sea Otter for a week in the Islands. Tracy immediately bonded with the IP37 and loved the storage and comfortable layout. Jess, who had done more research on bluewater boats said that we didn’t want that kind of boat (with a full keel) and that we would want something faster. It should be noted that this opinion was subject to change based on reading and learning more about bluewater boats. Tracy was still enamored with the IP37.
Mystic served our duo well but could only take them so far. It was time to move onward and upward to a larger boat. So enters the story Tranquility. She is a San Juan 28 and quite different than Mystic. She has an inboard diesel and loves to heel over to a degree not possible by Mystic. This afforded Jess and Tracy many growth opportunities. There were more lines to pull on and more boat-handling skills to gain. Tranquility was fast and fared quite well in races, even taking home the Challenge Cup in 2020. Jess became a self-taught expert in refrigeration and diesel engine maintenance. He also implemented clever nautical instrumentation.
When Covid struck the family decided to charter another sailboat for vacation. This time there was a second bluewater boat in the fleet. It was an Island Packet 370 called The Fairwinds. The Fairwinds was the same size and make as The Sea Otter, but 10 years newer. Neither Jess nor Tracy much cared for The Fairwinds. It didn’t have the charm, storage and ease of boat handling possessed by The Sea Otter. The vacation was still quite enjoyable, but the boat was not as special as the IP37. And so a bar was set.
The kids got older and the time for the grand adventure drew nearer and it was time to start shopping for a boat to travel the world in. The search was isolated to the Pacific Northwest where there are fewer bluewater boats. Jess and Tracy determined what each of them was looking for in a boat. Tracy wanted a second cabin, drawers for socks and lots of storage. Jess wanted a solid, capable boat as outfitted as possible for off shore sailing. For a year and a half, Jess and Tracy drove across the state to look at every 2 cabin bluewater boat that was in decent shape. Hans Christian, Passport 40, Pacific Seacraft, Valiant, Morgan and others. Some were interesting and some were dreadful. All boats need work, there is no escaping that. Most of the boats that were looked at needed a lot of work right away. After many boat shopping trips, Jess asked Tracy, “If you could have any boat, what would it be?” Without hesitation, the response was an Island Packet 37. Tracy was concerned that Jess didn’t want a full keel boat, but Jess had been studying Island Packets and decided that it would be fast enough and far more comfortable crossing an ocean. Wouldn’t you know there was an Island Packet 40 for sale in Edmonds? Off to the west side once again to look at another 3-4 boats.
Walking down the dock and first laying eyes on Nootka a love affair started. What a beauty! An orca on the bow and the ivory color of an Island Packet. Nootka’s owner bought her new and fussed over her for almost 3 decades. She was in great shape and was obviously cared for by someone who loved her. She was The Sea Otter but even better! Tracy was instantly sold. After boarding Jess buried himself in every cupboard and space on the boat checking on all the systems and trying to understand what was on board and what condition everything was in. After Jess’s inspection, he too was in love. She was already rigged to sail single-handed. Everything that was done to the boat post factory was done quite well. There are dozens of special and unique touches that make her lovelier than she started. She meets all of the requirements that Jess has for sailing her and all of the requirements that Tracy has for living on her.
An offer was made and then accepted. Haul out and inspection went down. Sea trials took place on a cold, rainy and windy day in January. All sails were put out to see how she handled when overpowered. She sails quite well. After reducing sail appropriately she sailed at hull speed as smooth as could be. She is solidly built and easy to handle with ample winches in the cockpit – including an electric one for raising the main – which is in boom furled! And so … the deal went through and Jess and Tracy took possession of Nootka in February 2024 and they are one step closer to Jess’s childhood dream. Here begins Jess and Tracy’s adventure on SV Nootka!