Cruisers' Profile- Julia

by Nancy Knudsen on 10 Mar 2007 It’s instantly obvious when you meet them that these two beefy blokes make a great two-handed cruising crew. Both highly competent and experienced sailors, one is the electronics whiz, the other the engineer. What a team! They’re high-energy individuals, both with successful careers, fast talking, smart, funny and - gay.

‘It’s interesting,’ I muse, searching my mind for memories, ‘I think you are the first gay long-range cruising couple I have met.’

‘Tell us about it!’ laughs Larry Jacobson, Skipper of their lovely Stevens 50 Julia. ‘We’re the only gay long-range cruising couple WE’ve met – and it’s not as though we’re not looking.’

Larry’s referring to the furling cover on their headsail, which is brightly rainbow coloured instead of the ubiquitous Pacific blue. I had first noticed the unique furler cover some days before, and laughed with the very cheekiness of it.

When Larry and his sailing partner Ken Smith finish their five-year circumnavigation soon by sailing against the wind up the west coast to their homeport of San Francisco, they believe they may be the first gay couple to have done a circumnavigation.

As we chat in the luxuriant polished teak saloon of Julia, they tell about their separate sailing histories and how they came to give up their successful lives to sail around the world.

‘It was my dream, since I was thirteen, and first went sailing where I grew up in Long Beach California,’ says Larry.
‘Thirteen is young,’ I respond. ‘You must have had a sailing family.’

‘No way,’ says Larry. ‘My father did everything he could to make me take up golf – what a disappointment I was – all I ever wanted to do was sail, and go white water rafting. Golfing just didn’t compete.’

Larry went on to become California State Champion in Hobiecats, before getting a BA in history from the University of California at Irvine, then a teaching degree at Graduate School at Berkeley. However, as soon as he graduated, instead of starting a teaching career, he signed on as crew on a 68 ft ketch and sailed to New Zealand. A couple of seasons helping to set up New Zealand’s now world famous white water rafting industry set Larry up for entry into the travel and tourism business.

By the age of 32, he started his own business, specialising in Incentives, his business finally becoming one of the most successful incentive houses operating in the deluxe end of the business. He was by now in the fast lane – fast cars, expensive lifestyle, jet setting around the world.’

‘But always, I had in the back of my mind that I wanted to sail around the world.’

In the meantime, Ken was growing up in Sacramento. A ‘natural’ in the field of information technology, Ken was sponsored by McClatchy Newspapers to gain a degree in Computer Science. He married, was on a successful career curve, and thought life was wonderful.

‘But we were too young,’ he remembers now. ‘The marriage failed, which was inevitable - I looked for something to fill my time, and found I just loved sailing.’

Ken found himself much in demand in the IT industry, which is famed for its high salaries and the luxurious lifestyles of its employees. He moved back and forth between San Francisco and Sacramento. Coincidentally, he also ended up buying a catamaran – a Prindle 16 – and sailing every Saturday.

However, it was when Ken and Larry started a relationship in San Francisco and began to sail together, that the idea of sailing around the world started to take shape.

‘I can’t really remember when we first talked about giving up everything to go sailing’ says Ken, ‘but we first sailed every yacht in our club, and there were about 20 for charter. Then Larry bought the first boat – Stanislaus – and I remember we went for our first one-week cruise around the bays and waterways of San Francisco. That was fantastic.

‘While it had been Larry’s dream to sail around the world for a long time, when the dotcom crash happened in early 2001, I decided I definitely wanted to go sailing.’

From there it all happened quickly. Larry sold the business, bought Julia, spent a few months ‘tidying up’, and they left San Francisco on 7th December, 2001.

Now I am keen to know: ‘And has it been all you expected?’

Larry is adamant. ‘No, it has been much harder – I didn’t know I would spend so much time repairing the boat. All these cruising boats were not built strongly enough to do what we’re doing. It’s not just Julia.’ (Well, not many of the cruising crews that we have met around the world would disagree with Larry on that.)

I ask both Ken and Larry what has impressed them most about their journey, and how they have changed.

While they have very different views on the on these outcomes, they agree strongly on one point: It’s the people they have met that have ‘made’ the trip for them.

‘Out there cruising,’ says Larry, ‘No-one cares who you are – black, white, American or Aussie, just no-one cares – that is so refreshing. And the places we went where our government was saying not to go – Indonesia: we met the most wonderful friendly people in Indonesia. Israel, they say ‘be careful’ – sure, but we had the very best time in Israel. Even Colombia, where we are now, they say we shouldn’t be here. Look at the reception we have had here – these people are great, and so hospitable!’

‘The trip has definitely changed me’, adds Ken. ‘I could never have imagined all the experiences I have had in remote countries – Eritrea, Yemen, Oman, Indonesia etc. I also feel I am more resilient, and I can cope with adversity OUTSIDE my own sphere of comfort. I’ve learned that if the boat is not sinking,’ – he laughs – ‘you are not going to die.’

‘And I have relaxed,’ says Larry. ‘ and I am more patient’ – and he glances at Ken and grins – ‘Well, a LITTLE more patient.’

I want to know if they have advice for people thinking of throwing it all in and going sailing.

‘Just do it – it’s not as hard as you think.’ Says Ken.
‘Well,’ doubts Larry, ‘The hardest thing for me was leaving the dock – that terrified me. ‘What are you DOING?’ I was asking myself. ‘You are giving up EVERYTHING!’'

Now, however, with San Francisco and their return to ‘normal’ life looming, Larry is passionate about passing on the message.

‘While it might have been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life,’ he says, ‘it will be a great achievement to sail under the Golden Gate bridge, write my book, and know that I made my dream come true.’

‘It’s all about dreams,’ he goes on. ‘It doesn’t matter what your dream is, you have to work at it to make it come true. You have to be prepared to take a risk, pay the price, and go for it!’

As for Larry and Ken being the first gay couple to do a sailing circumnavigation of the world – are there any challengers?