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.
I’ve never seen so many crab traps in my life. Or are they lobster traps? Who knows. I don’t care. We spent no less than eight hours dodging them between Rodriguez Key and Ramrod Key. They’re really hard to see in the picture, but I assure you they’re there, like 50′ away from each other Read More
Don’t you hate when your alarm goes off five minutes before you have to get up? Ugh, 5:55 came early this morning. But we wanted to get off the dock by 6:30, so you do what you have to do. We slipped the lines at 6:45 and quietly motored out of the marina, into the Read More
We met some really nice people at the Blue Haven Marina. Yesterday we got fuel and tied up to the island-dock facing the entrance to the harbor. We were looking forward to an easy exit from the marina. Next time, we’ll move the boat to the end of the dock so that 120′ yachts can’t Read More
I can’t believe we actually did it! We sailed for 70 hours from San Juan, PR to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Last night sucked. The waves were terribly confused. I have no idea how large they were. I think maybe 287 feet. (Don’t worry, Mom. I’m exaggerating.) Things finally started calming down around 1:00am, Read More
Day 3 – So we made up the saloon bed last night. We changed the shift schedule around. I was on from 2am to 5am. The moon set around 4:15am and the stars lit up like fireworks. No light pollution. Star gazing really helped the time fly by. Jeff came up at 5:00 to relieve Read More
Day 2 – I survived! 24 hours at sea and I didn’t lose my mind. It was strange, really. After the whole fish thing, I just sort of sat there staring at the ocean. It’s really impressive. So beautiful and powerful at the same time. I didn’t sleep very well, and for no good reason. Read More
I’ve been fretting over this part of the trip since I knew it was necessary. What the hell am I going to do cooped up on a boat for three days at sea? If I try to read, I’m afraid I’ll get seasick. I can do yoga before it gets too hot. That’ll kill an Read More
We’re so proud of ourselves. Not to be cocky or anything, but we made it to Old San Juan without anyone getting injured and without seriously damaging the boat. That’s a big deal for us. We’ve been extra cautious, checking the weather, checking paper charts against the Raymarine charts and the Navionics charts, and always Read More
Still no wind. Boo. I have to keep reminding myself that engines on a sail boat are good for more than just docking, anchoring and picking up mooring balls. They’re great for maneuvering through tight reefs into a beautiful anchorage for the night. Such is Culebrita, a little island off the east coast of Puerto Read More
This is the stuff dreams are made of. You buy a boat, put it in a charter program, learn how to sail it, learn how to fix it, retire, pull the boat out of charter, get everything cleaned, obtain insurance (that was a pain in the ass), and leave the dock. That’s the hardest part, Read More