The Search for and locating of Po'oino Roa

It took several months to be successful in the sale of Po'oino. That accomplished we began an earnest search for a replacement that would fit our wishes, needs and budget. Kathy had spent time while we were in Mexico looking at other boats, her boat survey as she termed it though no decisions had been made. Through yacht brokers we looked at many different designs but after seeing one we were drawn to the Peterson 44. We finally had something definite to look for.

In November of 2000 when our thoughts were south of the boarder in warm and sunny Mexico we found the listing for what would be our future home. The boat was on the east coast in North Carolina, an offer for purchase was accepted based on our inspection. Off we went! The boat had started her life in a Caribbean charter fleet, then been owned and cruised by two different couples. At present she had spent the last year and a half, neglected, and for sale in a storage yard on the intercoastal waterway.

Needless to say this boat was a project but it was also a fit to our needs and wishes. A deal was struck and we were now the proud owners of Po'oino Roa. Roa is Tahitian for more or bigger so we were definitely crazy, which I believe one must be to own a boat as they truly are holes in the water that we throw money into.

As Po'oino Roa was in need of lots of repair and tender loving care where were we going to undertake this project? Newport Beach on the other side of the country was our answer. So how to get there? They built a perfectly good canal across the isthmus of Panama back in the early 1900's, so our answer was a delivery trip through the Caribbean, Panama canal and up the west coast of Central America and Mexico to our home in Newport Beach.

For the next six weeks we worked 12 hour days to ready the boat for the upcoming trip. Think about how many people work for years on their boats before taking off on a cruise, we only spent 6 weeks readying everything from initially just cleaning to some necessary new rigging, electrical systems, refrigeration, leaking portlights, navigation systems etc.etc.

All was somewhat accomplished and due to the fact it was cold in North Carolina in January off we went on what turned out to be a wonderful one and a half year delivery trip. This was especially true as we learned lots about the boat and the necessary upgrades and changes we needed to make before setting off again and enjoying the cruising lifestyle.

From this beginning we will fast forward to November of 2010, ten years since our purchase of Po'oino Roa and thousands of miles traveled. Today we are at anchor at Palau Basar off the west coast of Malaysia. After wind and rain overnight it has calmed and the sun is shining , Kathy is watching a movie and I am learning to create this blog. For whomevers enjoyment I will continue on with our current adventures and over time try to fill in the past
ones.