Britannica defines an odyssey as: 1. literary: a long journey full of adventures. 2. a series of experiences that give knowledge or understanding to someone.
In August 2023, Sampaguita, a Pacific Seacraft Flicka 20, and Joshua Wheeler embarked on an epic Pacific Ocean odyssey. Beginning and ending in Port Townsend, WA, they journeyed down the North American West Coast to Baja, Mexico, followed the trade winds to the Marquesas, and returned via Hawaii (sort of). Josh will share some places visited, wildlife encountered, psychological “research”, and equipment used in this single-handed voyage of a tiny boat on a big ocean.
Joshua Wheeler has lived and sailed on small craft for over 15 years and 25,000 nautical miles. Credits include a 2019 transit of the Northwest Passage, two solo circumnavigations of Vancouver Island in 2018 and 2023, the Inside Passage to Alaska in 2022, and a Pacific tour in 2023-24. He’s held a USCG Master license and has a recurring column in Latitude 38’s ‘Lectronic Latitude called The Resourceful Sailor Series.
Discover more from Sailing With Josh
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
2 Comments on “A Flicka 20’s Pacific Odyssey – March 12, 2025”
Hi Josh,
‘Just read yours in Latitude 38 about protecting a wooden or foam-cored decks from moisture intrusion by lining the holes with a tubing & epoxy. You finished your padeye installation with a purple coiled-rope mat that looks good and surely softens the thumps. Excellent idea, but what about attaching the block standing via a bungie cord to the adjacent lifeline instead so there is no thump, and no pad to trip on? I may well be overlooking a thing or two; this is a question in ernest.
In thanks, here’s a tip back: Living aboard an uncored, unlined frozen snot boat, the hull sweat inside lockers was intolerable. Mentioning my plan to line the hull in lockers with rubber-backed industrial carpet, a contractor buddy said no, use MiraDRAIN – cheap, easyier, perfect for the application, won’t absorb water. I’d never heard of it.
There are likely other brands – the brand doesn’t necessarily matter. This stuff is normally for use around French drains protecting foundations or along roads, used inplace of gravel around perforated pipe. Apparently another, thinner version is made for protecting below-ground foundations and retaining wall from ground moisture. That’s the one.
It’s an inexpensive sheet material that comes in rolls from contractor supply places. One side is some kind of stiff, thin formed plastic sheet with tiny molded-in top hat shapes ever inch or so to allow water to run down between them. That bumpy sheet is protected from mud filling in the molded voids by a scrim similar to one layer of chopper-gun fiberglass. It’s a two-layer affair easily cut with heavy-duty scissors or a box-knife to fit the hull shape inside lockers, from deck down to the bilge, including behind drawers, under bunks, etc.
For French drains the stuff reportedly comes in sheets 1″ thick – too thick for our uses. The foundation moisture barrier version I used is 3/8″ or 1/2″ thick so you lose little space in lockers. I don’t remember what it cost to do line the hull in every vulnerable space below on our Oldsmobile (a Tayana 37) but it was insignificant. More important – it worked!
It’s not for places great weight will bear on it nor is it pretty – it’s just a solid black, so excellent where not often seen.
Thanks for reading BT. An issue with the bungy idea you mentioned. I don’t typically like tying anything to the lifelines. The stations were robust and their bases sealed well. I want to keep them that way. There is too much flex, leveraging, and opportunity for shock loads. Plus the points were added after careful thought on how the jib would trim.
The other material sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip. The Flicka comes with a carpet lining, so the hull doesn’t sweat. What does happen is the hull to deck fasteners sweat and then drip on the carpet and then cause mildew. The carpet is nice when its dry and clean. Less so when it isn’t.
sailingwithjosh
Sailing With Josh 
Hi Josh,
‘Just read yours in Latitude 38 about protecting a wooden or foam-cored decks from moisture intrusion by lining the holes with a tubing & epoxy. You finished your padeye installation with a purple coiled-rope mat that looks good and surely softens the thumps. Excellent idea, but what about attaching the block standing via a bungie cord to the adjacent lifeline instead so there is no thump, and no pad to trip on? I may well be overlooking a thing or two; this is a question in ernest.
In thanks, here’s a tip back: Living aboard an uncored, unlined frozen snot boat, the hull sweat inside lockers was intolerable. Mentioning my plan to line the hull in lockers with rubber-backed industrial carpet, a contractor buddy said no, use MiraDRAIN – cheap, easyier, perfect for the application, won’t absorb water. I’d never heard of it.
There are likely other brands – the brand doesn’t necessarily matter. This stuff is normally for use around French drains protecting foundations or along roads, used inplace of gravel around perforated pipe. Apparently another, thinner version is made for protecting below-ground foundations and retaining wall from ground moisture. That’s the one.
It’s an inexpensive sheet material that comes in rolls from contractor supply places. One side is some kind of stiff, thin formed plastic sheet with tiny molded-in top hat shapes ever inch or so to allow water to run down between them. That bumpy sheet is protected from mud filling in the molded voids by a scrim similar to one layer of chopper-gun fiberglass. It’s a two-layer affair easily cut with heavy-duty scissors or a box-knife to fit the hull shape inside lockers, from deck down to the bilge, including behind drawers, under bunks, etc.
For French drains the stuff reportedly comes in sheets 1″ thick – too thick for our uses. The foundation moisture barrier version I used is 3/8″ or 1/2″ thick so you lose little space in lockers. I don’t remember what it cost to do line the hull in every vulnerable space below on our Oldsmobile (a Tayana 37) but it was insignificant. More important – it worked!
It’s not for places great weight will bear on it nor is it pretty – it’s just a solid black, so excellent where not often seen.
~ Bt (please don’t use my full name if published)
LikeLike
Thanks for reading BT. An issue with the bungy idea you mentioned. I don’t typically like tying anything to the lifelines. The stations were robust and their bases sealed well. I want to keep them that way. There is too much flex, leveraging, and opportunity for shock loads. Plus the points were added after careful thought on how the jib would trim.
The other material sounds interesting. Thanks for the tip. The Flicka comes with a carpet lining, so the hull doesn’t sweat. What does happen is the hull to deck fasteners sweat and then drip on the carpet and then cause mildew. The carpet is nice when its dry and clean. Less so when it isn’t.
LikeLike