We are the Grafs, Sharon and Michael, of Springfield, Illinois, proud owners of the Larabeck, a 42-foot yacht. Sharon is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Illinois at Springfield. Michael is an engineer who can build or fix just about anything and who caught the sailing bug at a very young age. Read more about us --More about the Grafs --How the Larabeck got its name --land-locked friends Sailing to the South Pacific is a big adventure and we spent years planning for it. Read an in-depth interview of Michael and Sharon about how our dream became a  reality.

 

We left Florida in early May, 2010, sailing to the Panama Canal, the Galapagos Islands, and our longest trek--3000 miles--to the Marquesas Islands! We have meandered through French Polynesia, Niue, the Cook Islands, Tonga, and the eastern shore of the north island New Zealand. We toured NZ's south island by car with friends, then stayed in Auckland where Sharon researched south pacific music and culture at the University of Auckland.  In late April, we returned to Tonga, spending the summer exploring it and the islands of Fiji.  We flew back to Springfield August 4, Sharon to resume teaching and Michael to consult for his former employer. Michael returned to Fiji in September, sailing with crew member Mari to Vanuatu. From there, he and two new crew members, Megan and Tom, sailed to Ile Huon and Chesterfield Reef in northern New Caledonia. They arrived in Bundaberg, Australia November 14.  Michael spent the rest of November preparing the boat to sell the Larabeck and has sold it to an Australian buyer. Michael flew from Bundaberg to Chicago and drove home to Springfield December 16. Stay tuned for more adventures.