Row wavy Shape Decorative svg added to bottom

The Story of Our Voyage

IMG_5096

How It All Began

We are setting sail on the adventure of a lifetime aboard Risvold, our custom-built 20-foot sailboat. We plan to circumnavigate the globe, sharing every moment of this incredible, blue-water journey with you. This ambitious travel plan represents a decade of meticulous preparation, unwavering dedication, and an unshakeable belief that extraordinary experiences come to those who dare to chase their dreams across the vast ocean.

Co-Captains

Elizabeth Henson grew up in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. One of her great enjoyments in life was to spend her summers on the lakes of Minnesota. After graduating from Columbia Heights High School, Beth did not travel far to attend the University of Minnesota.

Elizabeth Henson (Beth) grew up in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area of Minnesota, where summers spent on the lakes shaped a lifelong love of the water. She attended the University of Minnesota, studying geography while staying active on the dance team and embracing campus life, and later held sales roles promoting the arts before building a more than 25-year career in consumer electronics. Family time often revolved around water-skiing in summer and snow-skiing in winter, with a cherished tradition of taking the first and last waterski of each season despite frigid temperatures. In the summer of 2021, Beth met R.W. on a first date aboard her lake boat, and after a day on the water, their shared path began. When R.W. shared his plan to circumnavigate the globe in a 20-foot sailboat, Beth was intrigued rather than deterred and, despite limited sailing experience, embraced the challenge with enthusiasm, signing on as co-captain of Risvold. Though leaving family and friends will be bittersweet, she is energized by their support and eagerly anticipates the adventure of a lifetime.

Read More

R.W. Henson grew up in Newport Beach, California, where he took to the ocean at a very young age. Bodysurfing and surfing were his passions. R.W. cut his teeth sailing Sabots at the Lido Isle Yacht Club at the age of eight. At the time, the slow pace of sailing wasn't for him, and he only sailed for two seasons.

R.W. Henson grew up in Newport Beach, California, where a love of the ocean took root early through bodysurfing, surfing, and youthful sailing at Lido Isle Yacht Club. Although sailing initially felt slow, the dream of circumnavigating the globe was sparked in high school after reading Dove and never faded. After graduating from Newport Harbor High School, he studied architecture and art history at the University of Pennsylvania, then pursued a rewarding career as a firefighter and EMT while also running a labor relations consulting business and a recreational towboat company off Cape Cod. Determined to realize his lifelong goal, R.W. collaborated with designer Tom MacNaughton to create a minimal, world-capable vessel; after years of design and construction at Artisan Boatworks, Risvold was launched. What he once imagined as a solo journey became a shared adventure with Beth, and with the support of their five grown children, granddaughter, family, and friends, they look forward to sharing their voyage around the world.

Read More

Watch How the Boat Was Built

Designed by Thomas MacNaughton of Eastport, Maine and built by Artisan Boatworks in Rockport, Maine.

Co-Captains

Elizabeth Henson grew up in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul area of Minnesota. One of her great enjoyments in life was to spend her summers on the lakes of Minnesota. After graduating from Columbia Heights High School, Beth did not travel far to attend the University of Minnesota.

Elizabeth Henson (Beth) grew up in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area of Minnesota, where summers spent on the lakes shaped a lifelong love of the water. She attended the University of Minnesota, studying geography while staying active on the dance team and embracing campus life, and later held sales roles promoting the arts before building a more than 25-year career in consumer electronics. Family time often revolved around water-skiing in summer and snow-skiing in winter, with a cherished tradition of taking the first and last waterski of each season despite frigid temperatures. In the summer of 2021, Beth met R.W. on a first date aboard her lake boat, and after a day on the water, their shared path began. When R.W. shared his plan to circumnavigate the globe in a 20-foot sailboat, Beth was intrigued rather than deterred and, despite limited sailing experience, embraced the challenge with enthusiasm, signing on as co-captain of Risvold. Though leaving family and friends will be bittersweet, she is energized by their support and eagerly anticipates the adventure of a lifetime.

Read More

R.W. Henson grew up in Newport Beach, California, where he took to the ocean at a very young age. Bodysurfing and surfing were his passions. R.W. cut his teeth sailing Sabots at the Lido Isle Yacht Club at the age of eight. At the time, the slow pace of sailing wasn't for him, and he only sailed for two seasons.

R.W. Henson grew up in Newport Beach, California, where a love of the ocean took root early through bodysurfing, surfing, and youthful sailing at Lido Isle Yacht Club. Although sailing initially felt slow, the dream of circumnavigating the globe was sparked in high school after reading Dove and never faded. After graduating from Newport Harbor High School, he studied architecture and art history at the University of Pennsylvania, then pursued a rewarding career as a firefighter and EMT while also running a labor relations consulting business and a recreational towboat company off Cape Cod. Determined to realize his lifelong goal, R.W. collaborated with designer Tom MacNaughton to create a minimal, world-capable vessel; after years of design and construction at Artisan Boatworks, Risvold was launched. What he once imagined as a solo journey became a shared adventure with Beth, and with the support of their five grown children, granddaughter, family, and friends, they look forward to sharing their voyage around the world.

Read More

Watch How the Boat Was Built

Be a Part of Our Adventure

Join us as we transform years of careful planning into the reality of circumnavigating the globe, sharing every triumph and challenge of our oceanside lifestyle.

Follow Our Progress

Be a Part of Our Adventure

Join us as we transform years of careful planning into the reality of circumnavigating the globe, sharing every triumph and challenge of our oceanside lifestyle.

Follow Our Progress