Salty Podcast #33 | ⛵ Solo Sailing British Columbia, Cabo, Galapagos, to around the World🌴

Can one woman really sail solo from British Columbia to Mexico? Join us on the Salty Podcast as Ulrika, an inspiring solo female sailor, shares her extraordinary journey of swapping her conventional lifestyle for one of adventure on the high seas. With courage and resilience, Ulrika navigates the male-dominated world of sailing, overcoming the steep learning curve of boat maintenance and thriving on the support from the sailing community. Her story is a beacon of hope and determination for anyone dreaming of a life beyond the shore.

Curious about what it takes to prepare a sailboat for a solo adventure? Ulrika provides a detailed account of why she chose the Island Packet 40, a vessel known for its size, handling, and unique design features. She recounts her experiences with solo handling and docking, as well as the technical challenges she faced during boat upgrades. For those contemplating a similar journey, Ulrika's insights into boat selection and maintenance are invaluable, offering practical advice and real-life anecdotes that illuminate the complexities of setting sail alone.

Living on a boat isn't just about the thrill of the sea—it's about self-sufficiency, staying connected, and treasuring meaningful possessions. Ulrika discusses the empowerment she feels from fixing and maintaining her boat and the joy of documenting her journey through her blog and social media. With plans to explore routes through Mexico, the Galapagos, and French Polynesia, her story is a testament to the transformative power of following one's dreams. Tune in to hear about Ulrika's preparations for an offshore passage and her plans for a life filled with adventure and discovery on the open water.

Chapters

• 0:01 Embarking on a Solo Sailing Adventure
• 12:21 Choose Perfect Sailboat for Solo Adventure
• 19:36 Preparing for Solo Sailing Adventure
• 27:14 Staying Connected While Sailing Solo
• 32:20 Planning a Solo Sailing Adventure
• 46:23 Offshore Sailing Preparations and Planning

Transcript

Capn Tinsley: 0:01

Welcome back to the Salty Podcast, episode 33, where it's always a great day to talk about sailing. I'm your host, captain Tinsley, of Salty Abandon and Island Packet 320. And tonight my guest is Eulrika I hope I'm saying that right. She's here to share her incredible story. She's the proud owner of Sarantium I hope I'm saying that right a 1995 Island Packet 40 that she's currently sailing from British Columbia to Mexico.

Capn Tinsley: 0:32

She's always dreamed of doing something special and found peace on the ocean, away from the hustle and bustle, and a few years ago she started saying I want to sail home, which I need for her to explain that which led her to sell everything she owned. And while researching blue water boats, she kept coming across the same boat online. A friend handed her a computer with the listing and the rest is history. And since then Eureka has transformed Serantium, adding many upgrades to her new to her sailboat, and, as any boat owner knows, that can be quite unending. So tonight we'll dive into her mo what motivated her to embark on this solo adventure, how she prepared and how the many challenges and the many challenges that she's facing get ready to be inspired by her story of courage and the call of sailing. So let's get right into it with you all. Rika and I know I'm messing up all these names, so go ahead, tell me again how do you say that name?

Ulrika: 1:35

My name is Ulrika.

Capn Tinsley: 1:37

You'll, you'll, rika. Yeah, I apologize for butchering that, but, of course, welcome to the salty podcast. Um, just, and as I mentioned, uh, she is sailing from. You're sailing from british columbia to mexico, down the west coast, and um, so tell me that my first question for you is what initially inspired you to pursue sailing, and how did you know it was your true calling?

Ulrika: 2:13

Well, I think I started sailing probably about 10, 15 years ago. I started sailing bigger boats been more 15 years ago. I started sailing bigger boats, um, and I always found it so peaceful, just to get away from everything like the hustle and the bustle that you mentioned. And I always felt like I wanted to go further and I knew at one point in my life I was going to own my own boat because I had previously co-owned boats and just sailed on friends boats and um, and which I was supposed to go with somebody else. And then I just realized that I want to do this on my own. I want to do a, I want to follow my own journey and my own vision. So I started looking for my own boat.

Capn Tinsley: 3:04

Yeah, I noticed that on your I guess it's your website that you said that you weren't intending on buying a boat, but it just kind of happened.

Ulrika: 3:19

Yeah, I just, you know, I've always I think, as many women probably do we doubt our capabilities, maybe, of doing something like this. It's a bit of a man's world in the sailing industry and we're definitely anomalies. Yeah.

Capn Tinsley: 3:38

And yeah.

Ulrika: 3:40

So I always thought oh no, there's no way I can do something like that. You know, a friend of mine told me. She said you know, sailing is sailing, anchoring is anchoring, docking is docking, and it doesn't change that much. The biggest, the most difficult part of owning your own boat is that you have to know your own systems and you have to be able to maintain and repair and troubleshoot, and that's you know. And I thought well, I could, I can always learn so, and have you learned that that is tough, I'm still learning and I will learn probably for the next 10 years.

Capn Tinsley: 4:20

So I'm learning every day. Youtube is a wonderful thing, isn't it?

Ulrika: 4:25

yeah, yeah and connections and friends and people you run across and I feel like in the sailing world, everybody wants to help you and as soon as you say that you want to go offshore and start sailing and you're sailing on your own, then people they just open up and they just say what do you need? I can, I can help with this and yeah, so it's. It's been an amazing journey so far.

