Category Archives: Passages

Log from the Sea of Cortez

December 2014 Let me be honest, we did not truly explore the Sea of Cortez. We sailed across it. That is what this post is about; nonetheless, I couldn’t resist the urge to title this post in tribute to Steinbeck’s famous book, which I started reading during our passage. Are you a little bit proud […]
Read More »

Taking our wabo to Cabo

December 2014 The anticipation of a long passage tends to be filled with a decent amount of preparation (e.g., weather and route planning, provisioning), a dollop of nerves (e.g., anticipation of sleep deprivation and unforeseen challenges), and a dash of excitement (e.g., will we catch a fish or will there be whales?). For us, the […]
Read More »

Breezing down Baja

December 2014 Skies were blue and winds were light when we left Ensenada on the morning of December 7th. Most of The Umbrella Dumpers departed for Bahia de Tortuga that morning as well, a destination several hundred miles south. Dolphins danced in our bow wake, escorting us out of the bay. By noon, we had […]
Read More »

The Umbrella Dumpers: A convoy of southbound boats from the PNW

December 2014 We are in the center of the fleet as the sun melts into the horizon. The sails of our good friends on s/v Namaste look like wings under a pink sky with an early-rising moon. Ahead of us are s/v Sea Rover II and s/v Kialoa, two Canadian couples whom we met just […]
Read More »

Our last American port of call: San Diego + Ep. 2 VIDEO

After two days in Avalon, we began planning our next passage. We enjoyed our time in Avalon so much we had considered staying longer. Unfortunately, I had developed a mysterious rash all over my body, except for my face, and I was pretty distressed by the physical experience of the rash and its dreadful appearance. […]
Read More »

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 […]
Read More »

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, […]
Read More »

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 […]
Read More »

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 […]
Read More »

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, […]
Read More »