Bright Angel

Bright Angel

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Bright Angel is a 1990 Mason 44 cutter, built in Taiwan at the Ta Shing boat yard for Pacific Asian Enterprises, a Dana Point, CA company that now builds the Nordhaven ocean trawlers. She was designed by Al Mason, and has a very traditional look about her; but, more importantly, she is a great sea boat and a comfortable home.
 
Bob & Linda Hargreaves bought Bright Angel in Seattle in 2003, in anticipation of blue water cruising after retiring; their first boat, a 1979 Ericson 29, was much loved, but not up to ocean sailing. Bob worked as an attorney for the Washington State Attorney General's Office, and was a commissioned officer in the Washington Army National Guard; Linda was a business development manager for L'Oreal's Redken line of salon professional hair care products.

In 2010 Bob & Linda left their home port of Olympia, Washington, and set sail for Southern California and Mexico. After two seasons in Mexico, in 2012 they joined the "Puddle Jump" and sailed from Banderas Bay to the Marquesas and worked their way across the Pacific through French Polynesia and Tonga to New Zealand. For the next four years they sailed back and forth from NZ to the tropics - to Fiji three times, and then to Vanuatu and New Caledonia. In 2018 they concluded their full-time cruising and sailed Bright Angel home to Washington from NZ, with stops in Tahiti and Hawaii. They plan to continue cruising in Puget Sound, the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands, and further north in British Columbia.

Recent Updates

Bright Angel - May 3, 2018
Posted:

All is well on board.

Bright Angel - May 1, 2018
Posted:
Bob had a good radio signal again but GHRadio has a high pitched squeek this morning so he had competition. They have a sea water damaged computer so are using the all important spare and will be ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 30, 2018
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Bob and crew are really not enjoying the frontal system and are looking forward to calmer seas. Keep the faith Linda!

Bright Angel - April 30, 2018
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'It was a dark and noisy night.' The TWS hovered around 2-3 knots, clouds covered the otherwise full moon, and the Yanmar sang it's noisy song. The good news is, after listening to the engine for ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 29, 2018
Posted:
We are certainly on a slow boat to Tahiti - and it's going to get slower before it heats up! Winds are dying off, and forecast to go really light over the next day or so! "Ugh - not the motor ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 28, 2018
Posted:
Beautiful night (nearly full moon, too!), nice morning, no squalls, winds are behaving, seas aren't too bad, pancakes and hot coffee for breakfast - what is there to complain about?! "All is well on ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 27, 2018
Posted:
Wow - what a boisterous night it was last night - no squalls, but fairly high winds (up to 26 knots) and rough seas; trying to sleep off-watch was like trying to get rest in a washing machine! Things ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 26, 2018
Posted:
Can you hear it? - the sound of the wind and the waves as the boat sails along on fairly calm seas, under a bright sunny sky! We sure can, and what a welcome relief after 16 hours of listening to the ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 25, 2018
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Frustratingly light winds last night and today (and probably until much later tonight); in a ridge of high pressure covering a large area. Low we have been watching will pass to the east and south of ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 24, 2018
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Sunny day again today, after morning clouds. Winds were mostly light throughout the night, right on the edge of "motor time," but we hung in with the sails until about 1000 hrs this morning, and then ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 23, 2018
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Beautiful sunny day today. Winds are going lighter and the seas are settling down, so its a comfortable ride. Total run yesterday was 120 nm; 480 nm since we left NZ. Oh Boy! Only 1800 or so to go ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 22, 2018
Posted:
Boat wash day today, compliments of Mother Nature! There was a ?squall in training? last night that barely knew how to rain or blow, but the instructor came by this afternoon with a real downpour and ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 21, 2018
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Winds have moderated a bit today, but seas (swell and wind waves) are up, making for a rolly ride on a deep reach. Second 24 hour run was 115 nm; total run at 1200 local was 237 nm. We have run with ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 20, 2018
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Heavier winds than expected today; lots of reefing and jibing. First 24 hour run was 122 nm; first night at sea in over one year! All is well on board!

Bright Angel - April 19, 2018
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Better late than never! Left the dock today at 1035 hrs, after waiting out some less than pleasant weather, and rebuilding the fresh water pump that packed it in (essential piece of equipment ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 16, 2018
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The project list to get the boat ready to go sea is now down to the last few reams of paper! The weather forecast for the next week is a mixed bag, and we have two fairly divergent forecast models to ... Read More
Bright Angel - April 7, 2018
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Position update for previous post (dumb guy with a smart phone, trying to navigate the app!)

Bright Angel - April 7, 2018
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At Marsden Cove, finishing up boat projects, provisioning, and keeping an eye on the weather, hoping for a good window to leave for Tahiti soon!

Bright Angel - December 2, 2016
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The final few miles into Marsden this morning were nothing short of magical - beautiful blue skies, flat calm seas with a multitude of sea birds, including the regal Gannet, and the majesty of Bream ... Read More
Bright Angel - December 1, 2016
Posted:
This horse smells the barn! We should be at the Q dock in Marsden by mid-afternoon tomorrow. (The champagne is chilling!) Still motor sailing for now - in light ENE winds, on a calm sea, under blue ... Read More

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