Capn Tinsley: 4:52

It's true, Even on my trips I'll be in a marina and something will break and a sailor, on you know a couple or somebody, will come over and help me out and help me fix something.

Ulrika: 5:03

Yeah.

Capn Tinsley: 5:04

And of course you have. If you have a credit card, that also helps. It's not cheap, um, yeah, so can you tell us some more about the moment you decided to sell everything and commit to this sailing adventure?

Ulrika: 5:22

yeah, it was about it was about three years ago that I started thinking that if I'm going to leave, I'm either going to have to rent out my house. I had a had a home on an acre and there was it's quite a, quite a lot to do on the property. Um, and it was always. It was always something to do, and I just felt like the closer I got to the day when I wanted to leave, the more I thought you know, I can't see me sitting out in the middle of an ocean getting an email saying a tree fell on the house or somebody got hurt on my property, like a renter, and I just thought I'm just gonna sell it and, um, see what happens.

Capn Tinsley: 6:07

And um, yeah, I was lucky, it's the right time and was that hard to give up your house?

Ulrika: 6:14

because I will probably do that someday yeah, initially it felt like no, I really like this house, I like my home, I like my things, but then, at the end of the day, it's just things.

Capn Tinsley: 6:29

Right.

Ulrika: 6:30

I don't know, it's just, you can replace it all.

Ulrika: 6:33

And it's not really giving you an experience. It wasn't going to give me the experience I was looking for and I knew I was always looking to do something. I wanted to see the world and I didn. I was always looking to do something. I wanted to see the world and I didn't want to get on another airplane and I just thought, once you have the boat, it's yeah, there's a lot of expenses to go along with that, but you don't really have your day to day, it's fairly cheap.

Capn Tinsley: 7:01

Right, especially if you can fix stuff yourself. Yeah, looks like I'm learning. Yeah, let me see. I think we have a comment here. Oh, so, okay, somebody has a comment. You can see it at the bottom of your screen Augustus, right. Is this? Is this somebody you know? Sometimes we get questions from people that I'm interviewing. Okay, what are? Is this somebody you know? Sometimes we get questions from people that I'm interviewing. Okay, what are you doing for keeping watch while sleeping? Oh, I can answer this too. Radar zones AIS Go ahead.

Ulrika: 7:32

Well, I have AIS and I have lots of alarms on the boat and I would set my own alarm, so I wouldn't sleep any more than probably four hours. But yeah, you just make sure you stay out of the the traffic lanes and you're far enough off the coast that there's nothing too surprising that's going to come your way. Um, so AIS for sure.

Capn Tinsley: 7:59

Yeah, Um. So Gabby says we become prisoners in our own homes. I like that.

Ulrika: 8:06

Yeah, it's a. It's an anchor and it's not the anchor that I would like.

Capn Tinsley: 8:13

Yes, thank you, gabby and Augustus. Keep those questions coming. And when I'm making a crossing and I'm talking about like a two day crossing I just nap in the cockpit and I just seem to naturally wake up. I don't know if it's every 30 minutes or every 60 minutes, and I too have AIS and just kind of give it a look around.

Ulrika: 8:35

Yeah, you don't sleep very soundly. No, the light sleep.

Capn Tinsley: 8:40

Yeah, right, so let's see, there was something else I wanted to ask about. Oh, I remember on the Women who Sail. I don't know if you've ever been on that Facebook group. I have I just signed on three days ago were saying that they, they got rid of everything and it was like the most freeing thing and they were trying to figure out how to get rid of stuff. You know how to get rid of furniture and other. Some people had ideas like um, give their furniture to the hurricane victims.

Ulrika: 9:14

Oh, I know you don't have hurricanes where you are, but no, um, yeah, the only thing I kept um was all my photo albums which I gave to my my kids. They have them and some of the furniture they also have or my son has them Because I just did stuff that was special to me. I built some furniture, so that was all on. He took those and but you know, know, I gave away clothing to um. We have. We have a store in the town where I live, um, that you know. You donate clothing and they can buy it for cheap. They're people who needs it and, yeah, I just gave, gave items away to my friends and I had free pickup for anybody that saw my Facebook, my marketplace ad. So lots went, just as giveaways, so cars and bikes. Yeah, I didn't get very much money, but it's freed me up completely.

Capn Tinsley: 10:18

Yeah and no, you don't have all that insurance to pay for either.

Ulrika: 10:22

Oh yeah, Starlink is all I'm paying for right now yeah, yeah, um, um.

Capn Tinsley: 10:31

I forgot what I was going to ask you there, but okay, so I'll go to the next question. There was something I wanted to ask, um, say the name of the boat again serantium, serantium, what does that?

Ulrika: 10:42

mean. Well, what I understand? It's um, it's a book, um, from um, it's a novel and um it's a city. It's a makeup made up city and it's the book is called sailing to cerantium, which is what the previous I saw that yeah, previous owners had uh named it, so I haven't read the book. Um, I started.

Capn Tinsley: 11:08

It's a long yeah, plenty of time yeah okay, so let's show the boat. This is a beautiful 1995 island packet 40.

Capn Tinsley: 11:19

yeah um, and I'm an island packet owner, so this is just beautiful to me. Well, it is to most people I know from uh pulling into all the marinas. I've been in it. It always gets attention and a beautiful island packet and um. So let's, let's just let's talk about a little bit what you've done to it. You said it was in, it was in pretty, it was in good shape as far as the rigging and all this yeah, it's a little bit it it.

