The Route
1,000 days, 10,000+ nautical miles, 50+ islands
Commissioning & Europe
Ad Astra was born in the Lagoon shipyard at La Rochelle. Hull #161, fresh off the line. The family sailed the Atlantic coast of France, Spain, and Portugal before bringing her across the Atlantic.
One-Way Tickets
Sold everything in Austin. House, cars, no storage. Flew to St. Thomas with bags and dreams. Spent the summer exploring the Virgin Islands — Salt, Cooper, Norman, Peter, JVD, Tortola, Anegada — the apprenticeship of full-time cruising.
The Eastern Caribbean
Down the island chain, learning the rhythms. Provisioning runs that felt like RPG quests. Kite surfing at Union Island. Hurricane Matthew — the first real test — hiding in Grenada's mangroves while a Category 5 monster passed. Befriending cruisers from a dozen nations. Kerry Ollivierre of Bequia taught the family more about these waters than any chart.
Los Roques & Venezuela
A 433nm passage south from Sint Maarten under the big green gennaker. Bioluminescent trails in the wake, the Milky Way overhead. Arrived to powder-white sand streets, friendly Coast Guard, $3 lobster dinners, and 645,000 Bolivars at 7,000 to the dollar. The family's favorite destination.
The ABCs & Bonaire
100 days in Bonaire mastering technical diving with Chris Verstappen — nitrogen narcosis at 150 feet, mask ripped off, air turned off, and math problems to solve. Klein Curacao's shipwrecks and lighthouse. A dramatic underwater o-ring recovery. The floating Venezuelan market in Willemstad. Flying termites in Aruba.
The Western Caribbean
830nm from Aruba to Grand Cayman in 6 days, hitting 13 knots. Pink Floyd at 4:30am over 12,000 feet of water. The Mayan Riviera — Chichen Itza, Tikal, Uxmal, Loltun Caves, cenote diving. White mango hunts at dawn in Guatemala. Coding Million on Mars in a palapa. Navigating through Belize without instruments after the depth transducer died.
Honduras & Pirate Waters
The toughest leg. Dive tanks stolen in Roatan. Watermaker failure, solar panel broken, ran aground, dragged into coral. Buddy-boating with SV Maple through waters where three boats had been violently boarded. Machetes purchased. A coded radio plan. Then a terrifying wind event — zero visibility, 40+ knots from all directions — and Ad Astra heaved-to, sailing backwards toward safety. A spontaneous detour to San Andreas, Colombia's version of Hawaii.
Panama & The Canal
Uncle Dave flew down to help transit the Panama Canal — line handling through 100-year-old locks, beer drinking contests at the Pacific Puddle Jump party, and body surfing at Red Frog Beach with fins that were the last gift from Erik's Dad. 66 floors above the canal, two brothers planned a future. Neil Bethke had passed just weeks before, and this chapter was as much about healing as sailing.
Postcards from the Route
Los Roques, Venezuela — the family's favorite destination
Ile du Grosier, Guadeloupe — protected French nature reserve
Rainbow over the anchorage — a regular occurrence
Just another Tuesday in the Caribbean
The Full Island Count
Puerto Rico • Culebra • Culebrita • Vieques • St. Thomas • St. Croix • St. John • Salt Island • Cooper Island • Norman Island • Peter Island • Jost Van Dyke • Tortola • Anegada • Fallen Jerusalem • The Dogs • St. Martin • Sint Maarten • Ile Tintamarre • St. Barts • Ile Fourchue • Anguilla • Saba • Nevis • Montserrat • Redonda • Antigua • Barbuda • Guadeloupe • The Saints • Petite Terre • Dominica • Martinique • St. Lucia • St. Vincent • Bequia • Tobago Cays • Union Island • Canouan • Petite St. Vincent • Petite Martinique • Grenada • Carriacou • Los Roques • Bonaire • Klein Curacao • Curacao • Aruba • Grand Cayman • Jamaica • Cozumel • Chinchorro Bank • Utila • Roatan • Guanaja • San Andreas • Bocas del Toro • Panama City