For our next Women In Sailing feature, we catch up with Megan O’Kelly. The O’Kelly’s have been together for over 29 years and have had three monohulls and one catamaran over the past 20 years. Clarity, their home for the past 4.5 years, is a 2009 Leopard 46, and is the vessel on which they have been fulfilling their lifelong dream of sailing the South Pacific. We catch up with Megan to see what it takes to make the ultimate dream come true.

How did you get into sailing?

I was in high-tech recruiting and had been a lifelong seamstress before I packed up to sail the world. I had never sailed until my husband and I bought a 25ft Merit and we started sailing on the San Francisco Bay. He grew up sailing and had dreams of sailing to the South Pacific.

What do you sail today and where?

We’ve been sailing Clarity, our Leopard 46 catamaran for almost 5 years mostly between the Caribbean, Bahamas, and the east coast of the US. We’re currently in the Chesapeake area getting ready to sail to Panama and then through the canal into the Pacific.

What sails do you use?

We have three Ullman sails – the main which came with the boat and we’re guessing is over 6 or 7 years old, a jib which we got in St Maarten 4.5 years ago, and a Code Zero that is about 2 years old. We also have an asymmetrical spinnaker and would love to add a parasail.

The O’Kellys announce a new partnership with us in their latest video: 

What is your greatest sailing moment?

My greatest sailing moment was also my most terrifying. It was 18 years ago off the Baja peninsula during a December storm. We were on our way to Mexico in our 46ft Formosa Peterson monohull on our 3rd night at sea when the storm hit. The scariest part was navigating with paper charts through the shoals off Cape Lazaro while Nick surfed our boat down breaking waves. I learned so much about myself during that experience; my ability to focus, stay calm, operate as a team, and navigate us to safety.

Watch the video of the experience here: 

What do you love most about sailing?

I love the sense of freedom and adventure, as well as the close connection to the ocean, weather, and stars above.

What do you find most challenging about sailing?

I would say dealing with weather is the most challenging part of sailing, either not enough wind when you don’t have the luxury of time or too much wind on the nose. I’m extremely fortunate my husband is a meteorologist.

Do you have any advice for other women looking to get into the sport?

My advice for women looking to get into sailing is to take sailing lessons, crew on other boats and/or do deliveries without your partner. I wish I had taken classes when I began sailing 20 years ago, even though Nick was, and is, an excellent teacher. I gained valuable experience as crew delivering a boat from San Francisco to Ensenada Mexico. Gaining confidence on the water takes time so take every opportunity you can to crew with others, go on charters, deliveries, and take classes.