Ulrika: 11:50

They kept the previous owners. I was bought from florida, obviously, um, and then I think it was. It's been used on lakes mostly and then it came up to uh anacortes up here on the west coast and used as a cottage more or less, and then the owners after that they kept it under winter cover all winter long because and then they just came, they just came from Ontario, central Canada, and they would sail it for two months out of the year. So it's been lightly, lightly used. So I was really really lucky to find this and the Island Package. They go quickly Once they hit the market. You got to be right on it and you have to make an offer right away.

Capn Tinsley: 12:33

Especially if it's in that good of shape.

Ulrika: 12:36

Yeah, and there's not many of them on this coast. I know there's quite a few, probably down in Florida.

Capn Tinsley: 12:44

Well, I found my 320 and it was in good shape and I had looked at some others and they weren't and I grabbed it up quickly. Okay, so you have a question here. Why an IP40? What considerations did you make with regards to size, sloop, full keel versus fin? Yeah, did you look at other types? Is 40 big enough or could you have gone bigger? That's a lot of questions yeah.

Ulrika: 13:08

So let's just start with uh size. I think 40 is a good size for um being able to handle it yourself. Uh, I didn't want to go any lower than 38 and I didn't want to go any bigger than 44. Um, I like the cutter option because you can put a small staysail up. Mostly I'll be using the staysail, I think Just especially at night I'll be using half. I have an in-boom roller furling system so I'll have probably the main sail down to half and then have the staysail up, maybe during the night when I'm sleeping. So that was a good. That was something I was looking for. Full keel I like the full keel. It's just more stable of a boat. I know it's a bit slower, but it just makes it for a more comfortable ride um it's safe.

Ulrika: 14:07

Yeah, I did look at other boats. I halberd grassy is kind of my, one of my favorites.

Capn Tinsley: 14:13

Sorry ip owners, but um what, what, what was it? What did you say?

Ulrika: 14:19

how about rassy? It's a swedish boat. Um, it's okay. It's also very good offshore. They're a little bit more money, especially here, so I had my eye on some of those, but Island Packet was the boat that kept coming up as a really good blue water boat and so. But like I said before, they disappear quickly Once they're on the market. They're bought up quickly, especially on this coast. I guess you should tell people, you're Swedish, yeah, yes, which is where I'm sailing to eventually.

Capn Tinsley: 15:00

Yeah, that's what you mean. That's what you meant when you said I want to sail home.

Ulrika: 15:04

Yes, yeah, okay. I came to Canada what is it? Nineteen, ninety one, no, 1987. And I was just traveling and I ended up just staying. And it wasn't. It wasn't a plan that I had. I ended up meeting somebody, we had a family, and I just ended up staying. And then over the years, the older I get, the more homesick I've become, and so I knew I wanted to eventually move back. And then I thought one day, you know, I'm just going to retire early and buy a boat and I'll sail home, and if it takes me 10 years to get there, then I've had an adventure.

Capn Tinsley: 15:52

So we'll see. It's a good boat to do that in, to go across the Atlantic.

Ulrika: 15:57

Yeah yeah. It's an incredible boat. When I have people to help me work on this boat, they're like, wow, this might be my new favorite boat. I love these silent pockets. They're pretty amazing.

Capn Tinsley: 16:11

Have you solo sailed it, taken it out of the slip by yourself and everything yeah.

Ulrika: 16:17

It's funny. I've been on anchor a long time, and today a friend of mine came to visit and I had to bring the boat in because I'm going to have a marine electrician look over the electrical one more time before I go out. And so I had to take it into a marina here in Victoria, british Columbia, and I was coming in. I had forgot. I had all my fenders out, but I forgot to put the lines, the docking lines, on.

Capn Tinsley: 16:46

Oh yeah, so someone could grab the lines.

Ulrika: 16:49

Narrow slip and I had no, so I had to run down and find them and put them on. So I can do all that myself. It's a small enough boat, but because I haven't been docking lately, I've just been sitting on anchor everywhere, I kind of forgot. You got spoiled. Some employees here that helped me, some younger guys, they helped me get it in.

Capn Tinsley: 17:17

Yeah, that's a good thing when you come into a marina, there's always dock hands to help you. I do most of mine solo also. Yeah, marina, you can always. There's always uh dock hands to help you, you know yeah, because that's.

Ulrika: 17:25

I do most of mine solo also yeah yeah, I was it was and there's big, expensive boats all around me, and it's just, it was a bit okay. So, yeah, yeah, okay, it's small, it's big. It's small enough that I can easily handle it on my own right I would do it.

Capn Tinsley: 17:47

Yeah, I'm unafraid. Um, so I've had two island packets. I had a 27 and now I have the 320 and almost immediately I adjusted to the larger size. It handles very same, you know, very similar and um, okay, so, uh, I think we answered gabby's questions um what were the biggest challenges you faced while upgrading and preparing the boat for the voyage.

Ulrika: 18:21

The electrical, because it's not something that I have worked a lot with in the past and it's so different. On the boat too. Everything is in small spaces. You're tracing wires, tracing cables in the floor, in the walls, down the helm, underneath the compass, like it's just learning the electrical on the boat. It takes a long time, so I think that's been probably the most challenging for me. That's been probably the most challenging for me. And then you know learning how to splice wires and how to do all of that on your own. I've had a, you know, a friend of mine is a marine electrician who's I've called him many times and asked him for advice. But you know I've learned, so that's been challenging.

