Author Archives: s/v The Red Thread

From remote to ritzy: Two Harbors and Avalon, Santa Catalina Island

Just an hour ferry ride from the glitzy streets of Hollywood, Catalina Island is a favorite vacation spot for the glamorous and not-so-glamorous (ahem, grubby cruisers like us) alike. The island has an interesting history and a sexy reputation. For three decades, the Chicago Cubs traveled to Catalina for spring training, and Norma Jean called […]
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Nice to meet you, Santa Ana

Anticipating a long day sail from Smugglers Cove to “Cat” Harbor on Santa Catalina Island, we got moving early. By 4 am, our French press was percolating, and we were underway. The sky was clear and full of stars, lighting our path out of the cove. There was just enough breeze to fill our sails, […]
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Channel Islands excursions: Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island

We weighed anchor and departed Santa Barbara on a breezy, blue-sky morning. It felt surreal to be back underway after our heart-wrenching trip home to Seattle. When we arrived back at The Red Thread two evenings earlier, we were greeted by a silly “Welcome Home” poster and colorful, homemade stars dangling from our ceiling, all […]
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A heartfelt goodbye

In Loving Memory of TERENCE W. LINDBERG December 17, 1948-November 1, 2014 We soar above a bed of cotton candy clouds that appears to go on indefinitely. Above us, cirrus clouds are whipped across the sky. A pastel sunset is painted between the strata, strokes of pink and tangerine perfectly blended into each other. We’re […]
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A thousand miles to the American Riviera

Damn good sailing After our passage to Monterey and our longer-than-expected stay there, we shoved off for Santa Barbara the morning of October 28th. We were growing accustomed to California’s blue skies and warm sunshine, and the day did not disappoint. Our passage to Santa Barbara was to be among our longest, second only to […]
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Monterey…for days and days

Monterey for days Monterey was an unexpected stop for us. Initially, we had hoped to sail roughly 300 miles directly from San Francisco to Santa Barbara, but we are learning quickly that Mother Nature will play just as large a part in voyage planning as we will. A large storm rolled in, which prevented us […]
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Night cruising: San Francisco to Monterey

After five nights beneath the glimmer of Ghirardelli Square, we weighed anchor and departed the Aquatic Park at 8 pm. As we motored west toward the Golden Gate Bridge, we watched our first major port of call fade under the glitter of an unexpected fireworks display. Since we knew not the cause for the celebration, […]
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Sittin’ on the dock of the bay

From Bridge to Berkeley San Francisco lived up to its reputation of great food, consistent [if not a bit ferocious] afternoon winds, and beautiful cityscapes. After a foggy welcome by the Golden Gate Bridge, we made our way across the bay to Berkeley Marina. We docked next to our sailing friends from Port Ludlow, WA, […]
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Ready, set, sail: Medical kit and health readiness

One of aims of our journey is to travel off the beaten path and to sail to remote locations. As much as my nature is to focus on what could go right, rather than on what could go wrong, there is a very real possibility that one or both of us could become ill or […]
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Our first ocean passage: Neah Bay to San Francisco

At this moment, we are nearly 40 miles off the coast of Washington, and I am standing my first night watch on the ocean. The glow of city lights has been replaced by the glimmer of stars. The Space Needle, a beloved Seattle icon for me, no longer lights the sky. Instead, a three-quarter moon […]
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It takes a village + Ep. 1 VIDEO

Preparation for an extended sabbatical from work to sail the big blue has been intense these last months. We’ve had to do everything from prepare our boat; wind down careers; sell, recycle, or give away many of our belongings; sell our car; and somewhere between all of this try to emotionally come to grips with […]
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Ready, set, sail: Stocking our ditchbag

Our list of things to do is dwindling, as it should be given that we set sail in just three days. Today, we finished stocking our ditchbag. If we ever have to launch our life raft and abandon ship, this will be the first, and potentially only bag, we will grab. During our prior excursions, […]
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Countdown to cruising: Emotional to-dos

September 18, 2014: It’s dark out still. The rains returned yesterday, and drops continued to fall through the night. My breath feels caught in my chest, making this airplane feel much smaller than it really is. I feel a single tear stream down my cheek and for a moment feel a bit startled. I didn’t […]
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Gettin’ Liebster lovin’

THANK YOU! We are still new kids on the block when it comes to blogging, so imagine our excitement when we discovered that we had been nominated for the Liebster Award! The Liebster Award is an honor bestowed from blogger-to-blogger, recognizing a fellow writer’s work. It works like a chain letter (remember those…?). We were nominated by […]
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Ready, set, sail: San Juan Islands shakedown

On August 5th, we kicked off our mini, get-ready-to-cruise shakedown with our first overnight sail. We arrived in Roche Harbor on San Juan Island exhausted and proud, knowing that if we could do one, by hell we could do many. After a quick breakfast nibble, we dinghied into town, docking Miss Sassy Strings alongside the fleet of […]
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