Thomas and Barbara Agerter of Superior are no strangers to outdoor adventure.
The couple who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro last year set sail last week for a 2,070-nautical-mile journey from San Francisco to Kaneohe, Hawaii, as part of the 2012 Pacific Cup. The trip began July 16 and they expect to reach Hawaii toward the end of next week.
"We are moving along now," Barb Agerter posted on the couple's sailing blog last Thursday. "Last night was exciting. I hate what they call 'slatting.' There is no wind so you just bounce all over from the swells. ... We got a spinnaker up and then the wind came up and we took off. Geez. Then the wind switched and we had to take it down in a hurry."
The Agerters, both 54, are still aboard their 30-foot sailboat named Weatherly, anticipating an awards ceremony at Kaneohe Yacht Club scheduled for Aug. 2. The annual race ends when the couple reaches the Hawaiian island of Oahu's lush windward side.
That's, of course, if they finish on time. Current projections suggest they may not finish until Aug. 3.
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Well in advance of the race, Pacific Cup Yacht Club staged a series of preparation seminars and events designed to equip up to 46 boats and their crews to make the passage from San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay. Participants in the race range from first-timers in relatively slow family cruisers to experienced professional crews on high-tech racing machines. Many entries are double-handed, meaning that they make the crossing with just two aboard.
"Ahoy. I feel like I'm on a bucking bronco typing this," Barb Agerter posted Monday. "Sailors think weird things are fun. We saw a boat yesterday! That was exciting. It was Tiki J. They threw us clementines as they passed by. Only 1 of 6 made it to the boat but it sure was tasty. Now we won't get scurvy at sea."
The Agerters, originally from Escanaba, Mich., relish adventure. Tom is a seasoned sailor and has sailed each of the Great Lakes single-handedly. He and Barb completed the Newport to Bermuda Yacht Race in 2010. Tom sailed the Weatherly solo from Newport, R.I., to Bermuda, where Barb joined the crew and double-handed back to Newport.
The couple's adventures on the water turned skyward in February 2011, when they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Additionally, the Agerters have hiked the entire 275-mile Superior Hiking Trail. Tom also built kayaks the Agerters often use to explore St. Louis and Superior bays.
"What is on your bucket list? Think of it and DO it!" This advice was a recent post from Barb Agerter before she and her husband left on their 2,000-mile sailing adventure.
The trip can be tracked at www.sailblogs.com/member/weatherly and followed on a tracker at www.pacificcup.org .