Capn Tinsley: 19:18

It still is. Also, when you're coming behind the boats in 1995, there have been other owners and sometimes you open up the instrument panel and there are some surprises from something somebody else maybe didn't do quite.

Ulrika: 19:36

Lots of wires that have been cut off and trying to figure out trying to figure out how do I get them out. Do I leave them? It's easier to leave them, but then do I really want a bunch of wires that's not functioning? It's just yeah, it's a lot. Yeah, no, it's been good. I'm, I love learning. I'm, I think I'm pretty, I'm a curious person. I love love that. It's like, oh, I can figure this out, and so I just keep going that's great, that's what it takes.

Capn Tinsley: 20:03

Yeah, I admire that, because I'm afraid to splice wires. So I've paid a lot of money to have things done because I've upgraded my boat with a lot of stuff.

Ulrika: 20:19

A lot of money to have things done because I've upgraded my boat with a lot of stuff and, um, okay, so you added new batteries, stove, electronics, an alternator, a winch, a zodiac, an anchor, starlink, hydrovane yeah more solar and more it just says, and more yeah, so safety stuff, I think uh lots of safety stuff, uh life rafts and e-purps and two e-purps um yeah yeah, did it already have ais no, so I changed all my uh electronics that were on here when I bought the boat. I changed. I just replaced everything with the new bngs um, everything, um. So I have, I think I have. Yeah, I have a really good setup right now, but ais is new and uh it works it's.

Ulrika: 21:13

the canadian coast guard called me the other day to see if I had seen some paddleboarders, so it made me happy because now I'm showing up.

Capn Tinsley: 21:23

Yes.

Ulrika: 21:24

That's good.

Capn Tinsley: 21:25

And when you're in the intercoastal the barges will call and if there's a tight squeeze that's coming up, they'll call, and it's nice to know that it's working.

Ulrika: 21:40

Yeah, it is nice. Especially, it's pretty foggy on the west coast right now, so it's good to have AIS. You can see where all the barges and the big freighters are coming, how fast they're going and which direction they're heading. So, yeah, it's a must.

Capn Tinsley: 21:57

I would never go without ais yeah, and it's more and more common that cruisers have them too. So that's that's comforting when you're solo sailing at night taking naps. Um, how was your backgrounds growing up in Sweden and living in British Columbia influenced your sailing experience? What prepared you for this?

Ulrika: 22:25

well, I don't know if anything prepared me for this, but well, I always. I grew up in southern Sweden and basically there's three coasts within 45 minute drive from where I grew up in the southern Sweden and basically there's three coasts within 45 minute drive from where I grew up. So I've always been, always been on the beaches and always been in the water. I swam competitively, competitively. Can I say that? You know what I mean? Competitively? Yeah, you said it right. Yeah, and so, being in the water, I have no fear. I mean, I have respect for the water, but I'm not I, I don't have fear. Um, so I'm very comfortable on the water and um, it just, I don't know.

Ulrika: 23:12

Like, I didn't have a ton of experience sailing as a child, just with friends, we would always be in boats and yeah, so being on boats more or less all my life, but not necessarily sailing, until I think it was like 15 years ago I started sailing bigger boats. So, yeah, I don't know, I think just, I don't know, I think just, um, yeah, I don't know, I think you have to be curious and you have to want to do this. Um, you want to, absolutely yeah, and you, you need to have some grit, I think, because there's times where, yeah, there's times where you're just like, oh, oh, wow, I'm so overwhelmed right now, so you do have to have that, I can do this, I just have to think through the steps and I can troubleshoot.

Capn Tinsley: 24:06

A lot of women will say to me how do you do that? How do you? I could never. And I said, well, you probably just don't want to do it.

Ulrika: 24:17

Because if you wanted to do it, you'd probably do it. Yeah, I think it's complex for women. I think we grow up in a world where we're not necessarily brought up to be, um, wanting to do these things, Um I think my mom was a pilot.

Capn Tinsley: 24:40

Well then, that's why you're sailing right now.

Ulrika: 24:47

You, you were, yeah, so you, you grew up like that, and I think I grew up in Sweden, where it's a lot like that, um, but I do know that there's a difference, uh, for me and for some of my friends, um, and they say I don't know if I could ever do that. They can and they could, it's just they're just not there in their mind. So, um, yeah, it's that's, it's a big, that's a. That's a very interesting topic actually yeah, they.

Capn Tinsley: 25:15

You know, I think I think people in general do what they want to do, um, especially, I mean, I agree that sometimes, yet people need a little push. You know, like you could do this really. You know, I'm sure that does help and I and I did grow up with that, so I agree with you. That's a good point, let's see. So you left an early. How long ago was it? Like a couple weeks ago?

Ulrika: 25:56

which is where I kind of spent my last 30 years. And then I've just slowly made my way to different places. I picked up my son. We sailed around, picked up some friends here and there and, yeah, I've just stopped. I haven't sailed a lot during these last two weeks. What I've done is just going over my boat and making sure that everything is the way it should be yeah, so not being in too much of a hurry, making sure everything's working yeah, I think it's more important to, because, I mean, you know how to sail you just, but it's the systems that you need to know exactly what's happening with them very smart.

