In 1971 I decided that building a 43’ sailing yacht was a good idea. At the time I had no idea  of the consequences this idea would have on my life’s path. I was a commercial abalone diver at the time, and 10 months after purchasing a hull and deck from Columbia Yachts, I was sea-trialing Sounder in the Santa Barbara Channel, and then provisioning for a trip to Tahiti with 3 friends. I meant to return to California, but never did so after seeing what the South Pacific had to offer. And then I ended up in New Zealand for almost 20 years after sailing there in 1976.