February/March 2015 Winds in this bay never seem to abate for more than an hour or two. Gusts have spiked as high as the upper 30s in the anchorage, and we see the low 30s almost daily. Some moments I’m convinced that the only redeeming quality of this bay is its good holding. Okay, okay, […]
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February 2015 Would-be cruisers work like architects to draft their cruising plans. They identify the features they most desire in a boat and fantasize about the destinations they anticipate will be crown jewels of their journey. They modify their initial blueprints and seek the expertise of seasoned sailors. They strive to establish the skills necessary […]
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February 2015 We arrived at Chiapas at 10 o’clock, tired, and beneath a heavy cloak of darkness. We had anticipated an earlier arrival, when the moderate afternoon winds we’d craved throughout our T-Pec crossing had at last arrived and then abruptly dissipated. We held out hope of sailing further until we could no longer bear […]
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Check out our first video after you read this story…or watch it now if you simply can’t wait! February 2015 The number of days until our friends were to fly from the US to meet us in Costa Rica were dwindling. When we weighed anchor in Las Hadas, we were still trying to prepare ourselves […]
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One hundred twenty-four days ago, we waved goodbye to our family and friends in Seattle and sailed into a September sunset beneath the Olympic Mountains. In 124 days (September 30 – January 31), we traveled from Seattle, Washington, USA to Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico. I figured this would be a perfect time to crunch some numbers […]
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January/February 2015 We weighed anchor at 2:30 am and when dawn came, we watched the sunrise together. And it was spectacular. The fusion of tropical oranges and juicy reds was breathtaking, leaving no question as to how the popular cocktail tequila sunrise had acquired its name. Light-air sailing and long-line nailing The day’s conditions were […]
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January 2015 It’s dawn on the 15th of January. I’m wrapped in a blanket savoring the few moments of the day when the thermometer drops below 80 degrees. Thousands of silver fish with neon yellow fins dart behind the aft of The Red Thread. It’s the magical witching hour when the seas seem especially alive, […]
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December 2014 We hauled up our anchor in Isla Isabela while stars still hung in the sky. As is our routine, we put coffee on and let the sounds of the sea fill our ears with music. As the oranges of dawn rolled above the horizon, a pod of dolphins appeared in our bow wake. […]
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December 2014 Gail was the first person ever to join us on a night passage. Adventurous and eager to experience one of the quintessential aspects of our cruising adventure, she was excited to get off the dock and to depart Mazatlán. Two days after Christmas, we exited Estero Sábalo in the late afternoon and raised […]
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December 2014 Neil’s mom, Gail, arrived on Christmas Eve. She was greeted by a typical December day in Mexico: warm breezes, blue skies, and sunshine. In the 10 days that she would spend with us, we would enjoy some of our loveliest cruising experiences to date. Our first few days were spent in Mazatlán. Anyone […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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December 2014 The first light of dawn The only thing I like about arriving in a new harbor after dark is the exhilaration I feel waking to new vistas. Light crept through our portholes at just after 6:30 am the morning of the 10th, beckoning me to crawl swiftly from our v-berth, much in the […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
Author, Poet, Satirist, Social Commentator
follow our family on our sailing adventure.
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
gad·a·bout ˈɡadəˌbout/ noun a person who travels often or to many different places, especially for pleasure.
A publishing project of SF Creative Writing Institute
Sharing stories about how the pandemic is affecting you.
Musings and tales from the high seas
Sailing in Search of an Endless Sunrise
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
The Adventures of SV Cariba and her crew.
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
A family of four traveling the PNW aboard our 40-foot sailboat
Sailing adventures and photography
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
Sailing around the world, can't open a tin!
Nomads. Full-time RVers. Former cruisers.
Sail with the Flo - from England back to England - via the rest of the world
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
"The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea." –Isak Denesen
A Wandering Life
Sailing the world with kids
The adventures of Mia, Jon and Teo on Itchy Foot
Life is too short to say later. And winters suck.
POOP DECK: Because we give a SHIT
s/v The Red Thread 