~ the boat is coming together ~ the crew is coming together ~ MAUI here we come ~

• in 2012, a decision was made to get the boat ~

• in 2013 the boat arrived ~

• by the end of the year, a crew seemed to appear out of thin air; all tied to our group of owners, instructors & clients ~

• almost as quickly, another crew formed to return the boat home as part of a top level training program

~ the crew racing in the VIC MAUI RACE has sailed together in the daylight & in the dark, in light winds & heavy & undertaken extensive training & practice ~

~ the boat has been through an exhaustive list of preparations & an inspection to comply with pages & pages of safety requirements ranging from storm sails to stability tests to building a completely redundant steering system for the boat ~

~ most of the crew has attended the SAFETY at SEA seminar, which included jumping in the the water to test lifejackets before climbing into a recently deployed liferaft  ~

~ through all of this, the key dynamic has been a team that can both work hard together & have fun together ~ complimentary skills ranging from SAILING through MEDICAL through MAINTENANCE down to 'modern day shipboard' challenges that include updating SOFTWARE on the boat's systems ~

~ as we head into the final month of preparations for this great adventure, we'll highlight some of the crew aboard & how they bring unique elements to the team & come together to be TEAM ALEGRIA ~

~ if YOU are considering your own epic adventure at sea, remember these famous words:

"you can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore"
                                                    - Christopher Columbus

~ REMEMBER, when you are ready, we are here to help ~ YOLO (You Only Live Once)