Home Welcome!
Join us aboard our mobile maritime home - the sailing vessel JACARANDA - as we travel the high seas to explore the countries, continents, and islands of the world! We invite you to vicariously experience our journey through our web site and hope you will visit us often to share in our adventures and keep in touch!
-- Chuck Houlihan & Linda Edeiken, co-captains
So the Journey Begins.........
We cast off more than our docklines when we left our slip at Silver Gate Yacht Club on May 17, 2005. We sailed out of San Diego Bay for the first time on JACARANDA as live-aboards, leaving a comfortable and familiar land-bound way of life behind in our wake. For Chuck, it meant coming home again, to the way he lived before he chose to temporarily leave it in 1997 so that we could be together. For me, it was the beginning of a major adjustment to a new and foreign lifestyle I had only glimpsed. For both of us, it was the realization of our 7-year-old dream to go cruising.
We completed a summer shakedown cruise in the Channel Islands (California's Galapagos lying off the coast of Los Angeles and Santa Barbara), returned to San Diego in September and then left for Mexico on Dec. 7, 2005.
So the Journey Continues......
We have been cruising friendly Mexico for almost 6 years now, alternating between the Pacific mainland (from Mazatlan to Zihuatenajo) and the Sea of Cortez/Baja California. Weve had some spectacular experiences at the Revillagigedos Island for two winters with the giant manta rays and humpback whales and enjoyed some inland travel. Mexico has been our adopted home and we love our Mexican friends, the warmth of the people, the fabulous food, beautiful landscapes, rich cultural traditions, marine biodiversity, colorful language, and the general ease of cruising and living here. This is a place we feel connected to.
But wanderlust has a loud voice. Although it is considered bad form in cruising to announce any future plans (since the only thing that stays constant is change itself), here are our thoughts about a vague and general itinerary: we plan to head further south to Ecuador soon, exploring Central America along the way, do some inland travel in South America, and then eventually turn west and puddle jump (poodle yoomp as they say in Mexico) to the South Pacific.
There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other ........Douglas Everett
About Us About Us
Chuck Houlihan
Chuck grew up in San Diego in a Mission Bay neighborhood and started sailing in sixth grade on Lidos and Penguins. After high school he traveled the world for several years, living and working in Norway, Denmark, Italy, American Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. It was in New Zealand that he gained much of his sailing and racing experience, continuing when he returned to San Diego. He bought Jacaranda in 1983 and lived aboard, cruising the South Pacific from 1993-1997.
Linda Edeiken
The sea was a formative influence in Lindas childhood but her love of sailing didnt develop until a family bareboat charter in the British Virgin Islands in 1972. She credits her father Stan with being her role model for this journey; when her youngest sibling went off to college, her Dad followed his dream and sold his medical practice, bought a sailboat and left to go cruising with her Mom in the Caribbean for two years. In past lives Linda has been an urban planner, childrens museum director, and award winning mosaic artist . Her passions include adventure travel, art, and her two sons, David and Joe.
About the Boat About The Boat
History of the Allied 39
(1970-1973)
Originally built in wood as the renowned Owens Cutter, the design was first built in fiberglass by Allen Boat Company and was known as the BORSAW. Six of these boats were built. The design was then sold to Allied Boat Company of Catskill, N.Y. and became the Allied 39 with a few changes: the traditional transom was changed to a reverse transom, the underbody was redesigned by Robert Harris to a cutaway forefoot and modified fin keel with a skeg hung rudder, and the beam was widened from 10' to 10'5". With sweeping, classic lines, this is definitely one of Allied's best-looking boats. Only ten were built. Another famous boat based on the same design is the Hinckley 41, the only difference being an extended stern. The Allied 39 is considered a highly respectable passagemaking boat. When Chuck purchased her in 1983, Jacaranda had already cruised from Maryland throughout the Carribean, Virgin islands, Central America, South America, Hawaii and Alaska, and had been readied for Mexico but never left. He lived aboard her for 14 years, five of those in the South Pacific (1993-1997).
JACARANDA Specifications
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Electronics and Navigation Gear and Self-Steering Monitor self-steering system
Autohelm Autopilot
Furuno GP32 GPS and assorted handheld GPS units
Furuno 1723 C Radar/Plotter
Autohelm Depth sounder
Data Marine knotmeter
Communications Equipment
Standard Horizon VHF
Pactor III Modem
SSB: ICOM M802
Deck & Hull Equipment and Awnings
Winches: 2 Anderson #46 self-tailing primaries
Anchors: 20 kilo Bruce; 24 pound Danforth, 25 lb. Fisherman
300 feet of 3/8" chain
300 feet of 5/8" rode
300 feet of 3/4" rode
Lighthouse 1501 12V windlass
Safety Equipment
EPIRB ARC Rapidfix 406
Winslow 4-person Life Raft
Dinghy
Avon Dinghy (R 310)
Yamaha 8hp
Boat Design
Type: Allied 39 sloop
Designer: Owens Brothers with modifications by Robert Harris
Year Built: 1970
Builder: Allied Boat Company, Catskill, NY
Construction: hand laid fiberglass hull and deck
LOA: 39' 10"
LWL: 29'
Beam: 10'5"
Draft: 5'10"
Displacement: 17,000 pounds
Ballast: 6,700 pounds
Engine: Westerbeke 4-107, 40 hp
Prop: Maxprop 14" 3-blade
Water tankage: 70 gallons in two tanks
Fuel tankage : 30 gallons
Galley Equipment
Stove: 3-burner Force 10 propane with oven/broiler
Refrigeration: Isotherm Model 4701 12V water cooled/cold plate
Double stainless steel sink
Sails
Fully battened North main with four reefs
Genoa: 130% Roller Furler Boyd and McMasters foam luff
Jib: 120%
60% Boyd and McMasters
Storm Jib Paul Mitchell
Asymmetrical Spinnaker 3/4 oz.
Electrical System
Four 6 volt golf cart batteries, 235 amps
Balmar 100 Amp Alternator
Balmar ARS-4 Regulator
Two Siemans 45W solar panels; two Shell 80W panels
KISS Wind Generator
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