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 - June 18, 2016
Posted:
Beautiful sunny day yesterday; the multitudinous layers of fleece are starting to come off! We had a pod of small whales (largest was about thirty feet long) keep us close company (too close, really ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 17, 2016
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Squally day yesterday, and through the night, with lightning for added fun! Max winds in squalls 30 kts. Sailing wind has finally shown up. Still cannot hear GHR well enough to make out anything they ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 16, 2016
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Warming up a bit - at least the Boss isn't being quite so vocal about the cold! Hoping the wind will build enough to turn off the engine today! All is well on board.

Bright Angel - June 15, 2016
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Dodging cargo ships and searching for he breeze. The Boss is complaining about the cold, but other than that, "All is well on board."

Bright Angel - June 13, 2016
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Last night in Marsden; clearing with Customs tomorrow a.m. and departing for Vanuatu. All is ready and all is well.

Bright Angel - June 10, 2016
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Still in Marsden Cove, awaiting a weather window to sail to Vanuatu; possibly departing on Tuesday, 14 June. The cabin heater is keeping the crew comfy and happy. All is well on board!

Bright Angel - June 2, 2016
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Moved "down river" from Whangarei to Marsden Cove Marina on the late afternoon tide today, where we will finish up some "non-essential" boat projects and wait for a decent weather window to sail to ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 29, 2015
Posted:
At the Q-Dock yesterday (28 Nov) at 1400 - a record passage time for us - 7 days, 5 hours. Sailed from Navula Pass, Viti Levu, Fiji on one tack for 830 nm before starting the engine and motoring the ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 28, 2015
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On track for a record (for us) passage time - 7 days and (roughly) 6 hours; only 28 nm to go to Bay of Islands, and then another 10 nm to the Q-Dock. Motor sailing (and bucking an adverse current at ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 27, 2015
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Finally gave in and started the engine at 0540 this morning, and the wind dropped to under 10 knots from directly behind; last had the engine on as we cleared Navula Pass, 830 nm back. It was a good ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 26, 2015
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Happy Thanksgiving, from West of the Dateline! Although there will be no roast turkey with stuffing or baked ham dinner with all the trimmings for he crew of Bright Angel today (but that is not to ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 25, 2015
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Wind has started backing to the east. Good day of sailing yesterday; slight adverse current early in the day has been replaced with south setting current again. All is well on board.

Bright Angel - November 24, 2015
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Conditions have moderated considerably. Great sailing yesterday and last night; with the aid of a south setting current, had a 156 nm run from noon Sun to noon Mon. All is well on board.

Bright Angel - November 23, 2015
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Good day of sailing yesterday and last night - full moon, mostly clear skies, and shooting stars! Seas turned lumpy again before dawn - could be another "just put up with it" day. All is well on ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 22, 2015
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Departed Port Denarau for Opua, New Zealand yesterday morning at 0905; out Navula Pass at 1200. First 18 hours we got thrashed; winds ESE at 28-33, gusting to 36+, with seas very rough at 3-3.5 m ... Read More
Bright Angel - November 21, 2015
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Departing Port Denarau for Opua, New Zealand this morning.

Bright Angel - June 21, 2015
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enjoying a wind gusting to 6kts!

Bright Angel - June 21, 2015
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All is well that ends well! And here we are on the quarantine buoy at Vuda Marina, Fiji, awaiting our check-in first thing in the morning. The bottle of champagne gone now and the boat still at last ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 20, 2015
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With wind moaning in the rigging, dawn breaks in the anti-cyclonic gloom of damp, dreary overcast after another night of thrashing in force 7 winds and lumpy, bumpy seas. Sort of brings to mind the ... Read More
Bright Angel - June 19, 2015
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A somewhat less miserable night; winds moderated a bit, seas are still rough but less so than lately. The end is in sight; well, at 230 nm to go, not really, but psychologically, anyway! So, all is ... Read More

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