Nine years, 30 countries and 30,000 miles later, University alumnus Bruce Mason and his partner Suzanne Pepin have returned home to Oregon.
After nearly a decade of sailing the Caribbean, Mason will discuss and reflect on his and Pepin’s experiences tonight at 7 p.m. in 100 Willamette in association with the
University’s Outdoor Program.
Mason worked for the Outdoor Program for 19 years before leaving on his sailing trip.
His presentation will feature videos from his and Pepin’s journey, including footage of their encounters with the Kuna Indians from the San Blas Islands near Panama, which Mason said is the most exotic place they have traveled.
Mason and Pepin spent two seasons with the San Blas natives. It is customary for the Kuna to live exclusively with tribe members.
“They are not overly friendly when you first meet them. They were kind of slow to get to know you,” Mason said of the Kuna.
However, after some time, the natives were comfortable enough to allow Mason and Pepin to live alongside of them, he said.
The decision to go on a Caribbean adventure originated when Mason and Pepin spent five days sailing on a relative’s boat. After the trip, Pepin told Mason she wasn’t ready to give up the sailing lifestyle. Mason agreed that it was an adventure worth having, and Pepin retired from her job.
“We figured if we were ever going to do something like cruising, we should do it sooner rather than later,” Mason said.
The next five years involved a lot of preparation for the trip, and Mason said he read every book on sailing he could get his hands on.
For the next nine years, the couple spent eight to nine months of the year on a 42 feet long by 24 feet wide catamaran. Suzanne Hanlon, the assistant coordinator of the Outdoor Program, said Mason’s experience was more than an extended vacation.
“He has a unique story of sustaining the way of life for nine years. Most people would just do one trip or expedition. It was more of a way of life for them.”
“Every day was unique and exciting … There was never a dull moment. And I miss it,”
Mason said.
Mason said the catamaran made life more efficient. He and Pepin ate fish, used solar panels for electricity and even used a desalination system to turn salt water into drinking water.
“Living off the grid was very addictive,” Mason said. Looking back on the experience, Mason said he realized he could do without most of his possessions.
Mason said one of the things that surprised him about cruising was the willingness of other sailors to help each other out.
However, their journey wasn’t always smooth sailing. In North Carolina, Mason said they were hit by two hurricanes within three weeks.
“Luckily we had a place to tie the boat up. Our boat just got pummeled,” he said. Still, Mason and Pepin said they fondly recall the trying times.
“I’ve never felt such powerful nature in my life,” he said.
Not everyone would choose to spend as much time sailing the seas on a catamaran as Mason and Pepin, but Mason said it is healthy to take a chance, regardless of one’s dreams.
“I think it’s important that when people really want to do something, that they just go for it,” he said.
Admission is free to students and Outdoor Program co-op members, and general admission is $3.

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