Sabotage? You Make the Call

If you have been following our journey, you know Hazel has carried us down the full length of the Mississippi, across the Gulf of Mexico, through the Caribbean Sea, and safely through the Panama Canal. Now we have pushed into the vast Pacific, finally on the long blue road toward Hawaii.

On every leg of this adventure, Peter has lobbied for a stop at an island so he could enjoy “island time.” As captain, I have always insisted that true island time belongs to the Pacific, where the anchorages are legendary and the exploring endless. Peter has never fully agreed with that philosophy.

My mom (Hazel) always said nothing good happens after midnight. Apparently that rule applies to sailing too.

We left La Playita Marina around 09:30 on Sunday morning, enjoying a beautiful start to our Pacific crossing. By 02:00 (AM) Monday, after covering roughly 110 nautical miles, everything flipped upside down. We were preparing for a simple tack, something Peter and I have done at least fifty times together. But in the dark and the motion, he grabbed the Genoa sheet instead of the Genoa reefing line. The result was our head sail wrapping itself around the roller furling first backward, then forward, until it was a tightly twisted mess.

The sea state was rough, and after two hours of wrestling with the sail, we admitted defeat. The plan was to motor Hazel toward a pocket of calm wind identified on our weather program, just ten miles away. Instead, the wind built, the seas grew, and conditions deteriorated. Plan B was to head north along the Panamanian coast and tuck behind an island where we could work safely. We are now motor sailing under mainsail alone at about 4 knots, aiming for Isla de Cebaco with an ETA of Tuesday around 08:00.

So I ask you, was this an innocent mistake or a clever bit of Darula sabotage to guarantee some island time? I will let the readers decide.

As I write this, many variables remain unknown. Will the anchorage be calm enough to work aloft? Do we have the tools and skills on board to fix the problem? And this unexpected motoring has eaten deeply into our fuel reserves. We will need to recalculate whether we have enough to reach Hawaii safely.

We will update you from Hazel once we have answers to the many questions swirling through our minds.

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We were blessed with a surprise visit from Mr. Tito Warren. Before our retirement, Tito was the boss at Red Wing Shoe Company, and seeing him again felt like reconnecting with a piece of home. His schedule in Panama was packed, so we are especially grateful that he carved out time to come see us.

As a fun sidenote, Red Wing Shoe Company, under Tito’s leadership, has been working diligently to outfit all 9,500 employees of the Panama Canal with Red Wing boots. Fingers crossed that 2026 will be the year that goal becomes a reality.

Hazel slipping her lines free and heading out into the Pacific for a nonstop passage to Hawaii.

This was when the world felt just right. Flat seas, seven knots on the dial, and fresh pineapple reminding us that sailing can be pure magic.

It is hard to see the head sail clearly from this angle, but those of you who sail can follow the Genoa up to the top and spot the problem. I also took a picture of the lines. The green one is the Genoa reefing line and the white one is the Genoa sheet. They really do not look much alike, so it is still a mystery how they were confused.

In the end, as captain, the responsibility is mine. I should have talked through Peter’s exact role before the maneuver and asked a few questions to make sure everything was fully understood. I should have been more aware of the situation as it unfolded. Things late at night have a way of going wrong, and clarity is what prevents problems.

Just when you think you’re sailing alongside the prettiest lady on the ocean, someone has to glide past and upstage her by a mile.

Meet the Sea Cloud Spirit. She is a 138‑meter, three‑masted luxury windjammer operated by Sea Cloud Cruises, a blend of classic sailing elegance and modern comfort for 136 passengers. She carries 69 cabins, many with balconies, along with a spa, gym, and fine dining. Her itineraries span the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and the Azores, and she turns heads everywhere she goes.