The hull of the Active Light was released from the mold on the 30th of September, 1974. The weather had been in the upper 80's in the post lay-up week that the hull had remained in the mold, the isotactic polyester resin specified by the owner, Richard McCurdy, had cured perfectly.

The boat was being purpose built for a world circumnavigation. It was expected that the vessel would be "covered over" in Cecil Lange's yard on Railway Avenue in Everett, Washington with Richard helping as possible. The owner would then complete the interior and rig the vessel over the next two years.

The Active Light adhered closely to the design of William Atkin's "Tallyho Major". Ed Monk Jr., the son of a famous Pacific Northwest naval architect and a fine designer in his own right, had modified the design slightly for fiberglass production. Richard altered certain dimensions of the cabin, widening the decks and lowering the coachroof to accommodate his size without unnecessary height. The rig was changed from design specifications to simplify and strengthen and the positions of the mast and bowsprit length were altered for better balance under windvane control. Many of the materials were modernized. Eckstrom Sheet metal, an Everett firm dealing primarily with stainless steel for the Pulp and Paper industry, built the standing rig components to Richard's designs.

Weyerhauser Corporation employed Richard McCurdy at the time in their pulping and bleaching research lab on the Everett waterfront. A recent engineering graduate of the University of Washington, Richard had been a competitive and recreational sailor since childhood and had harbored a dream of sailing the oceans. He had attended primary and middle school in Port Townsend, and had spent his free time sailing the historic waters of Port Townsend Bay. A descendent of seamen and shipwrights, the boy had an affinity with the sea, a quality recognized and encouraged by his parents.

Richard and a friend who shared the dream, Jim Roberts, christened the nearly completed Active Light in the summer of 1976. A shakedown cruise to Alaska proved the vessel a worthy sea boat. Jim's priorities changed however, and Richard was alone to pursue the vision.

A mutual friend introduced Penelope MacInnes to Richard. She was an English woman hitch-hiking through Port Townsend from Vancouver BC to San Francisco. An adventurer at heart, she fit into the program and on July 3rd 1977, Richard and Penelope departed Port Townsend on the first leg of what would become a five-year adventure.

The Active Light enjoyed the beauty of the South Pacific over the next year and a half. She visited the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands, Cooks, Tonga, Fiji and on to New Zealand for Christmas 1979. Richard worked for ten months in Australia, Penelope taking a job in Alaska. Penelope returned to Australia and the couple sailed north, intending to visit Indonesia. Eight weeks after her return, Penelope was diagnosed as pregnant and at the northern tip of Australia, the two decided that Cyprus would be a logical birthplace for the child. English was spoken and the medical staff had been educated in the UK. A good excuse for visiting the Mediterranean!

Emma was born March 11th, 1980 in Larnaca, Cyprus and by May the Active Light was back underway for Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain and the canals of France.

Richard and Penelope were married during the ten months that they worked in England, living aboard the Active Light at St. Katherine's Dock in downtown London.

Subsequent to another 800 miles of interior French canals, the Balearics, mainland Spain, Gibraltar and Morocco, the Active Light departed for Madeira, the Canary Islands and west to Antigua and the West Indies.

After visiting the north coast of Venezuela, Bonaire, Curacao, and Aruba, Emma celebrated her second birthday in the Panama Canal.

The vessel continued for another month up the Panamanian coast to Costa Rica and on to Mexico, dropping anchor at the Acapulco Yacht Club.

The Active Light had been designed to sail the oceans. The trip up the West Coast of North America against the prevailing winds and currents was judged to be too much a "slog" for the couple and child. They departed Acapulco on May 10th, 1982 for the Hawaiian Islands, arriving June 5th.

The final leg of the journey commenced on Friday the 9th of July, the boat returning to Port Townsend August 1st, 1982.

The Active Light performed precisely as visualized by her owner. A great "sailboat" she regularly posted daily runs of 150-170 miles and broke 200 miles twice. She was set-up to be as simple and strong as possible. The interior was bright, and well ventilated, basically designed for two people to live aboard and sail in the tropics. The Larwyck Monitor windvane (now called Monitor, sold by Scanmar) built by Gene Merwin of Northridge Calif. performed without complaint, sailing the vessel 99% of the time, in winds strong or light. The Famet aluminum spars and the overall standing and running rigging never suffered a failure. The 25 hp Volvo Penta MD-2B ran perfectly in harbors and 1200 miles of French canals. The sails, built in the Orient needed to be altered, improved and occasionally repaired (the vessel carried a hand-crank sewing machine) but gave excellent service. Cranfield in the UK replaced the mainsail and Genoa. The electronics aboard the Active Light consisted of a VHF, a rotating fathometer, a Zenith Transoceanic receiver and a hand-held RDF. The refrigeration was "silent blocks of ice" when available. Cooking and heating were with kerosene, consistent with most voyagers of that era.

An interesting fact is that in 5 years of voyaging, including vessel maintenance and improvements, port fees, food, fuel, childbirth and a few good times ashore, the couple spent a grand total of $27,230.00. This figure attests to the simplicity and success of the Active Light.