Where Is Paul Now?
Our 18-year-old leaves Aphrodite for his first offshore crewing adventure
You can track his progress at: https://www.predictwind.com/tracking/SV-OVIVE
Parting with our lad was rough. But, as he passed through security at the Langkawi International Airport, Malaysia, he didn’t look back. This was Paul’s first time away from home. He had just turned 18 ten days before. This was a major milestone for him and for our family. After ten years of sailing as a family, Paul would be leaving SV Aphrodite to join our friend, Dave Houston, on his catamaran from the Bahamas to French Polynesia.
He will be back, but where he will depart from and where he will meet us is unknown. We are sailing to Thailand in a few weeks and it will be the first sailing passage of this sort without Paul. We expect he will join us when we are in Phuket, Thailand. Henry has already started to move his things into Paul’s berth on our sailboat.
To imagine some of the scenes he will see and revisit. To see the green, folding peaks of Fatu Hiva. To eat fresh fruit off the trees. Paul takes fantastic photos.
Just a week before, Dave called and asked if Paul was available to crew on his catamaran O’Vive. Dave planned to sail from Florida to the Bahamas with his wife, Nathalie. Then, he would fast track his boat with crew to French Polynesia. Nathalie would fly to meet him in Tahiti. The fact that Paul is now an adult makes it easier to travel as he no longer needs parental permission to travel internationally. Within hours, Paul’s airline tickets were booked.
What Will Paul Be Doing?
Paul will be keeping watch, making meals, doing dishes, working with other crew, rescuing sails, and participating in boat cleaning and repairs. Basically, with Dave’s guidance, if he sees a job on O’Vive that needs doing, he does it.
Dave likes to sail fast. SV O’Vive was one of the leading boats in the Arc 2024 rally. SV O’Vive finished 5th overall out of 94 boats. If you see the photos, there are some very serious sailorly faces among the skippers at the pre-rally briefing.
O’Vive, Catana OC50 (Ocean Crossing 50)
Dave’s sailboat was recently featured in the Miami Boat Show. It can cover 260 nautical miles a day. This suits Paul perfectly. He is an experienced offshore sailor, having grown up on a sailboat. Paul reacts well under pressure, has experience fixing and maintaining boat systems, and he enjoys sail racing.
He is eager to learn from Dave who has spent a lifetime on boats around the Florida Keys.
Dave has owned a St. Francis 50 catamaran himself and sailed it from Florida to New Zealand with his family.
Here is a video of Dave and Nathalie Houston’s O’Vive underway. The video was made by Catamaran Gurus.
Paul’s 50-hour Journey to the Bahamas
Paul was originally set to fly to Georgetown, Bahamas via India and Dubai. But when the war in Iran broke out, he changed his route and headed east instead. His flights involved about 50 hours of travel. Excluding domestic hops, Paul flew from:
Malaysia → Singapore → Philippines → Taiwan → United States → Georgetown, Bahamas
The trip through the U.S. opened up another opportunity for Paul, which was to visit our friend, Carl in Miami. Rick met Carl in 2014 when he was at the Miami Boat Show. Since then, Carl has visited us on the boat several times, most recently in the Philippines.
Paul’s trip took him across borders, cultures, and climates.
Visiting Carl in Miami on a 4-Day Layover
Carl and Paul went out every day doing something different, whether it be shopping for shirts to visiting Universal Studios. He is a host extraordinaire.
Carl is retired from the NYPD, and his stories are legend. Partly because he has no filter, but also because his experiences are interesting. He was at the wedding of Liza Minelli and can tell stories from the NYC Subway and the seedy underbelly of city life that are flat-out macabre.
Our kids still talk about when Carl babysat them for several hours in Grenada and they went out for dinner having multiple rounds of sundaes, pizzas to take home and fresh juices.
Landing in the Bahamas, Paul is Now Underway
Here are some pictures he has sent. He plans to send more in a few days when SV O’Vive reaches Panama.
Dave’s boat has five crew, including Paul. So, this means that the shift rotations allow people to rest, though given that there is always someone on watch 24/7, I’m not sure the crew would agree with me. Dave has people pairing up to do watches. I think this is a smart idea as it builds rapport and skills.
March 15, 2026
Paul wrote to us today. He has already caught several mahi-mahi and helped rescue Dave’s dinghy while the boat was traveling at 12 knots. He writes:
I am glad he was there to help. The opportunity to crew, and to gain independence looks good on Paul. We are excited to follow his progress and look forward to benefiting from his newfound sailing experience and knowledge.
Follow Paul LIVE on the PredictWind Website
https://www.predictwind.com/tracking/SV-OVIVE
Dave writes short updates on the O’Vive PredictWind website each day. I enjoy reading what they are doing.
For Sailing Nerds: What it’s Like Sailing a Catana OC50
Interview with Dave Houston of SV O’Vive, and Benjamin Monier from Piment Rouge
In the video below, Dave describes his approach to sailing in the Arc 2024 and his genuine interest in learning and sharing information with others. He describes seeing his boat hit close to 27 knots and competing with Benjamin and crew on Piment Rouge (another Catana catamaran) on the Arc 2024.
Again, here is the link to track the progress of O’Vive:
Becoming a Sailor 