I'm Bruce Hollingsworth. I was the "mate" on the voyage of the Pathfinder Spartina with Steve Earley. As you know we spent a week down in the sounds of North Carolina cruising and camping and really enjoying life.

We spent a week down in the sounds of North Carolina cruising and camping and really enjoying life. click images for larger views

You may be wondering what has prompted me to write, since I don't own a boat of John Welsford's design nor do I even own a boat of any design. I did own a bass boat once (never caught a bass) but that's a different story. The truth be known, I had only sailed on a Hobie Cat on Mission Bay here in San Diego some thirty years ago. I tipped it over as I recall. When I relate this latest adventure to my friends I hear: "I didn't know you were a sailor." One colleague even stated, I thought you were in the Army? So what I want to share with you is my experience on the Spartina, as a landlubber (but now a newly converted open boat cruising sailor).

Steve and I share a common interest in photography. We have talked about a "photo" sailing trip of one kind or the other ever since Steve built his first sail boat over fifteen or twenty years ago. I think he was living in Texas at the time. I more or less talked, Steve dreamed. Several years ago Steve started telling me about his plans to build a new boat, a Pathfinder. That started him sending me web sites of people and groups that liked to cruise, sail, paddle and just enjoy open cockpit boats of all kinds. I also visited your site and could read about Navigators and other boats John designed. So we got to talking about a trip once he finished the boat. I more or less talked, Steve dreamed, and planned and constructed Spartina.

Now I can say that while I'm not a sailor, I have done a lot of backpacking, horse packing and backcountry and desert camping. The one thing I have learned is that if you are prepared, have the proper equipment, and the right attitude, then you can have a great time no mater what the conditions.

So as Steve finished the Spartina we really got serious about actually doing a cruise; proper preparation I called this phase. I mostly thought about it and Steve put the plan into action. I had some idea of what to expect as I had been reading about open boat adventures for two years. But I had no way to fully understand what we would encounter. I mean I was going to spend a week in a 17 foot open boat off North Carolina during hurricane season. It's true people thought I was a little nuts. Personally, I guess I had no real expectations, only a great belief in Steve's sailing abilities (they are exceptional I came to learn) and the sense of fun and adventure.

I was going to spend a week in a 17 foot open boat off North Carolina during hurricane season. It's true people thought I was a little nuts.

One question I had was what to bring. Steve had a good equipment list as he had done a three-day trip earlier in the year. He also used lists from other web sites. I already owned a lot of gear I used for camping. So I packed it all up in a big duffel bag and headed off to Virginia to meet up with Steve.

Now here is the part I wanted you to know about, the surprises I discovered about a Pathfinder and a few lessons about life to boot.

As I previously mentioned, you have to have the right equipment when on an adventure. That means you have to be prepared for many different contingencies. That translates into a lot of stuff. What with food and water and all the gear the boat needs, you also have a lot of weight. And I can assure you we were well equipped. I have included a photo of all the gear laid out on the floor of Steve's garage. What we called in the army a "junk on the bunk" inspection. Lay it out, check it off your list, and then pack it up. That way you know you have everything and that it will fit. This is a process I do every camping trip, especially backpacking. When I saw all that gear laid out on the floor and I looked at the boat I just knew that we weren't going to get it all in and have room for us to move about. Just like in backpacking I began to mentally start deciding what we would have to do without. (Naturally my full size Thermarest pad was a must on the trip and could not be parted with. One needs certain comforts you know.)

When I saw all that gear laid out on the floor and I looked at the boat I just knew that we weren't going to get it all in and have room for us to move about.

However, Steve said let's just start loading it up and see what doesn't fit. Steve had everything planned out as to where it would go, for weight placement and frequency of use. We had these great containers and waterproof bags so everything was waterproofed. We undid these little round plates in the deck and started to load the boat. Everything was stowed below the deck through these little deck plates or stowed up under the forward deck. I couldn't believe it. Spartina swallowed up the mass of gear and the decks were completely free of everything. We were planning a one-week trip but we could have easily accommodated enough food for two or three weeks. The rest of he gear would be needed no matter how long the trip. That was surprise one. This boat could comfortably handle a lot of gear and still leave room for the people.

