{"id":489,"date":"2019-04-02T12:00:51","date_gmt":"2019-04-02T12:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/?p=489"},"modified":"2023-02-03T13:49:08","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T18:49:08","slug":"sewing-around-world-voyage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sewing-around-world-voyage\/","title":{"rendered":"Sewing Our Way Around the World: Voyage of the S\/V YOLO"},"content":{"rendered":"

You only live once. That was the motto and motivation for Jason and Karen Trautz when they embarked on a 10-year circumnavigation sailing adventure. Through it all they learned that the key to the liveaboard lifestyle is endurance, patience, kindness and having the right person by your side. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Beginning of a Dream<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe never intended to circumnavigate; we just kept going,\u201d Karen recounted. \u201cI was happy to be in the Caribbean, and then we kept going west. Once we went through the canal we just kept going downwind. Pretty soon, you\u2019re in another ocean, so you just keep going.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jason and Karen began their journey 12 years ago when they purchased a 42-foot PDQ Antares and christened her the S\/V YOLO. \u201cWe launched from Charleston, North Carolina. That\u2019s where we bought the boat,\u201d said Jason. \u201c\u2018YOLO\u2019 \u2014 You Only Live Once. Go for it. People around us started dying, and we thought, \u2018we gotta get out of here and enjoy life.\u2019 Some of our fellow employees were passing away at young ages. You kind of get that vision of mortality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople wait too long to do the things they want to do,\u201d said Karen. \u201cAnd then they can\u2019t do them. So we decided we needed to get out there while we were still capable of doing the sailing routine. The cruising lifestyle was fabulous. He wanted to sail around the world and see all these old cultural places. I just wanted to live a Jimmy Buffet song.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"K
Karen and Jason enjoying a freshwater spring in Tonga.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And so began a decade of life on the open sea. After selling their house, cars, condo and all the possessions they didn\u2019t want to take on the boat, they set sail in 2007 and finished in late 2017. In that time they visited 88 countries, and, believe it or not, they insist it wasn\u2019t enough time! \u201cWe went through three sets of passports with the maximum number of pages you can have,\u201d Karen reminisced. \u201cIt\u2019s a big world out there, and there\u2019s a lot we missed. We saw so little of it.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Sewing at Sea: The Good, the Bad & the Salty<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Before Jason and Karen began their sailing adventure, they knew they would need a sewing machine strong and dependable enough to handle life at sea. They first learned about the Sailrite\u00ae Ultrafeed\u00ae LSZ at the annual Annapolis Sailboat Show. \u201cSome of our friends were talking about the machine,\u201d Jason recounted, \u201cand I bought our machine over the phone from Matt Grant [Sailrite Owner and Vice President]. We knew sails needed a zigzag stitch, and we knew the LSZ was what we wanted. Before we began our trip, I talked to Eric [Grant] because we wouldn\u2019t have access to any spare parts along the way. So he loaded me up with all the spare parts we\u2019d likely need during our voyage. And it was obviously true. We ended up using all the parts Eric recommended. They obviously know their equipment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Once they had their Ultrafeed and all the accessories they\u2019d need for their trip, all that was left to do was to learn how to sew. Both Jason\u2019s and Karen\u2019s mothers sewed, but neither one of them had ever practiced the skill. After getting the runaround from local places unwilling to teach him, Jason again turned to Sailrite. \u201cBack then Sailrite had DVDs and books on sewing. And that\u2019s how I learned. It was a lot of trial and error and ripping out stitches.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After Jason finally learned to sew and practiced on his new Ultrafeed, they were one step closer to setting sail. They soon learned that sewing at sea is very different from sewing in your home. There are environmental factors you don\u2019t have to consider on land. Not only that, but they quickly learned that procrastination is the enemy when it comes to sail repair.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"galapagos
Some of the local wildlife the couple encountered in the Galapagos Islands.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cAll that salt air is like living in a battery,\u201d Jason remarked. \u201cIt\u2019s a harsh environment living on the ocean. You either spend a huge amount of time and money on backup sails and canvases or you prepare to take care of them yourself. And proactively! You have to take care of issues when they\u2019re small before a little thing becomes a big ordeal. Before your sail rips out in a gale. You just made a three-day project from what could have been four hours if you\u2019d fixed it right away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The couple quickly learned that the sailing part was, surprisingly, not the hard part. Handling 80 lb. sails in such a small space is no small feat. Jason remarked that living on a boat is a giant logistics puzzle, and it helped having a portable machine like the Ultrafeed LSZ that could fit in a small space yet still had power enough to breeze through sailcloth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sailing the Globe<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Jason had learned to sail as a child in small sailboats and Hobie Cats, but Karen had never really sailed before the trip. A few years before they started their voyage, they took sailing classes to prepare themselves for their upcoming liveaboard lifestyle. \u201cYou don\u2019t ever want to have your husband teach you to sail,\u201d Karen warned, while Jason nodded along. \u201cWe went through the entire ASA [American Sailing Association] Sailing Courses in Florida. You have to learn to identify boats by their lights, learn how to use a sextant, learn offshore passage making, radios, communication \u2026 how to use single sideband radio, become ham radio operators \u2026 Email over the radio was our only form of communication during most of the trip.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From the Caribbean to French Polynesia and Australia to Fiji, Jason and Karen sailed by the wind. They were constantly on the move, yet they were also never in a hurry to get anywhere. They simply enjoyed sailing from place to place and staying as long as they wanted. Weather dictated where they could go and how long they could stay in one place before moving on. \u201cWho\u2019s going to hang out in the Caribbean during hurricane season? We stuck to safety and comfort. Speed was our last concern,\u201d Jason said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"niue
