Category Archives: Friends and loved ones

Is Bora Bora really all it’s cracked up to be?

June/July 2016 Anchor down, dinghy up, sunscreen on, off we go! Arriving midmorning in Bora Bora after our bumpy passage from Moorea meant we had the better part of the day ahead of us. Neil and I were sleepy, but there was no time to waste. Mark and Helen only had three days remaining, and […]
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Bumpy ride to Bora Bora

June 2016 Moorea’s aggressive contours were described in James Michener’s fictional tale, Bali Hai, as “peaks which can never be forgotten…the jagged saw-edges that look like the spines of a forgotten dinosaur.” Yes, we’ll remember Moorea. For us, Moorea will forever be the juncture at which our path less traveled converged with the route well-trodden […]
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Maximizing moments in Moorea: Sightseeing and swimming with stingrays

June 2016 No one wants to rush Mark. There’s something fabulous about watching someone have an absolutely fantastic time. Right now, he’s the friend who dances unabashedly, eyes closed, when no one else is on the dance floor. Lost in the moment; hips swaying. Who wants to bust in on that rhythm?! Mark kicks and […]
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Partying with puddle jumpers

June 2016 The race from Papeete to Moorea was set to kick off at 10 am. Within a couple hours, dozens of boats participating in the Tahiti-Moorea Sailing Rendezvous would descend on Cook’s Bay. We figured our best chance at getting a good spot in the anchorage was to hightail it earlier than the rest […]
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Tsaosons come to Tahiti

June 2016 The yawn of dawn stretched across port of Papeete. We’d been counting down to this day. Our rusty red frying pan was awake with the aroma of bacon and the sizzle of popping grease, which muffled the drone of morning traffic along Boulevard de la Reine Pomare IV. We scurried about the boat […]
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VIDEO Ep. 20: French Polynesia~Red Thread & The Isle of Blue Sky

May & June 2016 Our passage from the Gambier Islands to Raivavae was seven days of the most peaceful ocean sailing imaginable. We always had just enough breeze to keep our sails filled and when the breeze picked up, we caught our first fish since our passage to the Galápagos! What a sight Raivavae was […]
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Ep. 15 VIDEO: The Galápagos-Part 3: Isla Isabela

March 2016 On Isla Isabela in the Galápagos, we saw our first tropical penguins and spent more time than we care to recall tackling repairs. We experienced one of the most memorable excursions of our entire trip at Los Tunneles. There, we snorkeled with dozens of giant Galápagos’ sea turtles, sharks, and cownose eagle rays […]
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Isla Isabela, Galápagos: Boobies, penguins, & nature’s masterpiece

March 2016 Having bid adieu to Lori in Puerto Ayora and spent a few days tackling pressing projects aboard, we weighed anchor on a blue sky morning and sailed for Isla Isabela, our final Galápagos port. Our 50-nautical mile passage was smooth; too smooth, in fact. We motored 75% of the time.With the motor on, […]
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Ep. 14 VIDEO: The Galápagos-Part 2: Isla Santa Cruz

February 2016 We didn’t expect to adore the Galápagos’ most touristy island, but we did! We explored the town of Puerto Ayora, walked some of the most incredible stretches of beach we’ve ever seen, marveled at the marine iguanas, trekked through a lava tunnel, saw giant tortoises in action (literally and figuratively) in the wild, […]
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Ep. 13 VIDEO: The Galápagos-Part 1: Isla San Cristóbal

February 2016 Check out the little video we created of our first few days in the Galápagos on Isla San Cristóbal, the archipelago’s easternmost island. We attended the Galápagos’ birthday celebration, snorkeled with sea lion pups, and saw our first giant tortoises at the Galapaguera. Read more about our time on the island HERE.

GUESTBOOK: Lori the lovely, our first longtime crew by Lori

February & March 2016 Just days after The Red Thread became ours in May 2012, two women wandered past the stern of our boat at Elliott Bay Marina, slip C-62. We shouted hellos and became fast friends with Lori and Kristina, our first friends on the dock. Lori’s sailboat, Summer Salt, was on C-dock, too, […]
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Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos: Lush highlands & pristine beaches

February 2016 Our 0700 departure from Puerto Baquerizo Moreno was erased when 90 minutes out of the harbor Neil recalled that we had failed to retrieve our propane tank. Damn! We’d been motoring to hard-charge our batteries and make water after five days at anchor, so we made a swift about-face. The sea offered a […]
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Isla San Cristóbal, Galápagos: Land of sea lions & saddlebacks

February 2016 Officially cleared into the Galápagos and with a couple hours to kill before we could return to our freshly fumigated boat, we walked the waterfront in search of a proper watering hole, where we could savor an Ecuadoran beer and enjoy a view of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. Together, the three of us had […]
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Pollywogs no mas: Transequatorial passage to the Galápagos + Ep. 12 VIDEO

February 2016 For as much preparation as went into our passage to the Galápagos, it commenced almost spontaneously. After four days at lovely Isla Parida, we weighed anchor bound for Islas Secas, a triad of tiny islands with a reputation for stunningly clear water and tremendous snorkeling. At a quarter after 10 in the morning, […]
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A glimpse of our final weeks in Central America + Ep. 11 VIDEO

January & February 2016 Although we were able to upload blogs describing our final weeks in Costa Rica and Panama, WIFI has been limited during the last few months as we crossed the Pacific. This video simply had to wait. We’re excited to *finally* share a few of the highlights [and challenges] of our final […]
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