What Happened to s/v Wavewalker ?

[Geddy]

Hi Im wondering if anyone has come across a 2 masted gaff rigged schooner "Wavewalker" in their travels in the pacific. I spent some time sailing on her around Fiji in the late 1980's. It was owned by the Cook family (Gordon, Mary Jon and Sue). Haven't heard or seen them in years? Anyone able to enlighten me with info on Wavewalker?

[Geddy]

I was onboard in 1986, I know the family gave it up and the kids grew up and left but I heard the boat was still around the pacific.

[GordMay]

Don't know where 'Wavewalker' nor the Cooks are these days; but here's an interesting blast from the past.

Gordon Cook and he and his family were sailing to Australia (1976-77) to commemorate the bicentennial of Capt. Cooks discovery of the east coast of Australia. The yacht “Wavewalker” left Cape Town for Australia, got capsized and badly damaged, managed to reach the France station on Ile Amsterdam where medical attention was received, after 2 months the voyage was continued.

“We’re Not Afraid to Die ... if We Can All Be Together”
by Gordon Cook and Alan East
➥ http://www.bas.rgukt.in/content/Engl...20together.pdf

[Judyfood]

I was friends with the Cook family in Hawaii circa 1980-81 and did my first ocean crossing with Gordon as the skipper...Hawaii to Port Townsend, WA. As others have, I, too have lost touch and would love to know what happened to them. They were/are a wonderful family.

Judyfood

[dochest]

Hi I was one of the original builders of the Wave walker i would also like to
hear of any information regarding the where abouts of the schooner I did here she came back to this country but this was only hear say

[Judyfood]

Is the yard still in existence where she was built? If so, perhaps you could contact them on the chance they may have returned to that yard if the boat went back to England. Just trying to think of some way to either locate the boat or the Cook's.
Thanks so much for your reply and I look forward to hearing back from you someday with great news!
You obviously built quite a boat to withstand the beating she took and survive it! I remember sitting in the main salon on Wed nights in Honolulu looking at the repair while playing Scrabble and enjoying port wine and Stilton cheese!

[Geddy]

One of the Cook family members posted in this thread a while ago but withdrew to posts some time ago.

I can tell you for sure that Wavewalker was damaged in a storm and abandoned on an island. The family are in the UK now.

You can contact them a number of ways but the easiest is to check out their website schoonerseries.com.

[Judyfood]

Thank you so very much for the information. Sad to hear about the boats demise but will follow your advice and try their website.
Thanks again!!!!

[cloudbuster]

I sailed on Wavewalker in the mid 80s up to Tonga via the Kermadecs. I remember Gordon and Mary liked their rum. The crew consisted of three men not including Gordon and about ten women .It was a six week cruise and we spent a couple of nights on Raoul Island.There was a party on board the boat on the second night. Raoul is a weather station and I believe it was the first time that a weather report was not sent through to Wellington.Gordon wrote in the visitors book that he had arrived with 3men and 10 women and that he wanted the women back.I enjoyed the whole cruise, even the storms.It was my first offshore experience and since then I have sailed to Japan from NZ twice and to Tonga once on a Beneteau as a second mate. I have also been back to Raoul twice. Havent done much sailing for a while but I jump out of planes these days for fun and sometimes work.It was sad to hear that Wavewalker had been wrecked.

[Judyfood]

To Cloudbuster,
Thanks for the post about "Wave Walker". Through this forum I have reconnected with the Cook family and am grateful for everyone who posted any info as to their whereabouts. If you go to their website, as I was advised to do, there is a guestbook and it was by posting my info there that I heard back from Gordon. They are well, own a huge online bookstore in the UK and are trying to get their book published about the adventures they had on "Wave Walker" Visit schoonerseries.com.

After sailing with Gordon on a delivery from Hawaii to Seattle, I went on to obtain my USCG 100 ton masters license and sailed professionally for years, still do! He was a great influence on my sailing career and taught me more than he probably realized as did Mary. I don't jump out of airplanes, I prefer flying my hang glider from a mountaintop instead! Cheers!

[Anomaly]

Originally Posted by Judyfood

Visit schoonerseries.com.

This link doesn't work for me.... Anyone else getting through to a real site?

Thanks,

[Judyfood]

I couldn't get the site to work, either. It was fine a couple months ago with lot's of info and excerpts from their book.
The Cooks bookstore in the UK is called ibuk and that site is New and secondhand books | Rare and Old books | Online bookshop | Gloucester | UK at least it is a way to contact them although no "Wave Walker" info. Sorry, I didn't mean to send out bogus info but I have the site bookmarked and have gone back to it several times with no problems.

[Geddy]

Ibuk huge? It is the 62,149 most visited site in the UK and gets less that 5 page views per day....hmm. Readers of the Times magazing in the UK may have seen an article about their daughter Suzanne early in Jan 2011 that talks about outsourcing parenthhood and has a photo of Gordon, Mary and Suzanne amongst others. Unfortunately you need a subscription to view the article. Good luck.

[rosstweedie]

Now I know its a long time since the last post here but most interested to understand the fate of Wavewalker. I sailed on her in (I think 1979) from Auckland NZ through Fiji, the Samoa's and Tonga - departing in Va Vau. Lots of photos and memories! Any more recent up-dates out there? Cheers

[Judyfood]

Hi,
Gordon wrote a wonderful book titled "Schooner to the Southern Ocean" about the voyage from England and is available on Amazon. I met the Cook family in Hawaii circa 1980 and did my first blue water sail with Gordon as Capt on a delivery to Washington. Anyway, we have corresponded via email and if you google the book title, you should find the associated website with contact info. If you have no luck, please send out another post and I will get you the contact info.
Judy
Judyfood