10 Years in Service - 2015 to 2025
Whew! It’s already been 10 years since Libra completed her major refit, which began in 2013 and culminated in 2015 with her first passage to Havana. Over the years, her color has changed, a hardtop was constructed, the interior and galley were updated, and many other improvements have been made aboard. Hundreds of guest crew members have had the opportunity to sail and learn cruising and passagemaking aboard—many coming just for the adventure. Read the highlights below to explore the adventures she has undertaken over the last 10 years.
What has Libra been up to the last 10 years?
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Starting in 2015 Libra joined the Havana race from Pensacola, FL; this was the first time that a race from the United States has happened (legally) in 50 years and the first passenger trip for Libra in 20! We sailed about 4k NM the first year.
In 2016, Libra began her scheduled routes for offshore training missions. During this time, she sailed the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, stretching her legs and testing gear and hardware in preparation for more demanding passages. Libra visited Isla Mujeres & Cancún Mexico, Havana Cuba, the Florida Keys, and Roatán, Honduras in the western Caribbean. In her first full year of service, Libra completed 4 round trip passages and sailed around 6k NM.
Early 2017 brought Libra to the Miami Boat Show to show potential sailors what a bluewater boat looks like. Libra spent a lot of time at the shipyard but this time it wasn't for maintenance. She was used in a Hollywood Movie, setting the stage for Gary Oldman to come and make movie magic. Libra was transformed into a haunted boat for the movie, It was a very interesting few months to say the least. The passages before and after filming found Libra in the Eastern Caribbean, Havana Cuba and Mexico where Libra delivered donated clothing to people effected by an earthquake. She racked up lots of miles during these expeditions covering more than 8k NM for the year.
2018 began with Libra receiving new keel bolts—all 14 of them! Her first passage of the year took her from Pensacola, FL to Key West and then onward to the Caribbean. A quick summer return to Alabama allowed servicing of Libra's main centerboard and let the movie production crew shoot additional footage for the release.
During the fall, a hardtop and dodger were constructed over a 3 month period, shortly after she set sail for Mexico to close out the year. Libra also made passages to Havana Cuba and the Eastern Caribbean islands, with countless explorations in between. A highlight of the year was witnessing the largest group of humpbacks we’ve ever seen—hundreds of them—on the Silver Banks off the coast of the Dominican Republic and Captain Ryan almost going to Cuban prison for unknowingly smuggling used baseball equipment into Havana.
​
Libra traveled about 12k NM in 2018.
2019 was a monumental year for Libra, marking her first European run (since the 1980's) as she crossed the Atlantic twice. The year began with a passage from Pensacola, FL, to Havana, followed by a trip to Key West to prepare for the journey to the Caribbean. Her Caribbean season was a whirlwind of passage-making, island-hopping, and repairs in preparation for Libra’s transatlantic trip.
​​Her transatlantic passage was spectacular, with Libra handling the prolonged conditions like a true thoroughbred. The Bermuda-to-Horta, Azores, leg took around 12 days—a very respectable time. From there, she sailed onward to mainland Portugal, eventually arriving in Lagos and Faro, where she was hauled out for bottom paint.
​
In the fall, Libra splashed back into the water at the Faro shipyard and made her passage to Tenerife in the Canary Islands, where she staged for her Atlantic crossing. She arrived in St. Martin in mid December after a 19-day sail ending the year with a total of 14kNM sailed (WOW).
The start of 2020 was promising, with Libra running back-to-back passages that spanned over 1,200 nautical miles in just a few weeks
​​However, Libra was just hitting her stride when the world shut down due to COVID-19. With her schedule originally set to visit many islands in the Caribbean—most of which were now closed to visiting boats—Libra used this downtime to return to Alabama for a fresh paint job and significant upgrades, including new railings to enhance safety.
​The summer and fall were consumed by hard work at the shipyard. To make matters more challenging, a Category 2 hurricane struck coastal Alabama, flooding Captain Ryan's house. Rebuilding the house was added to the already demanding shipyard schedule.
​
2020 was undoubtedly a tough year for many. Libra still pulled off about 7kNM for the season.
On January 1, 2021, Libra emerged from the shipyard looking like a shiny new blue penny. The hard work poured into her by a dedicated team of volunteers, First Mate Bo, and Captain Ryan truly paid off. With her fresh paint, new rigging, updated safety railings, and countless other upgrades, we're not sure she had ever looked better—not even back in 1969.
​
The year began with a passage to Key West, followed by another to St. Thomas, USVI. In a world still navigating the challenges of COVID-19, Captain Ryan not only braved the high seas but also managed the complexities of COVID testing and governmental bureaucracy. With trips to nowhere (a term coined by John Kretschmer), 2021 became the year of nasal swabs and waiting for labs to produce negative test results to keep training missions on schedule. Despite these challenges, Libra managed to log over 13,000 nautical miles, essentially sailing in circles.
​
​During this time, the USVI served as a home base for Libra—a convenient stop and an easy flight for most Americans. Hurricane season saw Libra heading north, first on a tandem sail with John Kretschmer aboard Smoke and Mirrors (a Tayana 48) to his old haunt at Spring Cove Marina in Solomons, MD. From there, Libra continued solo to Baltimore, Delaware, New York City, and eventually Niantic, Connecticut, where she based herself for her first summer in New England.
​
​After a successful summer and fall season sailing around Long Island—literally—Libra made her way back to the Caribbean. She completed a passage through Bermuda in November, arriving in the USVI before Thanksgiving. Taking some time off for the holidays, Libra enjoyed a few “spa days” to address maintenance items before finishing the year anchored in Christmas Cove.
​
​In total, Libra achieved an impressive 13,000 nautical miles in 2021 without crossing the Atlantic.
