I’ll never get enough of Mother Nature saying “Hey, look what I can do!” She never ceases to amaze me.
Category: Overnight Ocean Passages
Overnight ocean passages usually refer to traveling by yacht for one overnight or more.
I typically do my best thinking when I’m alone at the helm, mostly on overnight passages. There isn’t much going on when you’re out at sea. I check the radar for a 4 or 6-mile range. I check the chart plotter and can see other ships, sometimes 20 miles away. I scan the horizon with my binoculars. And then, I just sit there, doing nothing, for the whole three hours. Or, until I can’t keep my eyes open anymore.
I don’t watch TV on an overnight passage because I don’t want to be too distracted. I can’t read at sea because I get seasick. (Weird, I know. I live on a boat.) I knit, but only in the daytime. So, night watches are when I do my best, or worst, thinking.
I can write amazing stuff about my thoughts, or I can make myself crazy. I’m not always in charge of which, but I do my best to stay positive and not think that every distant light is a pirate vessel approaching. I think about man-overboard drills and plan them out in my head. I think about putting reefs in my sails. I think about bringing my grandchildren onboard with me for a few weeks every summer. And I think about the awesome food I can create with the ingredients I have hidden in various lockers and bilges around the boat.
So happy reading, and I hope you enjoy finding out what keeps me awake at night, on our overnight ocean passages.
Left in the Fog
Wow, what a way to go! We couldn’t see anything as we left The Harborage. It was time to go back to The Bahamas, and we couldn’t wait. But we weren’t prepared for this type of send-off. Our boat neighbor, Brenton, hopped on board to go with us to the fuel dock, and we very Read More
Think It’s Enough?
I LOVE rose champagne! Can you tell? So last year, when I saw that Trentadue Vineyards in Sonoma County (possibly my favorite US vineyard) was having a sale on it, I decided to try it. I put half a case in my shopping cart and emailed my friend to see if she wanted to split Read More
Through the Middle of Florida
Our boat neighbor, Glen, has a passion for boats. He buys boats in need of some TLC, lives on them in the marina while he’s fixing them up, sells them, and starts all over again. Recently, he bought a damaged Hunter 454 in Jacksonville. And while he’s perfectly capable of bringing it back to St. Read More
Three Daughters
I love hard ciders. But not all are created equal. I’m not a fan of the mass produced kind, like White Claws or Bud Light Ciders. But give me some Three Daughters Hard Rose Cider or the Hard Raspberry Lemonade Cider, and I’m in heaven. Jeff loves their Beach Blonde and their Florida Orange IPA. Read More
Our Sail Around the World – Day 1
Our first night. We made it to Venice Beach. I’m worried about this whole sea sickness thing, though. It seems to be getting worse. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. I don’t know. But I’m not sure how I’m going to sail around the world if I keep getting sick to my stomach every time Read More
It’s Hard to Say Good-bye, My Love
Today is a very emotional day for us. We’ve been planning and preparing for this day for the last seven years, to begin our adventure of sailing around the world. Today is the day we left the Harborage Marina in Downtown St. Petersburg. We’ve had see-you-later dinners with our families, had a 6-hour happy hour Read More
Life Can Be Exciting. Let it!
I’d never been to the Dry Tortugas before. It’s actually two small islands about 70 miles west of Key West. Fort Jefferson is a brick fort built on Garden Key between 1846-1875 to protect one of the most strategic deepwater anchorages in North America. It was never finished or fully armed. And today it’s a Read More
First Time for the Parasailor
So, we bought this beautiful sail last year. It’s called a Parasailor. It’s a downwind headsail meant for light winds. The set-up can be a bit confusing, and it has to be exactly right for it to work. We flew it for a few minutes during our training. Another time, our friends, Karl and Natalie, Read More
I Hate Docking!
After 2 1/2 days of motor sailing from Ft. Lauderdale, dodging crab traps the whole way, we arrived in Key West at the Stock Island Marina. Whoop, whoop! Coming into a marina always gives me anxiety. I hate it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I HATE DOCKING! I’m so afraid Read More