Alaskan Voyagers - Jamie and Hailey

One of the fun aspects of cruising is you never know who you will meet. We have met some unusual and interesting people during our travels. Today, we met our first couple sailing a boat with an AK registration number. AK is for boats registered in Alaska not Arkansas. We have encountered countless Canadians and seen the flags of many nations flying from the stern of vessels. However, this was the first Alaskan boat we came across.

Jamie and Hailey aboard their Catalina 30,  Hello Over There

Jamie and Hailey are sailing an older Catalina 30 (Actually, the boat is older than either of them.) They are headed to the Bahamas looking for warmer winter weather. It was their boat that caught Dwayne's attention as at first it looked like a Catalina 27 similar to our Lucky Ones which is waiting for our return to Kansas. It was not until he helped them land at the marina fuel dock that he realized they were from Alaska. He invited them over for dinner when he learned they were going to spend the night and were also headed to the Bahamas.

Hello Over There - Catalina 30

Jamie and Hailey both worked in the salmon fishery in Alaska before moving aboard Hello Over There. They are both relatively new to sailing. Every day is another adventure and learning experience. Jamie bought the boat in New York and they spent considerable time preparing Hello Over There for extended cruising. They have traveled some on the ICW and off-shore. They have decided to by-pass the ICW and sail down the South Carolina and Georgia coast until they reach Florida. The weather is getting colder. Also, the ICW from Georgetown south has numerous problem spots and it would take longer to travel the ICW since you can quickly run aground on the ICW when traveling after dark. They will arrive in Florida several days earlier by going off-shore which is more direct and allows traveling through the night.

Jamie and Dwayne reviewed the weather forecasts and charts to determine bailout options should the weather go bad before Hello Over There crossed the border into Florida. The forecast was for two days of good weather and possibly a third depending on how soon a front arrives moving in from the north.

Carla went through the refrigerator and gave Hailey whatever we had that we would not eat prior to our heading out for our Caribbean cruise. Jamie was happy to see bacon and eggs among the other items offered to them. They are well stocked with food and will re-provision in Florida. We bade them goodnight and offered to help them cast off in the morning.