Cruising the seas on a sailboat

Jim and Pam McEntyre did something a lot of people can only dream of.  They retired and sold their home, and then spent several years cruising the South Pacific on their 38-foot sailboat, Aurora.  Here are some photos taken just before they left and earlier ones taken at an open "house" on their boat in December, 1999.  At the very bottom:  a photo taken in 2006 in the Marquesas Islands!

An update in 2008:  Jim and Pam sold Aurora in New Zealand and bought another boat ("Lyric") for cruising the Sea of Cortez, which they plan to do six months a year while spending the rest of their time in Southern California.



Here's a view of Aurora at San Pedro just before Jim and Pam sailed away (photo by Ken Allen).
Jim and Pam are just about to leave.  Are they a little excited about it??? (photo by Ken Allen)


At their open "house" in 1999, Pam and Jim (in the foreground) entertained friends including MC '60 grads Marianne Neff-Daniels and Erik Gerhardt.
 

 
Kathy and Ken Allen posed beside a Christmas wreath that adorned Aurora's bow in 1999.
 
 

 
To get a better view of Aurora plus guests Erik Gerhardt and Marianne Neff-Daniels,
the photographer moved around to the port side for this image.
 

Here are two below-deck photos:  the high-tech power and communications center and the very cozy "master bedroom" below the foredeck.  Jim has spent hundreds of hours designing and installing the systems shown at left, including a master power panel (machined in Ken Allen's garage), a laptop computer, printer and scanner, a marine radio and an amateur (ham) radio transceiver for worldwide communications, including e-mail at sea!   Look for KE6JRW at 7 a.m. on 7238 kHz (the Chubasco Net) and at  11 a.m. or noon on 14340 kHz (the Manana Net).
 
 

A 2006 note:  yes, they really did cruise the South Seas.  In 2019, Pam added this explanation of the photo above. "We just want to clarify comments about the pic of us on the bow of Aurora in the middle of the ocean. At the time, we were toasting King Neptune as we crossed the Equator on our way from Islas Perlas, Panama, to Wreck Bay, Isla San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands, Equador. Our specific location was 0 degrees latitude (on the equator) and 89 degrees, 37’ west longitude. As part of our celebration, we had already jumped off the boat together three times (it was a windless day, but Jim had secured the wheel to turn the boat in circles around us in case the wind picked up). Then we dried off and dressed appropriately to pour King Neptune his ration of grog and to imbibe in our rations while praising the sea god and seeking safe passage. Then we went below to enjoy a brunch of freshly baked banana bread and quiche Lorraine with mimosas and fresh fruit. Such a life!

We were fortunate to have favorable tradewinds, plus a current that pushed us along quickly so our passage lasted only 5 days. A very pleasant time."

 


 
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