Adrian Johnson
Idefix

Olson 30

PCR: 99
Homeport: Seattle, WA

Idefix

Growing up in France, I spent my childhood and teenage years following the adventures of local singlehanded ocean racing celebrities, and knew a long time ago that I wanted to sail across an ocean on my own. I've been on and around sailboats since before I can remember, first on the Mediterrannean, then the English Channel, Atlantic and, in 2000, I came to Seattle and started sailing on Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific. This race will be my longest offshore passage by a fair margin.

I've been following the SHTP for a couple editions now, and last year I realized that if I wanted a shot at doing the race before I turned 30, it was time to get a boat and start working on it! I found an Olson 30 whose previous owner had been preparing for a race to Hawaii, and figured she would be the perfect boat for me and for the race. With all the work involved in getting ready for this kind of adventure (and a full schedule of crewed races), I haven't had much time to practice sailing her solo, but I'm confident we'll have a great ride to San Francisco, Hanalei, and home again.

Navigation: 2 handheld GPS receivers, a laptop running SeaClear, and a cheap plastic sextant.Idefix

Steering: 2 Raymarine X-5 autopilots, and spare parts for a third.

Communication: SSB and VHF radios

Food: Fresh fruit and vegetables for a couple days, some dried sausage, some canned chili, and lots of dehydrated stuff.

Special Thanks: To Heather, to my friends and colleagues at AeroMech, to all my friends at WYC for helping me prepare the boat, to Kregg for helping me get the boat to the starting line, and to Peter for all the hard work and hopefully a fun sail home!