Bright Angel

Bright Angel

Follow

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 - November 30, 2016
Posted:
Still motor sailing along (with wind vane steering) - in light ESE winds, on a relatively calm sea (swell is down considerably) under clear, sunny skies! The auto pilot even worked in the ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 29, 2016
Posted:
Still motor sailing - and may be all the way to Whangarei if the winds don't start cooperating! (Fortunately, we should have enough fuel ti do so.) Last night was squally, and today has been a mix of ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 28, 2016
Posted:
Started motor sailing last evening when wind dropped to single digits; heading basically toward NZ for a change! Arrival now anticipated Friday am, instead of Wednesday pm. Nice sunny day; seas are ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 27, 2016
Posted:
After passage of the front last night, wind filled in from the SE so we were able to tack back toward SW (were sailing E); now it looks like we we are en route to Norfolk Island (but wait, I thought ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 26, 2016
Posted:
Yesterday was such a nice day; blue skies, great sailing - but today, we are have had nothing but gray skies, periods of no wind, and now we are passing through a cold front with rain, with wind from ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 25, 2016
Posted:
Left Noumea, New Caledonia bound for Marsden Cove, New Zealand yesterday at 0830 local time. Good sailing yesterday and throughout the night; first 24hr trip total 146nm. Some rain and lightning last ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 12, 2016
Posted:

At P Moselle getting ready for the passage to Marsden Cove, Whangarei next week.

Bright Angel - October 17, 2016
Posted:

looking at sailing to grande Terre tomorrow

Bright Angel - September 6, 2016
Posted:
En route to Noumea, executing "plan B". When it became apparent yesterday afternoon that we were not going to make this morning's flood tide at Havannah Pass because of having had to ease off and ... Read More
Bright Angel - September 5, 2016
Posted:
We left Vila 0730 yesterday bound for Noumea. As we left Mele Bay, winds were E-ESE 20-25, seas 2-3m. Very rough ride to start, but comfortable now; winds and seas eased overnight. All is well on ... Read More
Bright Angel - August 31, 2016
Posted:
On a mooring in Port Vila. Finishing up a few boat maintenance projects, reprovisioning (need more Tusker!), and getting a long overdue haircut today, while awaiting a weather window to head south to ... Read More
Bright Angel - August 14, 2016
Posted:
We left Luganville (Aore Isdland Resort) on Tuesday, 9 August, and sailed to Vanihe Bay on NE Ambae Island. The next day we went around the corner and crossed the bar at high tide to enter Lolowai ... Read More
Bright Angel - July 18, 2016
Posted:

Correction on current location: Lat is 17 33 (not 13). Might be time to get my vision checked again!

Bright Angel - July 18, 2016
Posted:
Broke free of Port Vila on Saturday morning, 16 July (we were there 10 days), and motored to Mele (Hideaway Island) - enroute testing the autopilot we "recommissioned" in Vila to exorcise some sort ... Read More
Bright Angel - July 5, 2016
Posted:

near the end of their passage from Tanna to P Vila

Bright Angel - June 23, 2016
Posted:
We're here - Anelgaohat Bay, Aneityum Island, Vanuatu! Anchor down yesterday at 0900 local time (1000 NZST). The bubbly was great (but it was too early for Scotch!). Seven other boats here; one more ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 22, 2016
Posted:
Land Ho! And by moonlight, no less - how cool is that!? We are less than 15 miles from the anchorage, with an ETA of 0815 local (0915 NZST); we are crawling along now under seriously shortened sails ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 21, 2016
Posted:
Winds have gone to the north of east, giving us poor sailing angle. Fortunately, seas are calming down somewhat, so beating may at least be tolerable. Just over 100 miles to go; will have to slow ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 20, 2016
Posted:
Challenging conditions yesterday afternoon and last night; winds increased to 28-32, with gusts to 35 (despite gribs calling for 18-19 kts, and GHR advising "fresh breeze" of 17-21 kts!) which ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 19, 2016
Posted:
Nice day, but a bit blustery yesterday. Winds "freshened" throughout the day, and by evening were 24-26, with occasional gusts to 28-29 and showers. Seas built up, too, and below decks trying to ... Read More

Weather Reports