Capn Tinsley: 26:34

So marion, who is my assistant by the way, she says I was too my mom was very adventurous. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you need the role models.

Capn Tinsley: 26:46

You need what you need the role model, especially strong, like you need female role models or people to encourage you and true I think it's important, yeah, years in life um, so what has been the most rewarding part of the journey so far I get, and I would include and what keeps you motivated now? Include, like the whole process of starting making you know, starting to sell everything off, and that now it must feel very freeing right now. We we talked a little bit about that already, but what would you say is the most rewarding so far? Do you feel really free?

Ulrika: 27:21

Yeah, I feel very free when I look around this boat. I've taken everything from my house that really meant stuff. So I have a lot of books, I have some photos of my kids, I have got little knickknacks and I have some you know paintings, but so I look around myself and I just and I just feel like this is all I need. Yeah, that feels good and I don't really have anything. I don't need Too many books maybe. But, yeah, and the most rewarding is working on my boat and fixing things.

Ulrika: 28:05

As an example, my key wouldn't turn the engine on the first try. It took three, four times and I was like, oh no, this is not good. So I started looking around the engine and I was like, oh no, this is not good. So I started looking around the engine and I just came across a bare wire that was going into the solenoid for the starter. Okay, I know what that is, yeah, and it was in a bit of a 90-degree angle and I just thought I don't know, that doesn't look good. So, you know, I taped it up and, um, straighten it up and clean it all up and it, the key has turned on every first try oh my gosh.

Ulrika: 28:45

I'm impressed, yeah, and it's just one of those things I just guessed and I mean it might be something else, but it certainly helped, um, the engine, so those things, or when I changed all the oils myself and it felt so good to have done that, and just, yeah, just the maintenance and the little repairs and the little changes that I make, and when you know you fix something on your own, that feels really good.

Capn Tinsley: 29:16

Well, I, I'm, I'm an admirer already. I was before we met, um, when I saw your post. Uh, let's see. All right, we are not to Mexico yet, so not even close. Well, we've already talked a little bit about this, but how, uh, can you share any, particularly how you stay connected and maintain communication with loved ones while at sea? A lot of people have a question about that, like, do you get lonely? That kind of thing I don't know, I haven't.

Ulrika: 29:51

I mean I used to kayak a lot on the West Coast here on the Vancouver Island. It's pretty remote and I have spent almost two weeks on my own at times and I just love it. I do I'm and I mean that this would have been years ago, before even self-service, and there's no self-service out there. So but I just I feel I feel at peace when I get those big chunks of alone time, and so I think I don't know for sure, but I think I'll be, I think I feel good, I don't know, you never know, but I mean I have Starlink and so with that you can fire that up for half an hour and just connect with. I have two kids, so they're going to want to hear from me on fairly regular basis, I think, and they also hold a ship finder so they know that they can see where my boat is.

Ulrika: 30:48

And uh right, yeah, and I'll connect with uh through my face, my blog, and I'm not sure if I'm gonna keep Facebook and Instagram alive, but definitely keep contact through my log oh yeah, I was about to give your Facebook and Instagram oh yeah, in there, because I know my parents especially, they enjoy seeing my posts there.

Capn Tinsley: 31:20

So yeah, so are you intending on maybe just doing the blog, or are you going to? In what way are you going to document?

Ulrika: 31:31

Blog mostly, and then I'll throw some. If I have some really good pictures, then I'll throw them on Facebook and Instagram, but most of the writing will be on my blog probably.

Capn Tinsley: 31:43

Okay, tell us what that is. That was, I don't have that in front of me.

Ulrika: 31:49

The blog is sailaway12.com. Okay, and it's something I started when I bought the boat. Uh, I just wanted a way to document things that I was doing to the boat repairs and just my experience, Um and um. So it's a sail away 12.com, and it's just a WordPress kind of site where I just go on.

Capn Tinsley: 32:15

That's where I got some of that information. So Augustus has something else to say here. Um this well, I think we already answered why a 40, the simplified rigging sail handling. On the 320, 350, 370, 380, etc. The better 316 stainless chain plates. Yeah, on, on the uh, the 320 rather than the 332, and the 350 rather than the 35. They made a better grade of stainless. Have you replaced the original chain plates?

Ulrika: 32:47

I think. Well, I know it was inspected thoroughly before I bought the boat. It was part of the survey. I don't know if they were original or not, but they were inspected and yeah, so that is one of the worries about Island Packet. I think it's one of the you know why people don't see it?

Capn Tinsley: 33:06

Yeah, because they're embedded in the fiberglass. Yeah, were they able to. I don't know how they inspect that part. I guess it is a concern because you don't know, because you can't see them.

Ulrika: 33:20

No, I think you just I mean, I don't know, but if there's any sign of corrosion anywhere, that's a sign. So yeah, no, it is a concern and I don't know if I, I just yeah.

Capn Tinsley: 33:38

Okay, and Augustus had another question. If you like and I'm not sure what this is If you like HR, did you look for Regina of Vendo 38? I'm not sure what that means. Do you know what that means?

Ulrika: 33:53

No, I don't know If you like HR, I guess Regina and Vindu 38, is that. I don't know those boats actually.

Capn Tinsley: 34:06

Okay, I guess it's someone maybe I can interview. Maybe that's Augustus. You'll have to explain a little more on that.

Ulrika: 34:15

Is that?

Capn Tinsley: 34:16

a boat.

