I was in the Berkeley Marina when Frank Robbins purchased Kialoa II. Somehow, he rounded up two of us
boat owners from the docks to help him take the
boat out on his first sail. I do not think, at the time he had any idea what he had bought (I think he told us she had been confiscated as a drug running boat) and was a
novice sailor at best. Kialoa was tired, but I
recall how absolutely beautifully she sailed in the SF winds. At the time, I did not think Frank was going to go anywhere with that boat--seemed at the time another case of someone with big dreams and short on skills and maybe
money. You can probably imagine how much pleasure I had in reading of his globe circling adventures in the subsequent years. Taught me to reserve my judgement in other peoples' dreams.