Category Archives: Washington

Voyage stats: Our first FOUR months

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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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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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 The glow of city lights has been replaced by the glimmer of stars.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: 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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Night sailing beneath a million stars

We were reeling from a few hectic days of preparation, as we set off from Seattle for an extended weekend, a getaway for which plans had materialized quickly and unexpectedly. Thankful for long summer days, we departed Elliott Bay Marina at 6 pm, bound for the heralded cruising grounds of the San Juan Islands. Weather […]
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Four salty seasons

July 1st marked our one-year anniversary of living aboard The Red Thread – It’s hard to imagine that we bid adieu to our landlubbing life a full year ago!We moved aboard in the heat of summer and watched as summer swelter subsided and the leaves on the trees faded to hues of yellow, red, and […]
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Critters of Elliott Bay Marina

As the sun starts to climb high into the sky It’s g’morning for some critters and for others g’night.         The Canada geese arrive in a gaggle And splash around giddy, tail feathers a-waggle. They paddle the canals, their life mate always near But only visit Elliott Bay for part of the […]
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The crisp snap of new sails

For any sailor, except those with extraordinarily deep pockets, cruising means making difficult tradeoffs. We end up having to ask ourselves questions like, “New running rigging this year, or an updated chart plotter?” Preparing for our journey abroad, Jessie and I have often had to ask these questions of ourselves. A generator or a windvane? […]
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Port Ludlow for Memorial Day

Chickadees and warblers call from the tops of the pines that line the shore, and seagulls caw and splash as light departs the day in the Puget Sound. It’s after 9 o’clock in the evening on Saturday, and only now are anchor lights beginning to gleam. All of the visiting boats in the bay appear […]
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A gorgeous week

Sunday morning, I awoke to sunlight beaming through our forward cabin porthole. Funny, how I always seem to rise early and of my own volition when work is not the task that beckons me. The cockpit was calling my name, and I stealthily wiggled my way out of bed to enjoy a few minutes of […]
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Winter wonderland

Snow in Seattle is pretty damn rare. Snow in the marina, well, this is a first for us. We arrived home late last night to a two-inch blanket of heavy snow that had fallen while we were out. We crept carefully down the powdery dock. Neither of us had any intention of falling, and we […]
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Six months aboard…and loving it

It’s hard to imagine that we’re already approaching our six-month anniversary of living aboard The Red Thread! It seems like only weeks ago we were sorting through our belongings and grappling with the exciting reality that the 550 square foot studio we were sharing was soon to be traded for a floating space nearly half […]
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A January jaunt: Port Townsend, WA

Our Saturday (01.18.14) morning started later than expected, which, regrettably, is just like us. Our goal to set out from the marina by 8 am was realized at 11:30 am, and we started off a bit discouraged. Our original plan had been to sail south to Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon Island, an area we haven’t […]
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Ringing in a new year

I always get excited as one year’s days grow fewer and the next year nears. Reflecting on accomplishments, recalling happy memories, and thinking about ways I have grown or changed stirs feelings of motivation in me for the coming year. While I could technically think about those things on any given day, there is something […]
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