Ulrika: 34:17

HR Maybe, or is it a different?

Capn Tinsley: 34:22

I'm not sure. Okay, so Gabby's wanting the blog.

Ulrika: 34:28

Sailaway12.com.

Capn Tinsley: 34:31

Sailaway12.com. Yes, okay With number 12. Yes, there, number one two.

Ulrika: 34:37

Yes.

Capn Tinsley: 34:38

There you go, gabby. Thanks for asking. Thanks for everybody participating. We got quite a few people watching, so anybody can ask questions, especially on YouTube and Facebook. Let's see.

Capn Tinsley: 34:52

Oh, I need to do introduce tonight's sponsor, which is me. So, in case you didn't know, my name is Tinsley Myrick. I'm with Remax of Orange Beach and I sell Gulffront condos and homes, and non-waterfront too. I've been doing this for 21 years. I'm pretty darn good at it. And there's the email, tinsley at TinsleyMyrickcom. And then there's my phone number. So if I can help you in Gulf Shores, orange Beach, alabama, or Perdido Key, florida, I'm licensed in Florida too. I don't go all the way through Florida, but Perdido Key, florida I do cover. So thank you for that. And there's the picture of me on the boat with my uh, remax of orange beach over there. And uh, oh, by the way, let me show you my boat real quick. That's my boat now. That's the island pack at 320, so you can see all my cruising gear there. I got it out. You see the um, the star link up there, yep, so anyway, okay, what advice would you give to someone dreaming of a similar adventure but unsure where to start?

Ulrika: 36:12

just start start looking at boats. I like it. Just start do it, Because you can overthink everything and start researching boats and see what you want. I mean it comes down to money as well. Look at, you know, have a price in mind and then just start looking and it'll just lead you that way. Yeah, I mean sometimes you have to sell a house.

Capn Tinsley: 36:45

Yes, If you're not independently wealthy. Let's see. Um, how beautiful is the sailing on the Western coast of Canada. Did you consider going North to Alaska versus south to Mexico? Yeah, he's got some great questions.

Ulrika: 37:06

I've sailed up to Alaska in the past, not solo, but the coastline of the Canadian West Coast is absolutely gorgeous. It's wild, it's remote, it's pure, it's everywhere Wildlife, life, life there. You have, bear you have or you have, it's just it's endless. We have wool we have, we have everything here and um. I've been, I've sailed up and down the coast a few times, um, and I absolutely love. Now it's colder, you need good clothing and so no part of the reason I'm going south is because I want to continue west.

Ulrika: 37:51

Once I hit Mexico, I want to continue to Galapagos and then into the French Polynesia and then just hopefully get stuck in some tropical communities for a few years and then continue west from there and either end up in Norway, where all my siblings are, and Sweden, where my parents are, but and if I just love sailing so much, I'll continue and circumnavigate and do a full, full um circumnavigation. Do you know your route? Yeah, pretty much um. No, not exactly um. I, I, you know I have galapagos. After mexico I want to go to galapagos maybe, maybe down Central America a little bit and then across to Marquesas and then from Marquesas I don't really know, but I want to see all the islands, or most of them. You can't see all the islands, but most of the islands and then I'd like to go to New Zealand and Australia and through Indonesia and then continue towards Thailand and India. And, yeah, it's, and I don't want to go through the Suez Canal, but I do want to go around Africa and St Helena and then stay south and cross the Indian Ocean.

Capn Tinsley: 39:19

Yes, so yeah, but that's years down the road right, you got plenty of time to map that whole thing out.

Ulrika: 39:30

I've never been to New Zealand so I was thinking it would be fun to stop there and maybe go, for I like mountain biking so I'm thinking I'm going to rent a mountain bike and see what kind of trails I can find in New Zealand. Absolutely, but the beautiful thing about not having to be back for work is that you don't have to go anywhere. I'm envious.

Capn Tinsley: 39:58

I'm jealous. Let's see, I'm going to pull up a few pictures here. Yes, I'm jealous. Let's see, I'm going to pull up a few pictures here. Yes, I'm jealous. Okay, so this was the morning you left, I think, because the post says that you were having breakfast and you were leaving.

Ulrika: 40:15

Yep, that was outside of Gabriola Island, which is outside of a town called city, called nanaimo. Um, yeah, and that's the second, third day, I think. The first day I felt really overwhelmed, yeah, and it felt surreal. And then the second day, as I went further and further south on the coast of Vancouver Island here, I just felt more and more free and it kind of hit me, yeah, I'm doing this. And one morning I remember saying to myself wow, I'm sailing to Mexico.

Capn Tinsley: 40:58

As long as you got enough money, you're good yeah.

Ulrika: 41:05

As long as the boat's holding up. Yeah, so yeah, and where's this? That's actually in the naimo. That's uh me just puttering around after I sold my car. I uh didn't have a car, so I had my zodiac, so I had to go from store to store in my zodiac.

Capn Tinsley: 41:24

Look at that.

Ulrika: 41:25

Yeah, that's the photo on Facebook. Oh, that's my dog. That's the photo on Facebook. That's the advertisement actually for the boat that my friend said. Hey, look at this and um yeah, yeah, it's pretty okay.

Capn Tinsley: 41:49

Your dog is now in england.

