Ray woke me just before midnight to help him reef the main as the wind and waves began to pick up. I strapped myself into my PFD, grabbed a headlamp, and met him at the helm. We don’t always wake each other to reef, but when the sea state is rough… (read more)…
Read more
We were cutting it close—checking out of the country the day our visas expired. I thought the three weeks I had scheduled between our insurance’s cyclone season restriction end date and our visa expiration would be plenty; who would’ve thought it would take 25 days for a weather window to come along…
Read more
We’ve spent the past year sailing in French Polynesia. These islands have been our most challenging cruising grounds yet, and we have learned a lot along the way. Here are 5 things to think about if you’re planning to head this way… (read more)…
Read more
Their captain is awake, shining a headlamp on our boat, their bow, and then back into their cockpit. We’re close enough to shout, so Ray asks if everything is okay. Have they… (read more)…
Read more
We’re back on the move! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. To be honest, crew morale has plummeted. Boat life has never… (read more)…
Read more
A ditch bag (also called an emergency grab bag) is a waterproof, pre-packed bag containing essential signal and survival gear that sailors take with them if they need to abandon ship… (read more)…
Read more
A sweet overnight sail from Tahuata to Nuku Hiva, where our family boards their flight back to the USA… (read more)…
Read more
Using our main and jib, we were able to sail past sunrise, only turning on an engine to complete our approach when the staggering mountains of Hiva Oa blocked our wind. We reminisced on our arrival to this very island after our 27-day sail from Panama…(read more)…
Read more
That’s right; we’d left all the tools, parts, and rags we’d used for the generator repair out for days. Sometimes, the most challenging part of a boat project is getting things out and putting them back… (read more)…
Read more