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.
This has been the adventure of a lifetime!
We made it!
We carried out a dream of a lifetime, sailing from St.
Louis, Missouri, United States to Bundaberg,
Queensland, Australia--a total of 16,000 nautical miles. Our
trusty vessel, the Bavaria 42 Caribic, is currently sailing in Australian
waters now with its new owners.
We are back
on land and back to our old jobs: Sharon teaches at University
of Illinois Springfield and Michael works in St. Louis as a sales engineer
for Pasco, a company that manufactures
palletizing equipment. We needed a car to get Michael from Springfield
to St. Louis and back every week, so we bought a VW Golf TDI diesel.
It gets an average of 35 mpg, and Michael is enjoying the commute much
more now.
We know we
want to go sailing again in the future, but can't say when it will happen.
For now, we are happy to have had the adventure, and also to have a nice
place to come home to.
Fair winds,
Sharon and Michael
Monday December
19
Hello Everybody,
The Larabeck
Crew (Sharon and Michael) arrived early this morning in Amsterdam
and is just about ready to board the flight to Hamburg
after an eight-hour layover. Sharon is about to enjoy breakfast in
the attached photo. Alas, the water in the background is a picture
on the wall behind her—not quite the real thing. But the omelets
were delicious : )
Cheers, Sharon
and Michael
Sunday December
18 No Entry
Saturday
December 17
Hello Everyone,
Michael arrived
in Springfield
yesterday afternoon safe and sound. We are going to celebrate Pat's
Birthday and Michael's homecoming, and anything else that comes to mind
at Lynn's house tonight. Michael and Sharon are flying to Hamburg
Germany tomorrow to visit his family in Luebeck
for the holidays.
