MEET THE FLEET: SV WINDSONG

Erick & Jenny

It was a lifelong dream of mine to sail my own boat to beautiful remote places in search of perfect, empty surf breaks, enjoying fishing and other adventures along the way. Around 2007, after my first few years of office work after college, I decided to chase the dream and see if I could make it a reality. Having no prior experience, I took a few sailing lessons to see if it was something I would enjoy and was immediately hooked. Instead of taking a sensible route towards boat ownership, I dove headfirst into buying a derelict project boat and spent the next 10 years fully rebuilding Windsong, a 1975 Downeaster 38 Cutter, into a practically brand new (yet still old) boat.  Having little to no relevant skills, I had to learn everything as I went, which in the end gave me a great set of knowledge and experience concerning the ins and outs of the boat.

Once Windsong was as complete as she could be in late 2019, my partner Jenny and I got married, and within a month we moved aboard and set sail for our honeymoon.  Leaving from our home port, St. Augustine, FL, and bounced our way down the Florida intercoastal waterway to get a feel for life on the move and at anchor. We started our journey with our senior boxer dog, Koda, who took to cruising life with great happiness as she was able to spend all day, every day with us.  After a month or so of Florida coastal cruising, we crossed over to the Bahamas and island hopped for the next few months until Covid shut most of the country down.  We sailed back to the US and spent the next summer between South Carolina and Florida. Unfortunately, Koda was not long for the world at this time, so she was put to rest. While it was a devastating moment for us, it did free us up to sail greater distances.  We went back to the Bahamas and spent a full season sailing from the Abacos all the way down to Great Inagua. From there we crossed directly to Panama on our first long passage across the Caribbean Sea.

We spent almost two years in Panama, mostly in Bocas Del Toro on the Caribbean side. With great surfing, protected anchorages, affordable living, and fantastic people; it was hard to not stay forever. However, we decided our sailing days were not done, and wanted to cross the Pacific and experience the remote South Pacific tropics. We geared the boat up a bit more, and once all was ready, we first crossed the Panama Canal and set sail to the Galapagos.  We applied for and received a 1-year visa for French Polynesia, so after 24 days at sea from the Galapagos we arrived in the Marquesas and then took our time going through the French Polynesian islands, savoring each bit along the way.  One year later, we set sail from French Polynesia and with some stops along the way we are now in Fiji, where we will spend the rest of the 2024 cruising season.   We do not know where the winds will take us next, but we are looking forward to exploring these lovely islands for as long as they captivate us.

SV WINDSONG Erick & Jenny – Downeaster Cutter 38′