February 15, 2013

We were originally sent the stories of these two couples separately. We tried to keep them two separate stories, but finally gave up. As you'll see, it's really one story.

Marika Edler & Steve Hocking and Kate & Alan Barr

Marika Edler was born in Holland and emigrated first to Canada, then to the U.S. in 1965. "My late husband and I were members of Sausalito YC," Marika told us, "and when he passed away I decided to volunteer for the race committee."

Steve Hocking was born in New Hampshire. His mother was Anne Stevens, a direct descendant of John Stevens (the family that built the America and won the America's Cup, among other things). Steve sailed down from Canada, where he had lived for most of his adult live, in search of warmer weather and settled in Sausalito, where raced his boat, Voyager, a Beneteau 34f5.

"SYC always videotapes the races and shows them during the awards after the race," said Marika. She and Steve met after a Tuesday night race. "We started talking and made a date to go sailing. That was mid-August 2006. By the end of August, Steve asked me to come along on the Windjammer race to Santa Cruz. I asked him if he had a life raft on Voyager. He did not, and I said I wouldn't go without one. Within the next couple of days Steve told me he had purchased a life raft so that I could go. I had no idea how much these things cost! That's how our romance started."

Marika had a son-in-law, Alan Barr. Alan and Marika continued their close relationship even after he and her daughter were divorced. Alan lived in New Zealand until he was about 14. He's lived in the Bay Area for about 13 years now. Kate Helsper met Alan when she moved to San Francisco from the Ozarks in January 2006.

"We met on January 17, 2006," said Kate. "He and his friend were interviewing me for the third roommate spot open in their house on Treasure Island. Alan and I spoke briefly. He gave his approval and rushed out for a date. The other roommate also thought that I was a good fit. I moved in a week or so later. We started dating in August of 2006.

"Alan got me into sailing. He actually took me out the first weekend I lived in the house on Treasure Island, with his then-girlfriend. After we started dating, he introduced me to racing."

Steve and Marika did the Baja-Ha-Ha in 2007 on Voyager. On the delivery down, they stopped in Santa Barbara. "Steve saw Ohana, a Beneteau 45f5, for sale in the slip near them," said Kate. "He contacted the owner and said he was interested, and that he'd be in touch once he was back from Mexico in a month.

During the same trip down the coast, Steve proposed. "While anchored at Catalina Island, Steve asked me to marry him," said Marika. "We bought a simple ring in La Paz, Mexico."

"After the Ha-Ha," said Kate, "I flew into Cabo and the four of us spent two weeks sailing from Cabo to La Paz. It was the most time I'd ever spent on a sailboat, and it was an AMAZING trip.

"Fast forward a month and Steve, Marika and other crew were back in Santa Barbara on Voyager. Steve decided to buy Ohana. While Steve was brokering the deal for Ohana, Alan was brokering the deal for Voyager."

The following July Steve and Marika married on top of Mt. Tam, with Alan serving as best man. They started their honeymoon on Ohana while racing the Pacific Cup to Hawaii. Alan was along as crew, and Kate met them in Hawaii. "From Hawaii we sailed to Northern Vancouver Island, coming down through the inland passage," said Marika.

"All along I learned the finer points of racing. I had always sailed and had many boats on the Bay but never raced. Now I learned to sail doublehanded, including spinnaker runs. The vivid memory of my first broach in the Potato Patch during the Doublehanded Farallones is still with me. I have had to overcome my fear of running the spinnaker – I am finally getting used to it."

Steve and Marika aboard Ohana. ©2013 Courtesy Marika Edler

"Alan and I have done the Three Bridge Fiasco the past three out of four years on Voyager," said Kate. "In fact, the first year we competed Alan proposed. He had positioned a camera on the mast and one in the cockpit to record the day's events. He was antsy most of the day about finishing before sunset. I later found out why. We crossed the line, and Alan thanked the race committee via VHF. He handed me the tiller and said he had to go down below. He came back up with a bottle of champage and two plastic flute glasses. I thought that we were celebrating our very first doublehanded race. Much to my surprise, Alan kneeled down and asked me to marry him. 'Yes!' It was a wonderful day and this is just one reason the race is so important to us." Alan had bought a house in Rodeo. "We were married that October in our garden."

The last three years, Ohana has sailed in the Rolex Big Boat Series as well as many other ocean and Bay races. "Steve also encourages me to do women skipper races," said Marika, "and I have won quite a few of them. A few months ago I won the Shirley Bates Memorial Trophy, for the most sailing done by a woman."

Ohana in the 2012 Rolex Big Boat Series. ©2013 norcalsailing.com

Besides Voyager, Alan and Kate primarily race on Ohana. "Alan was primarily main trim but has recently been serving as Ohana's tactician," said Kate. "I had been primarily a jib and guy trimmer. Since the birth of our daughter, I don't go out as much as I had previously unless it's a big race such as Rolex Big Boat Series or Three Bridge Fiasco. On Ohana we've competed in the Rolex for the past three years, as well as GGYC, CYC and SYC Midwinters, and Aldo Alessio. In 2011, I was actually three months pregnant during the Rolex. We've competed in the OYRA series on Ohana, and Alan has sailed both single and doublehanded races aboard Voyager in the SSS. He's also competed in several LongPacs and a Pacific Cup.

"On Voyager, Alan, our daughter and I sail in the beer can races at RYC with some of the Ohana crew. Genevieve is 10 1/2 months old and has been sailing since before she was born. She first went out on Voyager about two weeks after she was born.

Baby's first boat show: the Barrs at Strictly Sail Pacific in April 2012. ©2012 Courtesy Kate Barr

"At some point in our future we plan to live aboard and travel with our children, including a trip down to Mexico. We honeymooned in Cabo and La Paz trying to re-create our food experience from the 2007 Baja Ha-Ha. We love Mexican food and Baja!"

"Although I did enjoy the long ocean passages," said Marika, "I thought of a better idea to see much of the world. We trade boats and in doing so we were able to sail first in Holland, then Turkey and Greece, followed by a trip to the Seychelles and Australia, and we just came back from Norway, making friends along the way. One of our dreams is to 'do' the Baltic from Copenhagen to Riga, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, and Stockholm.

"Ohana, which means family in Hawaiian, carries a crew of up to 13, and we are one big happy family. Going racing with our crew is like having a wonderful party. We are close and depend on each other. Several crew members found romance with each other. The sailing community is such a close-knit bunch that over time you always run into people you know, making it easy to become more connected." Ohana has a website at www.ohanasailing.com.