Ulrika: 41:51

Yeah, my daughter lives in england. She lives in uh, where does she live um? That's a funny picture yeah, so she, um, she lives in portsmouth in england and she's teaching there and, um, this was difficult because he's all, he was only three years old and I knew he just couldn't be on the boats. He's, he was not supposed to be on the boat, they were supposed to be walking in the forest. So. So she said I'll take, take him. So I flew him there.

Capn Tinsley: 42:23

So, yeah. Wow, well, I know that's got to be hard. I actually interviewed a sailor near Portsmouth. Yeah, oh, okay. In England, yeah, yeah, so, okay. So let's see what else we got here. Okay, so, let's see what else we got here. So, someone starting the dream? There's got to be more to it. Oh, not every. Come on now You're selling yourself short. There's more to it.

Ulrika: 43:03

I think it's got to do with me wanting.

Capn Tinsley: 43:07

First of all, it sounds like you retired. You retired, so you worked all those years.

Ulrika: 43:12

Yeah, I did. I just, you know I enjoyed, you saved, sorry, you saved up. No, I sold my house. Okay, all right. No, I just I felt like I enjoyed teaching, uh, taught grade six, seven, um. But I just knew there was something else that I wanted to do. It just wasn't fulfilling enough and I just thought, you know, I wanted to do something big and I knew how to sail, and it's free. Once you have the boat, it's free. I know boats are super expensive, um, but once you have it all and you have done all the upgrades and the repairs and the every day is it's cheap. Once you're on the boat, yeah.

Capn Tinsley: 44:17

Especially if you're not staying in marinas.

Ulrika: 44:19

Yeah, which I haven't been until today because I'm yeah but that's the way to do it yeah, it is, and and yeah. So yeah, I don't know. Was there anything else? I think it was just wanting to do something else, just other than paying. I just feel like you work and you pay bills and at the end of the day, you don't have any money leftovers because you're giving it to the best and you're.

Ulrika: 44:48

You're paying hydro and you're paying and it's not cheap anymore, especially you're not. I don't know what it's like in usa, but in canada it's very expensive lately I think everywhere it is. Yeah, but I think especially because I always compare to Scandinavia, where it's always been expensive. But Canada is more expensive now than Scandinavia is and the salaries have not kept up. We're making less here and we're expensive. I just felt like I was always paying bills and I wasn't.

Capn Tinsley: 45:24

It wasn't enough fulfillment, so I like it and you're healthy, and I know that you were doing other things you had.

Ulrika: 45:33

You mentioned kayaking and I saw a picture of you skiing and you said mountain biking yeah, I've always been really involved in outdoor, outdoor activities and so I think this fits my lifestyle. So I'm not really afraid of, you know, living on basic food or having a simple like yeah, so, yeah, so it just fits, the sailing fits with my life.

Capn Tinsley: 46:15

That's great. So people out there watching and listening because this will be on audio podcast sites too. Get in shape, work out what is your next stop. Tell us again where you are.

Ulrika: 46:34

I'm in Victoria, british Columbia, right now, which is right across from Port Townsend and Port Angeles, so just above Seattle. Okay, so I'm still in canada. I'm uh, I have crossed over the border a few times, some tax back and forth, but I haven't actually checked in yet with the canadian, or, sorry, with the us um border, which I have to do before I leave, in case I have to go because I'm doing an offshore.

Ulrika: 47:01

if everything goes well, I want to be about 150 miles off the coast all the way down oh but if something happens like big storms, which shouldn't this time of the year September is the best month you can sail do that offshore passage, um, but if I do have to go in for some reason, then I have my paperwork and I'm cleared to go in. So I want to look after that within the next few days here.

Capn Tinsley: 47:30

What makes you want to stay 150 miles offshore?

Ulrika: 47:33

it's a reason yeah, the ocean floors here are, it's um, it's a bit complex, um, the floors are very shallow, especially oregon coast, washington coast, so, yeah, they create a lot of turbulence in the water ah, yeah, like the gulf of mexico yes.

Ulrika: 47:56

So if you can stay 100 to 200, I would say, closer I was I'd like to stay 150 miles off the coast, then it's a little more predictable. Okay, so bigger waves, but they're not necessarily breaking it's, it's just a nice push down. In September you have a, you're all going to be on broad reach. Oh nice, yeah. So the whole way down it's mostly northwesterlies. So that's yeah. But being off the coast the coast, the Oregon coast is too it's dangerous, in my opinion.

Capn Tinsley: 48:39

It's just too too lively yeah, so Augustus says from tatush south to the columbia bar, keep an eye out blogs, and this is you're going to be out. Further than all this, and crab pots coming in and out of harbors on the oregon coast, water stays cold all the way to la, so for so, so far is ever present.

Ulrika: 49:03

Fog is ever fog, lots of fog. We have lots of fogs right now here. Um, enough that. Yeah, you don't want to sail if you can help it, but that's another reason why I want to get off the coast as far as I can.

Capn Tinsley: 49:18

Um, they say they say and you're, and you be on, you'd be beyond the fog, because this land is where the fog starts.

Ulrika: 49:25

Yeah, right, um, yeah, so I do. There is other boats going around the same time, so, um, there will be a chance, like I would like to stay close enough to other boats, so within um five, five nautical miles, so that I can have radio contact if I need to, and just for somebody, just so I can check in with other people. Um, so, if I don't have crew, um, which I haven't decided yet, if that's what I'm gonna do, um, I'm to at least have some buddy boats around me.

