Reset
Inspect, refit, rerig, reseal, and complete the core upgrades required for Mission 1.
A CONTRIBUTION-DRIVEN SAILING CHALLENGE
THE LONG WAY HOME CHALLENGE.
One challenge. Four missions. One increasingly ridiculous journey home. From Texas barbecue to a Florida-to-Florida voyage around the world.
MICRO FUNDING, MASSIVE POSSIBILITY
Give a dollar. Invite one person.
The idea is deliberately simple: contribute an amount that feels easy, then help the wake travel one person farther. Higher contributions are welcome, but no one needs to give more than $1 to participate.
- One-time contributions beginning at $1
- Higher and custom amounts available
- Recurring support is optional
- No ownership, equity, or repayment is offered
FAITH. PERSEVERANCE. PREPARATION. HARD WORK.
Build the sailor and the boat, one mission at a time.
Operation Wake begins with faith—and the belief that setbacks don’t have to decide how the rest of your life unfolds.
I want to show others facing disabilities, setbacks, or challenges of their own that meaningful goals are still worth pursuing. Stepping outside your comfort zone doesn’t mean ignoring your limits. It means starting where you are, preparing for the next step, and discovering what you can accomplish. Your goal doesn’t have to be sailing around the world. It just has to matter to you.
For me, a disabled Army veteran, this is about pursuing something extraordinary through perseverance, preparation, and hard work. The goal is a predominantly solo voyage around the world. Getting there means building the sailor and the boat, one mission at a time.
First, Texas barbecue. Eventually, the long way home.
THE PLANNED CHALLENGE BOAT
1984 Catalina 36 Mk I.
Our Catalina, currently named Big Trouble, is planned to complete the Texas, Mexico, Bermuda, and circumnavigation missions. The name may change before launch. The boat must still earn every departure through inspection, refit, training, and sea trials.
Extend
Add navigation electronics and solar after the Texas mission reveals the boat’s real operating needs.
Prepare offshore
Add ocean-ready systems, safety equipment, and redundancy before the Bermuda mission.
Prove readiness
Use the strongest pre-circumnavigation mission to expose weaknesses, then correct them during Mission 4, Phase 1.
The Catalina is the plan, subject to proof.
If the Catalina sells before the challenge is complete, its net proceeds will remain separately identified and fund the replacement challenge boat. Those proceeds do not count as TLWH campaign contributions.
MISSION 1 NOW
The work is underway.
Catalina acquired
The 1984 Catalina 36 Mk I will be inspected, refitted, sailed, and documented as the planned challenge boat.
$505,000 cumulative
$440,000 establishes the debt foundation and $65,000 is the upper-end Catalina refit allowance.
Not scheduled
Funding and the six readiness checks determine when the voyage can proceed.
ESTIMATED NET CAMPAIGN FUNDS
One wake. One visible measure.
Checking latest total…
toward the $880,000 TLWH Challenge target
$505K Texas$530K Mexico$580K Bermuda$630K Readiness$880K Circumnavigation
Only direct contributions through the TLWH campaign advance this total. Sponsorships and any Catalina sale proceeds are recorded separately.
This estimate reflects settled campaign contributions after processing fees, refunds, dispute adjustments, and a provisional 25% reserve. Pending funds are not counted. This reserve is a planning allowance, not a final tax calculation.
Checking the latest campaign update.
WHY THIS STARTS ON LAND
Start the journey on solid ground.
Our family is already working to eliminate debt: cutting unnecessary expenses, taking additional work where possible, and rolling freed-up money into the next obligation. This campaign works alongside that effort.
Secure the foundation
Before the challenges begin, those obligations need to be paid so they don’t place a financial burden on the family during the voyages.
Build for the challenge
Four missions run in sequence. Each cumulative milestone funds its mission; completing it advances the campaign to the next mission.
Document everything
The fundraising, training, refits, setbacks, decisions, passages, and return home become the story.
ONE CHALLENGE. FOUR MISSIONS.
Fund it. Prepare. Complete it. Keep going.
Four sequential missions build toward the voyage around the world. Published milestones are conservative planning estimates that allow for high-side costs and contingencies. Actual costs may be lower. Every departure remains subject to the six Wake Checks.
MISSION 01
$505,000 CUMULATIVE NET
The Texas BBQ Run
Establish the foundation. Clear the $440,000 household debt foundation and apply the $65,000 upper-end allowance to the Catalina refit and core upgrades before the first extended proving voyage.
Explore Mission 1 →MISSION 02
$530,000 CUMULATIVE NET
The Mexico Tequila Run
Extend the boat’s capability. Add $25,000 for navigation electronics and solar, then test those systems and the skipper on the Mexico mission.
Explore Mission 2 →MISSION 03
$580,000 CUMULATIVE NET
The Bermuda Triangle Rum Run
Prepare for ocean work. Add $50,000 for offshore systems, safety, and redundancy. Use the strongest pre-circumnavigation mission to expose weaknesses in the Catalina and skipper.
Explore Mission 3 →MISSION 04 · PHASE 1
$630,000 CUMULATIVE NET
Training, Shakedown & Readiness
Apply the Bermuda lessons. Add $50,000 for corrective work, additional training determined after the first three missions, shakedown sailing, and overall departure readiness.
Explore Mission 4 →MISSION 04 · PHASE 2
$880,000 CUMULATIVE NET
The Long Way Home
Attempt the circumnavigation. Add $250,000 for passage operations and maintenance, provisions, and contingency on a roughly 25,000-mile, predominantly solo voyage from Florida back to Florida. The route and timeframe remain under development.
Explore Mission 4 →AFTER THE LONG WAY HOME
The Operation Wake Boat Fund.
Returning to Florida closes TLWH and opens the next Operation Wake chapter. That future challenge series will be announced only after the actual boat is known.
No percentage target yet
The public display will report the amount accumulated without pretending that one fixed boat has already been selected.
$365K–$1.25M desired range
Current used and new-market examples establish a planning range. More may be accepted and used to purchase a more capable boat.
The boat defines the next series
No family course of action will be promised before the selected vessel can safely support it. An Arctic expedition, for example, requires an expedition-class boat.
MISSION 4: COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES
Help shape the experiences along the way.
During Mission 4, the community may help choose among crew-approved safe options: a maritime museum, a local food, a landmark photo, or an educational objective. Routes, weather gates, required stops, and acceptable diversions will be defined by the crew first. Participation details will be announced before the expedition.
Mission funding moves the campaign forward automatically. It does not require a contributor vote. Safety and fundamental expedition decisions remain with the crew.
EARN EVERY MILE
Plan high. Spend intelligently. Report what actually happened.
Published milestones are conservative planning estimates that allow for high-side costs and contingencies. Actual costs may be lower. Budgets will become more precise as surveys, refits, training, and real operating experience replace assumptions.
We’ll distinguish projected costs from actual spending and share what each mission cost, what changed, and what we learned.
READINESS BEFORE DEPARTURE
Money unlocks the mission. Readiness gives the green light.
FinancialCompetenceOperationalVesselExpeditionPassage
A funded mission still needs a prepared skipper, a sound vessel, working safety systems, financial reserves, and a suitable weather window. Each mission builds on the lessons of the one before it.