When we left the boat in Anacortes, Washington in October, I left a few food items on board that could make the long trip (by truck) to Mobile—nothing that would interest a cockroach or an ant. Checking those food items, I found instant coffee, tea bags, tight-lidded glass containers of flour and sugar, basic spices, … Read more
Last summer when we made a decision to move onto the boat, we knew our summer cruise to the Pacific Northwest would give us a good idea of what the boat needed. We ended the trip, sharpened our pencils and made a list. Then we shipped the boat to Mobile, Alabama to prepare for the … Read more
People always say you need a shakedown cruise before you take your boat on a long journey. They’re absolutely right. Our shakedown cruises were in and around San Francisco Bay in all types of weather. I learned a couple of things: first, our Nordic Tug 32 seems a lot sturdier than our Grand Banks 36 … Read more
Once upon a time I married a man with a dream. He wanted us to quit our jobs, sell our house, buy a boat and sail the Caribbean. I was young, in love, and terribly naive. I agreed to go. My practical side said, “What about the kids?” My romantic side said, “No problem. I’ll … Read more
I met a woman once in a public bathroom in a marina in Georgia. She’d been crying and I asked her if she was okay. She said yes, she was just scared. Her tears were an emotional release because she and her boyfriend were sailing up the East Coast, and they had finally arrived in … Read more