Capn Tinsley: 50:02

Are you planning on going inshore at all?

Ulrika: 50:06

No, not. If I can help it, I might go into San Diego. Okay, I want to do one big check out. It's about three weeks Two weeks to San Diego and another week and a bit to Baja.

Capn Tinsley: 50:24

Oh here, Augustus, this is good stuff. Right here you can inspect the chain plates without X-ray equipment, keeping the area around the chain plate tabs. Yeah, that's what I was thinking, that it might be possible for X-ray with X-ray equipment. It might be possible for x-ray with x-ray equipment. Yeah, it's something that if you could swing, that you know, I don't know, stop somewhere where there's x-ray equipment.

Ulrika: 50:50

Yeah, Maybe Port Townsend has it, I'm not sure. Yeah, that's kind of one of the major it is important.

Capn Tinsley: 50:57

You don't want to lose the mast. That would be inconvenient, important, you don't want to lose the mast.

Ulrika: 51:06

That would be inconvenient, oh and he says hr equals halberg.

Capn Tinsley: 51:11

Yeah, okay, but it was his own fire yeah, what's that?

Ulrika: 51:14

um, the other, the other names, he threw out the regina and window. That was what we're asking, I think.

Capn Tinsley: 51:21

Okay, all right, I wonder where he is. Augustus, where are you? You sound like you might be on the West Coast. He knows a lot about the West Coast, so when I check in with you, we're going to do this again, if you will agree to it, maybe after you, once you get past, once you get into Mexico, because one of the things I like to ask and I'm not going to do it this time is, uh, ask your two favorite anchorages I like to do that with sailors and pull them up, you know, on google maps. So when you get down there, you'll probably be discovering new ones yeah, yeah you already?

Capn Tinsley: 51:58

you already some ideas of where you're going to go.

Ulrika: 52:01

No, Um no, I don't, actually, I haven't looked into it. Um so, I no, I don't, don't really know You'll discover it by the time you get there.

Capn Tinsley: 52:14

I like that. I'm like you, I'm like I'll figure it out, you know, a few days before I get there. Yeah, um, he says the link works. Fine, we'll subscribe, and good luck out there. Thanks, tinsley, for putting these sessions out there. I'm not sure what the link is, but okay. But yeah, so I'll touch base with you when you're in. I'll reach out to you when you get to Mexico, okay, and we'll talk about some of the anchorages you find, because it sounds like that's what you're going to be doing, right.

Ulrika: 52:50

Yeah, once I'm in Mexico I'll be Okay. Maybe, maybe, yeah, maybe, along the Baja, the west coast of Baja. Oh nice, okay, the Baja, the West coast of Baja.

Capn Tinsley: 52:59

Oh, nice, okay, I wish I could just make my boat get there right now and go go sail over there, all right? Well, um, I have one more question, let's see if we've already covered it. What are your future plans and goals once you reach Mexico? Well, you're going to go to the Galapagos, but how long are you planning on staying in that area before you head across the Pacific?

Ulrika: 53:27

Well, it all depends on the hurricanes. Once I get down into Mexico, hurricane season starts, I think November. So it's either you get to Baja and you kind of continue right away quickly, or you kind of hunker down in the protected area. Yeah, so I haven't decided. It all depends on how this big offshore passage goes. But I have no real time frames for anything because, whatever happens, so how will I know you'll be on the?

Capn Tinsley: 54:09

you'll be? Are you going to post on Facebook or anything when you get to Mexico or San Diego or Baja, or yeah, I'll?

Ulrika: 54:18

post when I get Okay.

Capn Tinsley: 54:20

Sure, so All right.

Ulrika: 54:21

So he says desolation sound Baja, or yeah, I'll post when I get to the place.

Capn Tinsley: 54:24

Alright. So he says Desolation Sound he likes. Where is that Augustus? Augustus, I need to have you on the podcast. If you could email me at saltyabandon at gmail, I need to get you on this podcast. You're full of information, so you know where that is.

Ulrika: 54:39

Local yeah, I do, I've been there lots. It's beautiful, it's.

Capn Tinsley: 54:42

Desolation Sound.

Ulrika: 54:44

Oh, that's where you are so Nanaimo, where I kind of spent 30 years. It's just not too far from there. Okay, You're in Desolation Sound.

Capn Tinsley: 54:58

He must be Canadian.

Ulrika: 55:00

Yeah or Oregon.

Capn Tinsley: 55:01

Yeah or Washington. He must be Canadian.

Ulrika: 55:03

Yeah, or Oregon or Washington. He might be Right.

Capn Tinsley: 55:06

Augustus Salty Abandon at Gmail, email me, alright. Well, anything else that you'd like to say, anything that I didn't cover? No, any advice for anybody, because this is a great adventure you're on.

Ulrika: 55:26

Just go for it, don't. Second just do it, don't think too much. No, don't think about it too much.

Capn Tinsley: 55:38

Yeah, well, you got a great boat. That boat's going to take care of you. Yeah, that's what.

Ulrika: 55:42

I hear that boat's gonna take care of you. Yeah it, that's what I hear. Island packets takes better care of you than people take care of the boat.

Capn Tinsley: 55:48

That's what I hear yeah, take care of those chain plates. X-ray. Thank you all right, well, uh, I always like to go out the same way. Let me find I'm stumbling around here. Okay, always end my podcast with salty abandoned out.