Aye, Avante

Below are the lyrics to John Denver’s beautiful song, Calypso, given a touch of poetic license by the crew of Avante. With tears welling in our eyes and a heavy heart, we sing these words. For those of you who have enjoyed our adventures on our beloved Avante, there may be a tear lurking there, too.

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                    To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean
                    To ride on the crest of a wild raging storm
                    Whate'er we encountered, you carried us through it
                    In our search for adventures and peoples unknown.

                    Aye, Avante, the places we've been to
                    The things that you've shown us, the stories we tell
                    Aye, Avante, we sing to your spirit
                    We two who have sailed you so long and so well.

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                    Across oceans to far lands, you carried us with you
                    Racing effortlessly onward, you showed us the way
                    For though we were strangers in your water world
                    You taught us to trust you and trust in each other
                    To stay true as the tide and free as the wind
                    Joyful and loving and growing together.

                    Aye, Avante, the places we've been to
                    The things that you've shown us, the stories we tell
                    Aye, Avante, we sing to your spirit
                    We two who have sailed you so long and so well.

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What great adventures and experiences we have had on Avante! Our original plan of 10 years stretched into an amazing 15. We traveled almost 57,000 miles across oceans and seas, always heading toward distant horizons. We visited islands we had never heard of or only imagined seeing in our dreams. We made many unforgettable friends along the way, and we learned that, though widely different in customs and experiences, there are common threads in all our lives that bind us. Our shared humanity is real.

Covid-19 has dramatically restricted international travel and greatly narrowed cruising opportunities. There was really nowhere for us to sail this year. Fiji had opened its border on a restricted basis, and some of our New Zealand sailing friends had headed there. They will return to New Zealand at the onset of cyclone season. However, as Americans, once we left New Zealand, we would not be allowed to return until the country opened up its borders, and unless Australia were to open up its borders to foreign boats, Avante could end up stuck in the tropics for cyclone season.

During the past few months, we did a lot of thinking about our future sailing opportunities. Best estimates are that New Zealand will not open up its borders again until sometime in 2022. That means Avante would be just sitting in a marina for a year, and that is never good for a boat. We also feel that sailing in the South Pacific will remain restricted next year and perhaps even longer. These small South Pacific islands do not have much in the way of medical facilities, and vaccination programs are currently quite limited.

Our time on Avante was winding down. The Captain has just turned 75. Avante is a big, powerful boat and not the best choice for two 80-year-olds who want to sail across oceans. We would have to take on crew, and that would totally change the dynamics.

We were not really ready to sell Avante yet, but Covid forced our hand. After listening to the tales of friends who, before Covid closed travel, had left their boats in New Zealand to return home and now, frustratingly, could not get back to their boats, we decided to put Avante on the market.

After getting our vaccinations in New Zealand, we flew back to the United States at the end of May, leaving Avante in the Bay of Islands Marina listed with a capable yacht broker. Sometimes, when you don’t really want something to happen, it happens quickly. Within a month, Avante was under contract, and the deal closed by mid-July.

Avante has sold. There is a saying that goes, “The happiest day is the day you buy your boat. The second happiest day is the day you sell your boat.” That could not be further from the truth for us. We are filled with a longing to be back on her. There is a sadness at knowing this saga is over, even though we know it is the smart thing for us to do in the current situation. Thankfully, we do have many other activities and interests that have been pushed to the background over the 15 years of our cruising life. We will return to them while we hold close our memories of the places we have seen, the friends we have made and the life we have had while adventuring on Avante.

One consolation we have is that Avante has sold to some very experienced sailors who plan to sail her as she was built to be sailed. She has many more years of being the sleekest, most beautiful boat out there on the waters. Rather than sitting in a marina waiting for us to return. Avante will go off on new adventures with her new owners. She deserves it. That knowledge does fill us with happiness in the midst of our sadness at letting her go. She and we will each go on to further adventures.

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                 Aye, Avante, the places we've been to
                 The things that you've shown us, the stories we tell
                 Aye, Avante, we sing to your spirit
                 We two who have sailed you so long and so well.

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