Setting out to sea can be an adventurous, yet daunting task, but for Luke Hartley, it has become his reality. At 25, the former middle school teacher left the familiar shores of Seattle, Wash,, on Oct. 7, 2023, embarking on an ambitious voyage around the world. Sailing on his 27-foot boat, Songbird, Hartley plans to circumnavigate the globe in a journey that he estimates will take about five years.
Luke Hartley is planning on a 5-year-voyage that will take him across the globe, and he’s doing it all by himself. Photo courtesy of Hartley
“Part of this life is going with the flow and following the winds,” Hartley said. The free spirit embraces both a philosophical and literal approach to his journey. “Five years is the collectively understood leisurely pace in the sailing community for a circumnavigation (like this trip),” Hartley said. While there will be necessary stops to refuel and restock supplies, Hartley also anticipates long stretches of solitude on the open water.
@sailing_songbird Last night was a rough one… good news is that I made plenty of miles. Only 1617 miles to go! #sailing #solosailing ♬ original sound – SV Songbird
Since setting sail, Hartley has navigated through various challenges, including severe storms, high winds, and encounters with marine life, such as a pod of porpoises that recently surrounded his boat. His experiences are shared with a growing audience on Instagram and TikTok, where his posts have gotten millions of views. His content ranges from extraordinary incidents, like receiving a midnight alert about an oil tanker two miles from his vessel, to practical tips, such as coating 40 days’ worth of eggs in Vaseline to prolong their shelf life.
Addressing frequent questions from his followers, Hartley often explains the difficulties of sleeping on his boat, especially when the sleeping quarters are soaked by high winds and sea water. He also provides glimpses into his meals, which include fresh bread rolled out with a wine bottle and cooked on a portable stove, as well as fish caught and prepared onboard.
Luke Hartley is planning on a 5-year-voyage that will take him across the globe. He shares his adventures on TikTok. Photo courtesy of Hartley
In his downtime, Hartley engages in various activities to pass the time, such as playing guitar, creating music videos, reading, and watching movies he downloaded before leaving shore. His first encounter that left him a bit scared, he said, was “my first time leaving the safety of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and being exposed to the open North Pacific swell.”
All of a sudden, I was met with 30-foot waves and huge offshore winds. I was caught with too much sail up, so the boat was dangerously overpowered,” he explained.
“I had to turn the boat 180 degrees around, in order to face the wind [and] in order to drop enough sail to have a balanced boat,” Hartley said. “As I turned the boat around to drop sail, I had to expose the side of my boat to 30-foot swell.” This maneuver required him to expose the side of his boat to the massive swells, but he successfully regained control and continued toward Mexico.
My passage from the Columbia River to San Francisco was wild,” he said.
Despite these daunting moments, Hartley finds exhilaration in his journey. He recalled his passage from the Columbia River to San Francisco as particularly intense. “Songbird was riding the edge of a hurricane-sized storm in Alaska and sailed south in sustained 30 knot winds and 30-foot seas for six days straight, 24-hours a day. Songbird was 150 miles offshore in late October and that week was the coldest I have ever been in my life.”
Thankfully, Hartley’s boat is equipped with a self-sufficient power grid, harnessing solar energy to charge its battery bank and utilizing Starlink (satellite wi-fi) for internet access. This setup allows him to stay connected with his audience, sharing the highs and lows of his solo adventure. As his journey progresses, Hartley remains enthusiastic about the path ahead. “We are excited to get started and move forward,” he said. Watch below for a look at this insane solo adventure!
