| Gisela & Eric Isla Isabella, Mexico January 2005 |
| ABOUT US When he has his feet firmly planted on land and is not dreaming of sailing, Eric is an auto dealer in Hemet, southern California, where he manages the family's five dealerships along with his brother. (Please buy a car from us at www.goschauto.com and support our cruising kitty!) Eric became a glider pilot at 15 and continues to enjoy the peace and serenity of the wind aboard Far Niente. Gisela just retired from public service after 15 years of serving on elected school and park & recreation boards, as well as various other community boards in Hemet. Gisela grew up in Latin America, speaks Spanish fluently, and plans to brush up on her French during our 28 day passage to the Marquesas! Our oldest child, Courtney, graduated in 2005 from University of California, San Diego and is currently the Director of Volunteers for San Diego Oceans Foundation. Our son, Patrick, is a senior at the University of Redlands, who plans to eventually join the family car business. We look forward to returning from the South Pacific for his graduation at the end of May 2007. SAILING HISTORY It all started in 1988 - we went sailing with friends in Newport Beach, California and got hooked! Although we lived 90 miles away with two little kids in land-locked Hemet, we soon joined the Lido Sailing Club in Newport and began taking lessons. A year later we joined the same group of friends and bareboat chartered with The Moorings in the British Virgin Islands. It was then that we knew that sailing the world would be our ultimate dream! After bareboating in the Caribbean, Tonga, Thailand, and Greece, in 1996 we bought Wind Dancer, an Island Packet 37. Wind Dancer allowed us to explore the Southern California coastline and venture out to Catalina and the Channel Islands. But we eventually realized that we would want a larger boat for blue water sailing. Six years later we traded in Wind Dancer for an Island Packet 420, which we christened Far Niente, Italian for "do nothing". Far Niente perfectly fit our dreams of care-free sailing and exploring. In 2003, we became empty nesters and ventured south to Mexico on the Baja-Ha-Ha. We have been "commuter cruisers" for the past three years, doing the Mexican Yo-Yo. In January 2007, we officially cut our ties at home and flew to Far Niente, patiently waiting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, to prepare for our March 16 departure for the South Pacific and our lifetime dream. The eight months and 34 islands that followed are the contents of this website! |
The Crew |
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