After three failed attempts, Lost Elvis finally made it to Hawaii, kicking and screaming, during her 32 days and 3,000 n. miles at sea.  She left Paradise Village Marina in Nuevo Vallarta on January 14, 2014 with a crew of six; three airline pilots (one of them Randy), one world cruiser and two young swabs. At first it seemed too large a crew but after the thruster bearing burned out, the raw water pump failed and with the autopilot going on strike, it was great to have so many men on a downwind hand steering voyage.

She arrived quite beaten up on February 14, 2014 at 4 a.m. Without an engine, our inflatable dinghy with its faithful 15 horse power Mercury outboard engine tied up to the quarter port stern, nudged tired old Lost Elvis up to Windcastle where we now sit on the Aloha Dock at our Hawaii Yacht Club.

We are very proud of our crew who were near their wits' end after such a long and painful ordeal. In addition to the failure of various parts and equipment, the wind was erratic; four days of great wind followed by 5 days of nothing; the so called "swimming days". Only two fish were caught with over $80 worth of lures lost. That coupled with various personality clashes made it all the much more unpleasant voyage.  There wasn't much energy left to rejoice; leis, a few beer, some Big Macs and fries.  That was it.

Now we are waiting on an estimate for a new Aqua Drive thruster bearing, we have a new raw water pump for our Ford Lehman engine thanks to BoMac Marine in Georgia.  Then comes Vacu Flush repair, stainless steel repairs to the pulpit and new life lines, deck caulking (if it can make one more season), new upholstery and curtains, mast stepping, new mainsail, new staysail..... on and on it goes.

But as I always say, there comes a time when you get the main items back online and then "cut her loose" and deal with the other repairs along the way.