Trinidad Express

Circumnavigation of the earth, by Bill and Normandie Doar aboard their 36-foot custom steel French sailing sloop Advent II, started in 2003. They sailed south from North Carolina, into the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean, then westward through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific Ocean, across Australia via the Coral Sea, the Arafura Sea, the Timor Sea, and finally across the Indian Ocean to the shores of South Africa in December 2004.
As their cruising kitty dwindled, their shared plans changed. Normandie would resume her work as a nurse in North Carolina and attend school to become a nurse anesthetist. This plan would provide funds for Bill to complete the trip.
Although Bill was competent to sail alone, the precarious and lonely 5,400-mile ocean crossing aboard Advent II to reach Trinidad, cross her outgoing track, and complete the circumnavigation would not be wise without a first mate.
Bill’s daughter Grayson planned to get married during Easter 2005 in Charleston, SC. Bill had promised to give the bride away, a commitment that dictated a tight schedule for the Atlantic crossing.
At Trinidad, Bill would haul the boat into storage and fly home for the wedding. He would return and leisurely sail singlehandedly north from the Caribbean islands to North Carolina.

I was approaching retirement after a career as a community college professor. My youth had been spent reading ocean voyaging books and dreaming of making an ocean crossing. I sailed most of my life in North Carolina coastal waters, currently enjoying my boat Irish Mist, a 32-foot sailing sloop. Although I had sailed offshore many times, I had spent only a few nights on ocean passages.
A colleague, who was following Bill and Normandie’s trek via the internet, suggested I contact Bill about joining Advent II as crew. After some research, I realized the couple was my neighbor in Chocowinity, NC. A friend knew them to be quality people, emergency medical technicians, and members of Trinity Episcopal Church. Bill and I were about the same age.
My wife, Jackie, agreed to allow me to volunteer for the crossing. I sent Bill a tentative introductory email including a brief outline of my sailing abilities. After several email exchanges, Bill wrote, “Jim, make sure you get a physical checkup and meet me in Cape Town, South Africa.”
So it would happen―the completion of the circumnavigation. I became the First Mate on Advent II for an express crossing from South Africa to Trinidad, with short stops in Saint Helena Island and Fernando de Noronha, Brazil.
Welcome aboard for a ride on the Trinidad Express!