Running trips to nowhere was business as usual in 2022, and Libra felt right at home being based out of St. Thomas, USVI. With a few passages planned to other Caribbean nations, and as travel bans and restrictions were lifted, we began to feel slightly more freedom to roam. During the spring, trips took us to destinations like Aruba, Grenada, and Sint Maarten. Libra also hosted 4 USVI sailing seminars lasting a long weekend.
At the end of May, Libra headed north, making her way back to Bermuda, where she encountered the first named storm of the season. With storm anchors at the ready, Libra rode it out safely in St. George’s Harbor.
​
With the storm passed, Libra naturally wanted to sail east and return to Europe. However, European COVID restrictions still in place redirected her back to New England. Once again, she based out of Niantic, running passages not only around Long Island but also back to Bermuda, up to Maine, and along the New England coastline, visiting charming islands like Nantucket, Block Island, and Martha’s Vineyard.
​
Despite a busy passage schedule, we found time to upgrade Libra’s systems. The refrigerator system was enhanced with three new units, new batteries were installed, and the galley underwent a complete rebuild. The improved galley was a game-changer, providing the Mate with more space and better cooking capabilities to keep the hungry crew well-fed.
​
As fall approached, projects were wrapped up in time for Libra to head south before the cold weather set in. She sailed back to Bermuda and then on to St. Thomas to finish the season, much like the year before.
​
Libra was in her groove in 2022, completing 21 passages and covering more than 15,000 nautical miles. She was in a constant state of motion, making 2022 a banner year.
2023 saw Libra taking on even more international passages throughout the nations of the Eastern Caribbean and the ABC islands. The demanding schedule left her with very little rest or "spa time," and Libra protested by blowing out sails. After five years and tens of thousands of miles, her mainsail—originally put into service in 2018—needed to be replaced, along with some restitching on the jib and mizzen. St. Martin became Libra’s base for these passages, as provisioning and parts were more affordable there. Additionally, items could be ordered duty-free under the “Yachts in Transit” designation. Libra completed four north-south runs between St. Martin and Grenada, with stops along the way that allowed the crew to immerse themselves in Caribbean culture. A highlight was Dennis the Menace in St. Lucia, a crew favorite that remains so to this day.
​
Spring saw Libra returning to her groove, making her way back to New England via Bermuda. Niantic once again served as her base of operations for the summer, with more trips and passage training through the challenging waters of Long Island Sound, as well as numerous voyages to New York City.
​
In the fall, Libra was hauled out at Crocker’s Boatyard in New London, CT. Over the course of three weeks, she received fresh bottom paint, new zincs, and attended to various underwater maintenance items. Just three days after splashing back into the water, Libra set her course south, first to Bermuda and then back to the island of St. Thomas.
​
The year ended with a celebratory New Year’s sail in the USVI, capping off another incredible season. Libra logged over 10,000 nautical miles for the year, maintaining her steady momentum.
With COVID now a thing of the past, 2024 was a welcome relief—not only for Libra but for the entire world. Libra was finally able to resume her regular Caribbean season, running passages and visiting nearly every island nation in the region.
​
St. Martin continued to prove itself as an excellent base, allowing Libra to complete numerous projects between passages. One notable upgrade was doubling her solar array by installing slide-out panel drawers, bringing her total capacity to an impressive 1,800 watts—a remarkable number for a monohull. Additionally, Libra’s boom gooseneck was rebuilt, as it had begun to show significant signs of wear. She left the Caribbean with a challenging beat to Bermuda.
​
From Bermuda, Libra sailed to Newport, Rhode Island, where Captain Ryan, along with friends and family, watched the start of the iconic Newport to Bermuda race—colloquially called “the trash to the onion patch” in reference to Bermuda’s rich onion-growing history
​​
The summer months kicked off with an unexpected and dramatic incident. While Libra lay peacefully at anchor during the night, another vessel dragged its anchor in worsening weather and became entangled in Libra’s chain banging into her starboard side. The collision caused significant cosmetic damage, including the need for a new section of toe rail and hull paint, but fortunately, there was no structural damage and Libra pushed on a little less shiny.
​
Subsequent passages took Libra as far north as Round Pond, Maine, and Monhegan Island, a place where time seems to stand still. Other voyages explored the waters between Maine and coastal New Jersey, with many additional passages around Long Island and though New York City. This time, however, operations were based out of Newport rather than Niantic.
​
The summer season concluded with Captain Ryan taking Libra to Port Washington, New York, for some pampering while he completed his updated STCW training to maintain his license. After returning to Newport in the fall, Libra began her journey south to Bermuda. She spent two enjoyable weeks there between passages, taking advantage of Bermuda’s pleasant weather and the opportunity to explore fascinating places by dinghy and scooter.
​
Libra then continued onward to the Caribbean, arriving before Thanksgiving to spend the holiday with family. She wrapped up the year with her now-iconic New Year’s sailing adventure, covering all three main islands of the USVI, 2024 added over 12k NM to her odometer.
2025
With over 100,000 nautical miles sailed in 10 years, we are deeply grateful for all the adventures Libra has safely taken her guest crew on. 2025 promises to be another exciting year, with Libra set to cross the Atlantic twice. The schedule includes plenty of Caribbean trips and numerous offshore passages to Bermuda.
​
In the spring of 2025, Libra will return to the shipyard for some grooming before embarking on her journey to Europe. She will spend several months sailing the waters of Portugal before heading to Tenerife in the Canary Islands and then to Cape Verde to prepare for her return to the Caribbean in December.
​
​If you’re looking for an incredible adventure and unforgettable experiences, be sure to check out these fantastic upcoming opportunities!
