Trip of a Lifetime

UPDATED 2/19/24:
When Carine Bullock and her husband, Doug, purchased their Nordhavn 47 back in 2009, they had plans to spend retirement by cruising here and there, up and down the east coast. They were ready to take a step back from their busy lives, and named their new boat Downshifting to perfectly encapsulate that plan. 

In 2013, Doug unexpectedly passed away and Carine was left with the choice to abandon their plans or to embrace them and honor the life that Doug had wanted. She continued full throttle as the sole owner of Downshifting and solicited old and new friends to serve as crew, continuing with cruises to New England and down to the Islands. At some point along the way, she started dreaming about crossing an ocean. Whereas many of her fellow Florida-based Nordhavn pals opt to make the jump across the Atlantic, Carine had visions of heading west. So a decade after her husband’s passing, she began making plans to go across the Pacific Ocean, bound for Hawaii. Months of research and prep work have led her to departure day, which, weather pending, will happen this weekend.

“This will be the most long distance traveling that I’ve ever done,” said Carine who cited trips up to Maine and down to Grenada as the furthest she’s gone in her boat. By the time she reaches Oahu, she’ll have gone around 5,600 nm, nearly 5 times as much as any other single trip she’s helmed aboard Downshifting. But she’s looking forward to it. “I’m ready.”

She’s had a giant support group in the form of other Nordhavn owners, specifically Gerry and Angela O’Dowd of N43 Celt who not only passed on tips from cruising the Caribbean prior to Carine’s travels there, but also by way of their own Pacific crossing, currently en route from Panama to the Marquesas, including necessary paperwork to clear their dog in and out of different countries. Carine will be bringing her two dogs along, who have been her loyal boating companions the past 5 years.

As she has done since 2013, she’ll have a rotating crew of friends assisting her with watch standing, friends who have accompanied her on other cruises and new crewmates who came from recommendations or forums. “I [put them through] an extensive interview process,” she said, to make sure they were a good fit. She has also spent considerable time preparing Downshifting for the journey. A mechanic went through every inch of the boat to identify leaks and spots that needed attention; solar panels were added and she developed a comprehensive spare parts list through research and interviewing other owners. 

“I have a little anxiety, but it has to do with making sure I have everything I need, that I’m not forgetting anything,” Carine said. “It’s going to be very exciting.”

She’ll have Starlink on board and plans to keep a blog, which is probably the only thing she hasn’t addressed. “I’ll get the blog going once we are underway and I’ve got some time,” she said. Her plans are to reach Hawaii by Christmas so she’ll have plenty of time to record her fantastic and inspiring adventures.

Currently headed toward Great Inagua, Carine is gearing up for the true start of her trip by spending some quality time in the Bahamas. She expects to be there a few more weeks before a 10-day sojourn in the San Blas Islands. It all leads up to her Panama Canal transit date on March 18. “It’s the only fixed date at this point,” Carine said, noting the cruise plan is devised more to give her revolving crews an idea of when they will be traveling.

Anyone interested can track Downshifting via its Predict Wind page, where Carine provides brief updates about the cruise. She still hopes to be able to get her blog going once she’s got some time at sea to kill.

We’ll be following and tracking Carine as she makes her way west. Check back for more details.