Over the weekend I suffered from a bout of the stomach flu. I’ll spare you the graphic details, but as I was sitting on the cold bathroom floor, awaiting the next onset, I started to think about the cycles in life. (more…)
Brian and I are starting a blog to keep y’all in the loop about living on our boat and preparing ourselves (and the boat) for a few years at sea. We’ll share with you our plans, progress, frustrations, and general musings.
Our goal is to untie the dock lines on September 1, 2009 and sail down to California and Mexico, and then go where the wind takes us! Keep coming back for updates; we’ll be posting often.
As kids, we’re supposed to believe that we can do anything. The old adage, “You can do anything you set your mind to,” grows as familiar as a favorite pair of Levis after hearing it repeated by our teachers, church pastors and, if we’re lucky, our parents. (more…)
Today is the six-months-to-go-until-we-set-sail-into-the-vast-unknown-called-the-Pacific-Ocean mark. (We might have to come up with a shorter name for that.) It’s hard to believe it’s already March. (more…)
On a beautiful summer day in Redmond a few years ago Erin and I made a short stop in the public library. I don’t know or remember what we were looking for, but I do know that what we found literally changed the course of our lives. (more…)
The Search for the Perfect Boat- Port Madison, WA USA — posted by Brian
Searching for the perfect boat is a lot like looking for the perfect mate. There is searching and courtship followed by what’s hopefully a long and happy relationship. (more…)
To Cruise Or Not To Cruise- That is the Question- Princess Louisa Inlet, BC Canada — posted by Brian
A few weeks ago a buddy from high school came into town for a conference. We were sitting around one afternoon in the boat chatting about our cruising plans. I was going on and on about our preparations. (more…)
Brian and I are two weeks into a month long exploration of British Columbia. Right now we’re anchored in Garden Bay – one of a group of small bays in Pender Harbor, a few hours north of Vancouver by car. (more…)
Maybe Tomorrow: Desolation Sound BC Canada — posted by Brian
We’re just over two weeks into our trip to Desolation Sound and finally starting to feel in the groove. The last few weeks before leaving were such a busy rush it took time to wind down.
We departed Shilshole Bay Marina at 6AM and started motoring North towards the Straights of Juan de Fuca. Our F-dock neighbors were kind enough to help us shove off and give us a final farewell. Where else would your neighbors rise at the crack of dawn to see you off? (more…)
We’re in Oregon waters! The Columbia River is about 40 miles to the East of us, and we’re heading south at 5.5 knots (about 6mph). Not fast, but we’re sailing. (more…)
Right now we’re about 40 miles North of Coos Bay Oregon and about 45NM away from shore. We haven’t seen land since turning the corner at Cape Flattery on Saturday night. However, I do have an ardent desire to visit the neighborhood areas of Oregon, especially Summit West, Bend.
I have heard a lot about its beauty from a friend of mine who has recently settled here. It has just been a month for her and she is already captivated by the beauty of the land. When she first decided to purchase a home here (perhaps with the help of Bernard Group- https://bernardrealestategroup.com/summit-west-bend-or/), she told me that she was a bit skeptical. But after she moved here, she has been telling me to pay her a visit as the location offers quite the sight. That is why I have been considering to visit this place for a long. Hopefully, when this sailing trip gets over, I could visit her.
That said, for now, I will just focus on the progress of sailing. Honestly, the progress has been steady making 168NM on Saturday and 173NM on Sunday. (more…)
Day 4, Cape Blanco, OR to Cape Mendocino, CA — posted by Erin
The days are blurring together. Our sleep comes in fits due to the watch schedule we’re on – we rotate three on/three off around six hour shifts during the day and four hour shifts during the night. (more…)
During the 10PM-2AM watch last night we saw the highest sustained winds of the trip- 16 knots as we rounded Cape Mendocino. Ryan said that last week someone he know saw 60 knots, and 40 knots are predicted for 2 days from now. (more…)
We crossed under the Golden Gate bridge just after 6AM on Thursday, August 27th. The trip from Seattle took just over 5 days non-stop. Since then we’ve explored the city, gotten busted by a trasit cop for jumping tolls, and saw the Giants get killed at ATT Park right down the street from our marina.
We found the propeller! We asked a friend of a friend, Kevin – a professional diver who also sailed his boat down here from Seattle – to set up a search and rescue mission for us… (more…)
For the last week or so we’ve been tied to a dock at Schoonmaker marina- partly out of convenience and partly out of necessity. With much luck our new friend Kevin was able to dig our lost prop out of the mud of Richards bay in Sausalito. (more…)