Sailing to Hawaii

Today I embark on a multi-week sailing expedition from Mexico to the Hawaiian Islands!

The freshwater tanks are full, provisions have been stocked, safety checks are complete and the sails are up. I departed Mazatlán, Mexico, this morning and am now setting sail for Hawaii! I’m feeling a healthy mix of excitement, nervousness, anxiousness and pure stoke for the long adventure ahead. I’ll be joining as crew with my friend and captain, Devin, from Victoria, who’s on a year-long voyage to Australia aboard his boat, Whiskey Soul (a 1968 Alberg 37). For this leg of the journey, we’ll also be joined by Sarah, a friend of Devin’s from Ajax, Ontario, making it a crew of three. There is already great banter and an aligned sense of humour between us all which is important in tight quarters for a prolonged period of time!

This trip came together for me extremely last minute, I got final confirmation from Devin as selected crew on the 14th and scrambled to get organized. Originally, I was already planning on being in Mexico at this time to start a new project documenting the monarch butterfly migration, but when this opportunity came up, I couldn’t say no. I don’t know if I will ever get the opportunity again and it’s a last minute chance to experience the trip of a lifetime, embrace the unknown, push personal boundaries and acquire some great dad lore. I’ve wanted to do a trip like this for the past 15 years and can’t believe it’s now happening.

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The three things that I am looking forward to the most are:

1. Stargazing: With no light pollution and very little moonlight during the start, the night sky should be unreal. We will truly feel like a tiny speck in the vastness of the universe while bobbing around.

2. The smell of land: After weeks of salty sea air, arriving at the lush Hawaiian islands will be an absolute treat for both the senses and the soul. I’m looking forward to gaining appreciation for land in a whole new way—through sight, smell, and everything in between—and hopefully finding plenty of inspiration along the way.

3. Being offline: As someone with a not-so-great phone addiction, this will be the ultimate digital detox. An incredible opportunity to be fully present, read more, and disconnect from the internet for a few weeks. It’s a privilege I don’t take lightly. The challenge from this mostly comes from being a business owner, but I’m embracing this wholeheartedly.

I’ll be documenting the voyage as best as I can and can’t wait to share updates and photos once I’m back home. If you’d like to show your support during this journey, I’d love to return to some thoughtful emails or messages—hearing from friends and those who follow along always means so much. You can also support by checking out my prints.

When I return, I’ll be diving straight into hosting herring spawn photography tours off the coast of Vancouver Island—trading one sailboat for another! If you’d like to join that adventure, you can view tour options here.

If you want to keep tabs on progress you can live track the ship here. Knowing you’re following along and thinking of us will make it even more special!

See you on the other side,
Taylor