The Great Selene Rendezvous

Mystic Moon and Furthur, together again

It was a chilly day at the 2003 Seattle Boat Show when Kathy and John Youngblood boarded their first Selene. I greeted them aboard, and we began the journey that would take us both half way around the world.

The Youngbloods had not owned a boat nor had much experience but they had dreams, big dreams, of taking a trawler to the far reaches of the globe, dreams they shared together for years. Both had done their homework, studying all the facets of long range voyaging under power. We wrote the order for their Selene 53 and they began working with the builder, Howard Chen, to make their Selene. To this day I call the barrel chairs in my salon the “Kathy chairs” as she had a brilliant idea of making removable foot stools inside the chairs.

Mystic Moon arrived in Seattle and the commissioning process began. Kathy had wanted a household GE refrigerator, but it could not be shipped to the boat yard. With great trepidations we carefully measured the space needed and sent the measurements to the yard, fingers crossed. The day we were to install the monster I was awash with worry but low and behold it slipped right in, not a hair of room to spare.

Mystic Moon, west side of Vancouver Island 2005

I also began their training at Friday Harbor. We did several days of docking and other boating functions. Then buddy boated on some short trips and the final exercise was a rally circumnavigating Vancouver Island. I led the rally of seven new Selene’s on this epic voyage. We had a standard rule that the stress of each challenge was measured by the KSP factor, Kathy’s sweaty palms.

With a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island and a trip to SE Alaska under their belts the once novices were now quite experienced and accomplished boaters. They often helped the other new Selene owners with different concerns and soon became icons in the Selene world.

Mystic Moon departed the security of the Pacific Northwest and ventured down the coast to California, joined the FUBAR rally to Mexico and transited the Panama Canal to spend a few years in the Caribbean.

together anchored in Coron

I was elated to hear that they now were about to make the long passage across the Pacific. Furthur, to that date, had been the only Selene to cross the Pacific Ocean. They took two years in the Pacific, spending off time in New Zealand, then headed to SE Asia. I started hoping for the great Selene rendezvous. From Indonesia to Thailand they followed our path and then across to the Philippines.

Mystic Moon and Furthur, together again

Then one day I made the VHF radio call I had made so many times back in the Pacific Northwest, “Mystic Moon, Mystic Moon, this is Furthur” to which I gleefully got the response back “Furthur this is Mystic Moon, go to 68” it was like old times! Well except it was January and I was in a swim suit, hahaha.

John and Brian in the famed Barracuda Lake

Mystic Moon pulled into Busuanga Bay and anchored next to Furthur, again just like old times. We enjoyed Kathy and John’s company for a while and I showed them around what is now my favorite place, Coron Palawan. We dove the famous WWII wrecks, shopped at the public markets, saw sunsets at Alfaro resort’s pool and enjoyed the comradery of fellow Seleners and good friends.

the epic sunset from Alfaro Resort’s pool

We had a great time talking about what we had done to our boats, what had failed and what had survived such demanding travels.

Sadly, their time in the Philippines is short as they are on a move to make another epic passage to Japan, Alaska and back to the PNW, a trip that requires rigorous attention to weather windows. After a decade of cruising, grandkids are calling them back home.

So ended the rendezvous of the two most traveled Selenes, Mystic Moon and Furthur. If there is anyone I know who lived by my motto, it is the Youngbloods, who truly did make their Dream their Story.

the Youngbloods, Calverts and Furthur crew fair well dinner

Photos by Donna Calvert

Make Your Dream Your Story

Capt. Brian Calvert

M/Y Furthur

www.furthuradventures.com