The Blue Whale journey around the world

(February 15, 2004) This journey started as an idea about 6 months ago. My dad had talked of a new boat he was building in his shop - a 60 foot sailboat nicknamed the "Blue Whale". This boat is capable of holding 8 passengers and cruising at around 10 knots. The idea is to sail halfway around the world (from Wilmington, North Carolina) to the South Pacific, and maybe eventually into the Indian Ocean. The main activity will be surfing, and we hope to discover waves that have never been surfed before. We are planning to set sail in Summer 2004. From Wilmington, we will sail down the east coast to the Bahamas. This is about half a week of sailing. From there, we will head to the Panama Canal, stopping at the Dominican Republic and Jamaica, which will take a week or two. It is about a 10 day sail from Panama to the Galapagos Islands, and we will most likely stop at Isla del Cocos, an island that belongs to Costa Rica. The closest islands to the Galapagos are the Marquises, which are part of French Polynesia. From the Galapagos to the Marquises is a 20-30 day sail, with no land in sight the entire time. After that, we'll probably just keep sailing west through Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, and New Caledonia until we decide to fly back home. My cousin Wade and I will make a documentary film on the trip.

-Michael A. Mitchell

Our Path

Blue Whale in construction

Blue Whale in construction #2

Blue Whale in construction #3

Inside, looking at the kitchen.

The future bunk beds near the stern.

The future bunk beds up near the bow.

A comparison of size between a pickup truck and the Blue Whale.

The Quiksilver Crossing
Wrightsville Beach surf report
Surfline.com
WaterWays Surf Adventures