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Bote

Bote. It’s pronounced like boat. No accent on the e. We like their stuff. Can you tell? In May 2022, Leopard hosted an owners’ flotilla in the Exumas. We were going to take off and head to Eleuthera, but we opted to stay. And we’re glad we did. They had about 15 boats there, parties Read More

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Sacrifice the Keels!

What’s it like to have your floating home hauled out of the water before your eyes? Weird. Just weird. What if a sling breaks? You see that happen all the time on YouTube. What if they block it wrong and damage a bulkhead or put a hole in the hull? What if the damage that Read More

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Time to Become a Diesel Mechanic

Your engine won’t start. What do you do? Call a mechanic, unless you happen to be one. Or, if you’ve taken a diesel mechanics course, try and find your notes. Over the last year, this has happened to us a few times. We get ready to sail for the day or a weekend, and the Read More

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To Replace or Not to Replace

When you get a new boat, all the lines are beautifully coiled and wrapped. They’re soft and flexible, and virtually silent when stressed. Over time, because of wear, salt water and UV degradation, they get stiff, they begin to fray, and they make terrible squealing and cracking noises. I hate that. We just replaced our Read More

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Too Close for Comfort

I always praise Jeff for his comfort and ability when driving in and out of tight spaces; mooring fields, anchorages, but especially marinas. It scares the hell out of me. I’m scared to death of hitting a dock, a piling, another boat, you know, things that make that awful scraping sound which result in paying Read More

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Surviving Eta

Well, this was exciting. We are docked at the Harborage Marina in St. Petersburg, FL. We love this marina. It’s a little pricey, but we always felt it was worth the extra money. We were actually offered a slip at a nearby marina for less than half the price. When we went to see it, Read More

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Clutch Bank Blow-out

How do you destroy a Lewmar triple clutch bank? Oh, that’s easy! Step 1 Start sailing in 28 knots of wind and 4-6′ seas coming at you from about 45 degrees off your starboard bow. Single reef your main and jib. Put up with that kind slop all day until the sun starts to set. Read More

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Plummers and Carpenters and Electricians, Oh, My!

I think I know why people hate building houses. It’s stressful, nothing ever goes as planned, and it takes longer and costs more than expected. But in the end, if you’re lucky, you get a really cool home that serves all your needs and wants. I hope it works out that way for us and Read More

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How Much Stuff Can You Pack onto a Boat?

2020 will bring lots of exciting things for us in the boating world. We have a mile-long list of upgrades we are having Just Catamarans take care of. I’m pretty good mechanically, but all things electricity just don’t seem to make sense to me. So I’m looking forward to learning everything about our new solar Read More