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A.J. Wanderlust
Jeanneau45.2 Sun OdysseySail No.IOM 8931RBoat Length13.8Charlene HowardDouble-handedAJ Wanderlust was actively cruised from August 2006 to December 2010, sailing well over 30,000 miles and visiting 35 countries or island territories. She sailed as far east as Croatia, as far west at Hawaii, Skagway, Alaska was her most northerly point, and the Panama Canal her most southerly. In January 2011, AJ Wanderlust went on the hard in Everett, Washington for almost three years. In January 2014, AJ Wanderlust was delivered to Eamshaven, Netherlands, and after a challenging canal and North Sea voyage, was delivered to Hamble, UK for an extensive refit. She finally arrived in the Isle of Man in July 2014. Since 2015, AJ Wanderlust has sailed 5000 to 8000 nautical miles annually, cruising and racing, exploring various Irish Sea ports, as well as Ireland, the south coast of England, Outer Hebrides, St. Kilda, Orkey Islands, Shetlands, Channel Islands and the coast of Brittany, France. AJ Wanderlust first raced in May 2015, completing the Round Isle of Man Race with an all girl’s crew in challenging weather. She went on to also complete this race in 2016 and 2017, winning the Coronation Cup in 2016 and placing third in IRC in 2017. AJ Wanderlust’s double handed racing credits include the 2017 ISORA season, as well as the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race. In 2018, AJ Wanderlust suffered a catastrophic chain plate failure and bulkhead fracture off Land’s End, putting her in a shed for 6 weeks of intensive repair. She bounded out in August, 2018, just in time to make the start line for Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, which she completed double handed after 17 days at sea. AJ Wanderlust is entering the 2019 AZAB, as a double handed girls team.
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Douglas Bay Yacht Club / Royal Ocean Racing Club
Charlene is from Davison, Michigan and grew up with a love of lakes, water skiing, and adventure. International career assignments in Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Peru and Brazil, as well as much leisure travel, fuelled the passion for adventure, and the relentless “wanderlust.” Charlene began sailing in 2006 when she wanted a mid-life break and a way to travel with her Bernese Mountain Dog. It was a very steep learning curve. AJ Wanderlust was purchased over the internet. Charlene arrived to the boat in St. Petersburg, Florida, having quit her job and hired a captain for two months to teach her to sail. Seeing AJ Wanderlust for the first time can best be described as a terrifying moment, realizing I had never been on a sailboat, unsure how a 52 kilo Bernese Mountain Dog would fare aboard and disturbed to discover how important maintenance was to a boat. Committed, we headed off to Beaufort, North Carolina and then Bermuda and the Azores, using the Atlantic Ocean as a shake-down cruise. I learned, I made loads of mistakes, but AJ Wanderlust kept us safe and was a forgiving teacher. AJ Wanderlust was actively cruised from August 2006 to December 2010, sailing well over 30,000 miles and visiting 35 countries or island territories. She sailed as far east as Croatia, as far west at Hawaii, Skagway, Alaska was her most northerly point, and the Panama Canal her most southerly. In January 2011, AJ Wanderlust went on the hard in Everett, Washington, and Charlene went back to work in a land locked location. By late 2012, Charlene was living in South Africa, and plans had been made for the relocation of Charlene and AJ Wanderlust to the Isle of Man. In January 2014, AJ Wanderlust was delivered by cargo ship to Eamshaven, Netherlands, and after a challenging Dutch canal and North Sea voyage, arrived to Hamble, UK for an extensive refit. She finally arrived to the Isle of Man in July 2014. Since 2015, AJ Wanderlust has sailed 5000 to 8000 nautical miles annually, cruising and racing, exploring various Irish Sea ports, as well as Ireland, the south coast of England, Outer Hebrides, St. Kilda, Orkney Islands, Shetlands, Channel Islands and the coast of Brittany, France. Charlene is a member of Douglas Bay Yacht Club and RORC. She is also a keel boat instructor and RYA Offshore Yacht Master. Charlene has sailed two Fastnets, two Round Ireland Races, and three ISORA seasons. AJ Wanderlust first raced in May 2015, completing the Round Isle of Man Race with an all girl’s crew in challenging weather. She went on to also complete this race in 2016 and 2017, winning the Coronation Cup in 2016 and placing third in IRC in 2017. AJ Wanderlust’s double handed racing credits include the 2017 ISORA season, as well as the 2017 Rolex Fastnet Race. In 2018, AJ Wanderlust suffered a catastrophic chain plate failure and bulkhead fracture off Land’s End, putting her in a shed for 6 weeks of intensive repair. She bounded out in August 2018, just in time to make the start line for Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race, which she completed double handed after 17 days at sea. AJ Wanderlust is entering the 2019 AZAB, as a double handed girls team. Charlene and Amanda will be sailing together thanks to a fortune introduction at the annual RORC dinner.
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