We left Steve's house and headed down to North Carolina; we had four or five hours of driving ahead. Steve had an older model six cylinder Jeep Cherokee with almost three hundred thousand miles on it. (What a plug for Chrysler Motor Corp) No problem. The boat was easy to trailer and no strain on the vehicle. That was my second surprise. The boat and trailer fit in Steve's garage along with his wife's car. In other words it is compact and easy to move from place to place, even long distances. How handy is that!

The morning we set sail, it only took us an hour to finish loading the boat and rigging it for sailing. I couldn't believe how easily the masts and rigging went up. That was my next surprise, a design so simple even a landlubber could put it up with little direction from an experienced sailor. Even Steve appreciates the simplicity of the rigging design as he sets it up by himself all the time. The boat was launched and we set out under cloudy skies with rain in our future.

As I have mentioned I know little about sailing, but it didn't take long to see that this boat handled well. I liked being close to the water as we sailed. I could reach over and put my hand in the water. You really sensed you were a part of the elements. The closeness to the water made the boat's speed seem even faster. I loved the feeling of acceleration when the wind picked up. The sails tighten, the lines and rigging make this great sound as they tighten and the boat heels over. It would bring up the adrenalin and sense of adventure. Hey, we are moving now!

We experienced hot days with little or no wind, days with strong winds and thunderstorms and chop and one day with clear skies, good wind and swells all going in the right direction.

We sailed in all kinds of weather. (Here is where attitude pops in. We were open and prepared for most anything so when we got everything it was all just part of a great trip.) We experienced hot days with little or no wind, days with strong winds and thunderstorms and chop and one day with clear skies, good wind and swells all going in the right direction. No problem for this boat. With the exception of the rain the boat was dry as the bow forced all the swell splashes off to the side and away from the boat. I never felt we were in danger or that the boat couldn't handle the situation. One really neat feature was how the mizzen would keep us pointed into the wind when we needed to adjust the main or handle some other situation. I always felt we were in control. That was my next surprise; the Pathfinder could really handle anything the weather had to offer. We just enjoyed the ride.

Finally I would just like to add a few words about overall comfort. I am 6ft tall. During the day there was plenty of room to move about. I never felt cramped. We didn't feel like we were jammed up next to each other either. When you are in a boat all day and night together, it is nice to feel like you can have your own space. A Pathfinder is designed to give you that feeling of space. Very nice! We had plenty of room for cooking our meals and cleaning up. Additionally, I like comfort when I sleep. I will give up other things when I go backpacking to keep the weight down so I can bring a big Thermarest pad for sleeping. No exception here. We would move the porta-potty from under the forward deck, remove our sleeping gear also stored forward and we now had a clear space for our feet. As I said there wasn't any gear on the decks as it was all stowed under the deck. We rolled out our sleeping gear (pad and all) and I was really comfortable fully stretched out with room to spare. I've slept in much smaller tents crammed with packs and gear. This boat has a lot of room and is very comfortable for camping and cruising; and that was the most pleasant surprise of all.

So John, I thank you for your design, and Steve for building Spartina. Steve was right when he said cruising is like camping on the water. We had great sunrises and spectacular sunsets. We shared good conversation and fellowship. We experienced an adventure up until then I had only read about other people doing. The boat was a pleasure to sail. I learned that I really am a sailor at heart. I also learned something about patience. (No other outdoor activity I have been engaged in requires as much patience.) I now understand that sailing, cruising in particular, is much more about the journey than the destination. (Trip planning seems always about the destination.) I learned that a sailboat will get you where you want to go, eventually. The wind and the water are more in charge than you are so often. You have to be patient because you can't always get where you want to go as fast as you would like no matter how much you want it. With that patience comes a peace that is wonderful. I actually just enjoyed being on the boat, cruising. I was reminded that you don't always have to rush to get somewhere. Almost always you get where you are going anyway, rushing or not.
Yet by enjoying the journey along the way you can get much more out of life.
We really did enjoy the journey.

Steve has invited me back for another trip sometime in the future. I'll be there. And who knows, maybe there is a Pathfinder in my future some day.