Well, that was exciting. We had a 40-mile sail to Great Exuma Island yesterday. We’re in the Marina at Emerald Bay for two nights. Another day of strong wind and high waves. And once again, we handled it fine. I realize now that I really don’t like sailing in these high waves. The wind I Read More
It was a beautiful day on Conception Island. But it didn’t start out that way for me. Here’s the story. We arrived at Conception Island after a rough overnight from Myaguana. As soon as we dropped the hook, Mike said, “My head won’t flush.” “What do you mean, your head won’t flush?” “Just what I 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