Exploring the small island of Niue in the South Pacific.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Tuamotu Islands in French Polynesia were one of Karen\u2019s favorite places they visited. The Tuamotus form the largest chain of atolls in the world, and Karen said it was like living in a calendar picture. Not only was it a beautiful place to spend a few weeks, but the people there were generous and welcoming. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people were so friendly,\u201d Karen reminisced. \u201cWe helped a guy hold a roof up while he was leveling and repairing it. The chainsaw he was using had no oil for it. The instructions were in English and they didn\u2019t know how to use the chainsaw correctly. A few days earlier, we had found an old oil can floating in the waters of the Marquesas. So we went back to our boat and retrieved it. When we got back he wasn\u2019t at his house anymore, so we left the oil can nearby hoping he would find it. We went walking around, exploring the area, and when we came back this little boy came running up to us motioning for us to wait. He went inside and came running back out with his fists full. In one fist was a matchbook stuffed full of pearls of all different shapes, sizes and colors. In his other fist was a handful of pearls as well. That was their way of saying thank you for the oil can.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"snorkeling
Some of Jason and Karen’s favorite snorkeling pictures, including a sunken ship.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The generosity and kindness of the locals was something that Jason and Karen found truly remarkable \u201cIn another island we invited the kids to swim out and jump off the front of our boat for fun. They brought me this handmade mother-of-pearl fan that had been made with the fine weaving of the Cook Islands. They also left a handful of pearls as a thank you for letting the kids play on the boat.\u201d Karen added, \u201cWe\u2019ve been invited to weddings, funerals, birthday celebrations, even into people\u2019s homes to stay. If we happened to be there, they invited us in.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to immerse ourselves in the local culture of wherever we\u2019re visiting,\u201d Jason explained. \u201cThe goal is to understand their culture and how they do things. Sometimes we\u2019d go into their schools and help with their English classes. The books they\u2019re using are 30 years old. They can\u2019t practice English because they only have a book. In many places the equipment that\u2019s been donated has become useless. It worked for a month in the beginning but no one there understands the instructions because they\u2019re in English. So it\u2019s easy for me to help with their construction projects.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jason
Jason poses with some local children in Gambia, Africa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Needing a Tune-Up<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

After 10 years at sea and thousands of miles traveled, their beloved Ultrafeed was in need of a tune-up. They\u2019d reached a point of frustration where they could no longer use the machine. Luckily, Jason and Karen happened to be near our Sailrite facility in northeast Indiana and asked to stop in and have their machine looked at. Their Ultrafeed LSZ is over 12 years old, and even though their circumnavigation has ended and they\u2019ve sold the S\/V YOLO, they still plan on using the machine to sew projects for their home and other smaller boats they own.<\/span><\/p>\n

After a couple hours of maintenance, their machine was good as new and ready to tackle another sewing project. It turns out it wasn\u2019t just the tension that was off, which is what they suspected, there was a burr on the hook that was shredding thread every time they tried to sew something. \u201cMatt Borden [Chief Technical Advisor] is a miracle worker,\u201d said Jason. \u201cHe got our machine fixed and running like new again. It sounds better; it\u2019s moving better. It takes the frustration out of the equation to have a skilled technician fix it and get it running properly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Jason
Matt Borden, Chief Technical Advisor, repairs Jason and Karen’s 12-year-old Ultrafeed LSZ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jason had nothing but positive things to say about Sailrite\u2019s level of expertise and customer support. \u201cMatt Grant, his brother, Eric, everybody I\u2019ve ever talked to on the phone or via email or met at shows \u2014 you guys are doing it right. In most parts of the world, follow-up support and service has gone drastically downhill. You guys can diagnose something over the phone or by email. You know your stuff and are willing to help. It\u2019s such a relief to have someone on the other end who\u2019s actually engaged and glad to work with you and stick with you until your issue gets resolved so we can use our machine again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Advice From a Liveaboard<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Ten years of sailing around the world with only your spouse for company \u2014 not to mention that the cabin on a sailboat is no bigger than a bedroom \u2014 could be enough to end some marriages. Luckily, Jason and Karen found a way to stay sane and grounded during the voyage. They had books, music, playing cards and DVDs to keep them entertained, but the biggest obstacle was how to handle arguments.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest challenge that anybody\u2019s going to face is compatibility,\u201d Jason explained. \u201cWhere are you going to get away when you need to be alone? The biggest struggle is space. A boat cabin is not that big. Probably way over 50 percent of people who buy a boat sell it within 18 months because they can\u2019t coexist in harmony.