It all started when...

Home schooled on a boat growing up, Rhys Balmer's first watery steps were as a youngster. By 13 he could hand, reef, and steer the 60 foot wood ketch that the family cruised around for 5 years in Latin America. Years later when he was spending his summer evenings after teaching sailing in the day, driving a tow boat he met Martin Gibson another sailing instructor from a school just up river. Rhys invited Martin to come racing to substitute for crew on his race boat at the time. A series of wins later and a friendship was born. It wasn't long before ideas of racing in bigger waters began to take shape.

Enter the Moore 24 and the plan to do the Pacific Cup double handed.

A year and a half of modification and 2000 miles of blue water and Martin and Rhys had their first ocean crossing and a second place under their belt.

Many hours of work went into the modifications to the boat and building a full suit of sails for the race but after those first wobbling steps on land, it was all worth it. See the link below for the story in 48 North