Steering You Straight
Lawrence (Laurie) Pane Born and raised on a sugar-cane farm in North Queensland, Australia, Laurie's earliest water experiences involved swimming to school during floods, and taking a small dinghy miles out to sea to fish on the coral reefs. With age came some sense, and he moved to racing catamarans in the Brisbane River and Moreton Bay. Two children, a job, and a house, eventually won out, and for many years he was land-bound. A move from Australia to Los Angeles, and a second wife, stirred the salt in his veins. They began serious bareboat chartering, principally in Tonga and the Whitsunday Islands. A couple of Newport to Ensenada races completed the conversion. After a year of searching,Dolphin Spirit, was purchased in 1993. Believing his wife's fight against breast cancer was won, they began serious planning and preparation for a circumnavigation. Sadly, it was not to be together. Acting on her wishes, and on Laurie's determination to make life special for their then six year old son, Ryan, the planning continued. With a third wonderful lady in his life, Laurie finally decided preparations would never be completed, so they set off from Los Angeles.