Equipment
We made it to Colombia
Yea!!! We made it to Colombia. The passage was as expected. I would like to say it was boring but it turned out to be lively. Winds were forecasted at 20 knots most of the way but as usual the forecast was a little underestimated. We plan for this. For the most part, winds were […]
Communications on a Boat (Part Three)
Our new InReach by Garmin–Wow, is this little gizmo fun! Our friends, Ian and Margaret, on Loca Lola II sent us the link to their InReach by Garmin last year. We loved it! It did not take Mark and I long to decide to purchase one for ourselves. The InReach device uses Iridium satellite to […]
Communication on a Boat-Part Two
A few years ago we went to some seminars at the St. Petersburg Boat Show. One of the seminars was about docking, mooring and anchoring. We had anchored before but mostly in the bay. We had never moored. We thought it would be a good idea to hear what the more experienced boaters had to say. The […]
Flags
Last year we were sailing in the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. Mark and I watched a sailboat sail pass and noticed they had a yellow t-shirt tied to a rope next to the spreaders. This is usually the place boats display courtesy and quarantine flags. Their yellow quarantine flag probably got ripped up or lost somewhere along […]
A NEW DINGHY!!
Not a “new to us”used dinghy but a brand new dinghy! How exciting! As you may have read, we have been exploring our options. Our West Marina folding dinghy was too small. Our Porta Bote dingy was too big. Our new Highfield dinghy is just right. When we untied from our land life we had a few unanswered […]
Free Solar Energy?
We are finally joining the ranks of many other sailors who spent a lot of money to capture free energy. We have had an Air Breeze wind powered generator aboard Cream Puff since taking ownership. Air Breeze generators are known for being very robust reliable pieces of equipment. Ours broke in the Bahamas earlier […]
New Canvas – Finally!
We’re hanging around the east coast of Florida for a little longer waiting for the weather to settle down. The Abaco Islands in the Bahamas were recently threatened by tropical storm Kate. Cindy was watching the system for a few days. We’re glad we delayed our departure. Although this system didn’t impact the Bahamas much, […]
Stuck in Fernandina Beach
I can’t help but think we are stuck here because we said out loud, “Hey, we made it to a port and nothing broke along the way”. Yep. Probably shouldn’t have done that. I made a rookie mistake in Fernandina Beach when I ran the shore power cable. When at dock, we plug Cream Puff […]
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
If you remember this song titlle you are probably around my age or older. Ok, maybe it wasn’t Georgia, but we were just across the river from Georgia and “The Night the Lights Went out in the Town Across the River from Georgia” just was not as humorous. And there is not a song […]
Saint Augustine – Part 4
Our fenders are disgusting. Fenders are the plastic bumpers you see hanging on the side of boats to protect the boat from scratches and scraps. Ours are filthy and leave horrible black smudge marks on the boat. What? Clean them, you say? Ha! A task that has proven to be easier said than done. […]
H2-O-M-G
This is the most expensive glass of water ever. Here’s why. Prior to leaving St. Petersburg, I changed all the filters and membranes in our water maker (French). We have two water makers. One is original and installed at the Amel factory and runs off the house batteries. The second was added by the previous […]
Meals on the Go
One of the questions I am often asked is about food while we are sailing. How do we have meals while we are on trips when we are sailing several days to get to a destination without stopping? This is a good question because I can see the wheels turning in their minds. How do […]
Real Men Sew
Cruising sailors are notoriously tight fisted with money. I would like you to think of a friend who is tight with money. Got one? Okay, now think of how tight they are and double it. You are getting close. Now multiply it by ten. Welcome to the world of cruising sailors. I cannot begin to […]
NAIS-400
The NAIS-400 has proven to be the most unreliable piece of equipment on our boat. This model of AIS unit has failed us twice in less than a year. An AIS unit is an electronic device with a built in GPS and VHF radio transceiver. From the GPS the unit will calculate our position, speed […]
Let There Be Light
Since the installation of our fans, the weather has cooled. Seriously! We planned to spend a last few days bobbing up and down the west coast of Florida. The weather was not cooperative, at all. With the cooler weather came westerly winds, choppy seas, rain and strong afternoon storms. We wound up taking shelter in […]
