Solo Transpacific Adventure Starts With Voyage South

On Thursday, May 29, Christopher Rusin departed from his homeport of Blaine, WA, on a solo delivery of his Westsail 32, InnFall, south through the Salish Sea and on down the coast to the Bay Area. His next destination after that: Hanalei Bay on the north shore of Kauai, HI. He’s among the three entries from the Pacific Northwest (two from Washington and one from British Columbia) signed up to start the Singlehanded Transpacific Yacht Race on June 21.

Shortly after departing, Christopher filed this report — and thank-you letter:

“Today at 1400 I departed my homeport, Semiahmoo Marina in Blaine, WA, on the Canadian border. As I write, after a long beat upwind, I’m safely anchored in Echo Bay on Sucia Island. What an honor to be cast off by two dear friends, Dennis and Matt. Jeff on SV Narwhall (a pristine Cape George 31 that he and his wife restored) was waiting in Drayton Harbor to escort me out. The clouds and rain dispersed and a perfect wind filled in for sailing through the channel into Semiahmoo Bay. Jeff and Shasta will be departing for Alaska next month. A dream come true for them as well.”

“It’s been an incredible path up to this point. The last 10 days have been very intense. My brother Jared drove out from the east side of the state to finish electrical. Matt F. worked tirelessly on the autopilot system, rigging, sourcing parts — the list goes on. Jeff, milling wooden blocks, splicing, and letting me use his shop to drill stainless steel. Michael working on pinrails. Dennis, spiritual guidance — I’m so grateful.

“Every adventure begins with a spark, a calling. When I was a young boy I was introduced to sailing by a great uncle of mine named Trevor Atkinson, a gentle Englishman. If he only knew the seed he planted in me that day. Forty years have passed from that moment. Life has a way of taking us various directions, but I never forgot my childhood dream of circumnavigating the North Pacific high-pressure system. I learned about this pressure system from my grandfather, a former Spitfire pilot. He spoke of one of his sons who attempted it once. I found it amazing: With just the wind, patience and a fighting spirit, one can circle the globe if they choose.

“Several years ago, I knew it was time. I was aiming for 2023, but COVID hit. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. It surely was so, as I was there to hold my father’s hand as he passed. Before he was ill, he was intrigued: ‘It’s impossible to stop you, so I will have to be OK with it.’ After his passing, I went back to planning for 2025.

“My spirit has always led me to adventure. I’ve been through the fire many times. I knew this specific task would take me to a place where I had to dig deep again. My hope was to dig deeper than I’ve ever dug. ‘Careful what you wish for,’ I’ve heard. Nope, I love it. I feel alive. I will admit though, it would have been easy to throw in the towel a thousand times.

“But I’m a romantic at heart. I always dreamt of the right lines, the right gear, not fancy but quality. Every pin and bolt I know is solid because I put it there. I dreamt of being able to climb my own mast. (Thank you, Hal, for walking me through the process and making me do it. You will be tickled to know I go up and down all the time now.) As we all know, the ocean will expose every weakness in gear and spirit. I didn’t want a trip from hell, I wanted an adventure.

“Never before had I owned a ship, let alone had any detailed idea of her systems. With a notable amount of blood, sweat and, I admit, some tears spilled on my little ship InnFall, she is ready for the great blue waters. Days would pass, and I would have to manage my time and choose a shower or a splice. I always chose the splice. I’m sure I have some nicknames from people I’ve encountered. It was worth it.

“I want to express my gratitude to my wife and children for their sacrifice while I’ve been away from home preparing. I love all of you with all my heart. Your coordinates are my home forever. Furthermore I wish to acknowledge the wonderful and talented people I’ve met on this journey, all of whom have touched my life. A handful on this list have worked on InnFall with their own hands. Those amazing and talented people have gone far and above to insure my safety. I’ve learned so much from them, and am proud to have forged new friendships with them on a personal and spiritual level. I tear up thinking about what are now grand memories. These amazing people realized I was going either way, but with them and their hearts that passionately contributed, it’s taken this experience to a level that I couldn’t have imagined.

“Mr. Don Yager worked tirelessly to design sails to match the needs of InnFall coupled to my sailing style preferences. We spent many hours discussing, planning, thinking. His beautiful mind crafted foils so perfectly balanced I can use my finger to move the tiller. It seems simple, but compared to the sails the boat came with, I truly know the difference now. 

“Hal T. taught me how to service a mast and showed me where and how to identify small problems that can turn ugly if not addressed. I appreciate very much the knowledge you’ve passed to me, sir.”

“On Friday [May 30] I will head to Shaw Island to rendezvous with the infamous skipper Rick L. During my six weeks living in a shipyard, Rick was there to get me off InnFall to clear my head. Sunday, weather pending, I plan on setting sail for Port Angeles. From there I will run the Strait of Juan de Fuca out to the Pacific, then run down the coast. This will be a qualifier for the San Francisco-to-Hawaii leg of my journey. I hope to participate in the historic Singlehanded Transpacific Race hosted biennially by the Singlehanded Sailing Society.

“Captain Bill and beautiful Moe will be hosting me when I arrive in Richardson Bay. The great King James will be flying down for the departure date. My wife and children will also arrive to see me off.

“I’ve tried my very best to be in a position to pass the inspection for the race. If for any reason I don’t qualify, I will continue on my journey without interfering with them. If accepted, I don’t consider myself a competitor, as they seem pretty serious and equipped to win. Out of respect I will try to keep pace to not hold up the finish-line activities.

“Best I can tell, I will be the slowest boat. That’s just physics however. We had to undergo a review to establish a handicap. Unlikely, but I could be the last to arrive and place better than last. It would be a great honor to sail among this fleet of solo minds. I’m not one for trophies; however, a sailor who completes this task is bestowed a very special belt buckle. I would very much like that in a frame. Whatever happens, my heart and soul will be content.

“After landing in Hawaii, I will reprovision to set sail, most likely northwest until I can get slingshotted north toward Alaska where the westerly winds fill in for my return. 

“From the bottom of my heart, InnFall and I thank each and every one of you. She is excited; her spirit ran strong today, and she is happy to be moving in the water as she was born to do. Here you can see at any time where InnFall and I are, and the local winds in the area: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SV-InnFall.” As we post this story on Monday morning, InnFall has transited through the San Juans and is sailing at 5+ knots south of the islands in open waters.

Christopher’s Westsail 32 is indeed the slowest-rated boat in the fleet of 11, but the sturdy clippers are well suited to this race and have scored competitively in the past. We’ll be on hand for the send-off in the San Francisco Bay Area, and on the Garden Isle for the arrivals. Check out our profiles of the racers in the June issue of Latitude 38.