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe developed the \u2018Five Minute Rule,\u2019\u201d Karen added. \u201cIf you\u2019re upset with somebody \u2014 your partner \u2014 you get five minutes to vent, rant, rave, do whatever you need to do to get it out. But after five minutes you need to let it go because I need you back in my corner helping man the ship, trim the sails, do whatever. I can\u2019t have you holding a grudge when a squall is coming through. You have to get over it and let it go. And I think that\u2019s a good skill to have in any marriage or partnership, but it was extremely important on a boat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a nice lifestyle,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t like where you are just pick up and move. You get to visit one nice place after another. But it is a lot of work. We kept our boat well maintained and in great working order so that when we dropped anchor at a new location we could go into town and explore the area instead of doing hours of maintenance work.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing is,\u201d added Jason, \u201cthere aren\u2019t a lot of people that make it very far. They just can\u2019t live with each other that long, 24\/7. And it\u2019s a lot of work \u2014 every day. It\u2019s the same chores day in and day out, and the list never gets smaller.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"YOLO
The S\/V YOLO at anchor during a picturesque sunset.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It turns out sailing the globe isn’t exactly like living a Jimmy Buffet song after all, but it sounds like they don\u2019t regret a single second of it.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who We Are<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Sailrite is your one-stop DIY shop! We are a passionate crew of do-it-yourselfers who strive to equip you with the supplies and how-to knowledge you need to tackle your next project. Do you want to learn upholstery, leatherwork, canvaswork, hobby sewing, bag making or more? We have the fabric, tools, hardware, sewing machines and notions you need to master any DIY. And even if you’ve never sewn before, our tutorials and how-to videos are designed for beginners and experienced crafters alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start your DIY journey today: www.sailrite.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You only live once. That was the motto and motivation for Jason and Karen Trautz when they embarked on a 10-year circumnavigation sailing adventure. Through it all they learned that the key to the liveaboard lifestyle is endurance, patience, kindness and having the right person by your side. The Beginning of a Dream \u201cWe never … Continue reading Sewing Our Way Around the World: Voyage of the S\/V YOLO<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2],"tags":[27,29,22,26,28,19,37,70],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/yolo-at-anchor.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/padSoq-7T","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1880,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/boat-bengal-andrew-jazz-captain\/","url_meta":{"origin":489,"position":0},"title":"Boat Bengal: Andrew, Jazz & Captain","date":"December 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"We all love our pets, and we often wish we could take them everywhere. But can you imagine taking them along to circumnavigate the open ocean? Andrew and Jazz might seem like your average sailing couple, but they have a unique sailing companion \u2014 their Bengal cat, Captain! The two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/IMG_20200912_181156-scaled-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sailing-sewing-coconuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":489,"position":1},"title":"Sailing & Sewing Where the Coconuts Grow","date":"May 25, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Meet Jody and Peter, the sailing couple behind the blog \u201cWhere the Coconuts Grow.\u201d This determined couple set their sights on the liveaboard sailing life and didn\u2019t look back. They\u2019ve been cruising in the Caribbean for the past two years on board S\/V Mary Christine. To continue their sailing lifestyle,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/where-the-coconuts-grow_3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":859,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sailing-sewing-raising-family\/","url_meta":{"origin":489,"position":2},"title":"Baby on Board: Sailing, Sewing & Raising a Family","date":"August 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Jon and Leah Kruger have been enjoying the liveaboard lifestyle since 2011. They both grew up in sailing families \u2014 Jon sailed on traditional wooden sailboats in Maine, and Leah spent seven years of her childhood aboard her parents\u2019 Frasier 41 named \u201cSynchronicity.\u201d She spent four of those years circumnavigating\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/brio-at-dusk.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2900,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/marine-enclosure-diy-ultrafeed\/","url_meta":{"origin":489,"position":3},"title":"Tackling Marine Enclosure Projects With the Ultrafeed\u00ae LSZ","date":"September 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2019, Linda Jackson and her husband bought an 80-foot custom-built John Alden-designed sailing yacht. They live on the vessel full time, cruising the Pacific Ocean and working on the boat as they traverse the open waters. They\u2019ve spent the past few years updating and refitting \u201cSV Duende.\u201d For all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/IMG-20230508-WA0007-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":459,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sailing-pets\/","url_meta":{"origin":489,"position":4},"title":"Sailing With Pets: How to Cat-Proof Your Boat","date":"March 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"After marrying in 2008, Luisa Mixon and her husband, Seth, set their eyes to the sea. Like many Sailrite\u00ae customers, their dream was to buy a sailboat, learn to sail, and eventually gain enough experience to live completely on board. 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But if you ask her today about the four years she spent circumnavigating the globe with her husband, she\u2019ll gush about her boat,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"Kelly-Girl-Collage","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kelly-girl-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=489"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2795,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/489\/revisions\/2795"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}