Maintenance
What is it Like to Make an Ocean Passage?
Being at one with nature and the elements is remarkably calming and soothing. One feels a sense of peacefulness as the boat gently glides across the sea and rippling waves. We listen to Caribbean-style ska music or Jimmy Buffet and we sip rum concoctions in the evenings. During the day we bask in the […]
Cream Puff Goes to the Spa
This has been our view for the past ten days. It’s awesome, isn’t it? We rented a house high in the mountains because Cream Puff went to the spa and we became homeless. It is that time again when we open our wallets and shell over thousands of francs for the Puffster to have her […]
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 […]
U-Turns in the Ocean
You would think I would know better by now. When will I learn? I jinxed our trip just before leaving Key West. When Cindy and I were enjoying our last meal in Key West, an awesome burger at Fogarty’s on Durval Street, we thought this was going to be our last meal in the USA […]
We Need Toilet Parts
When you need boat parts, nothing will make you appreciate being in a populated area more than this. A connection to one of our holding tanks recently failed. The holding tank is where sewage is pumped from the toilet. It is held there, hence the name holding tank, prior to being discharged into the ocean […]
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, […]
Sitting Still and Spending Money
We have made our way to the lower end of the Chesapeake Bay and sit here in Hampton VA in frustration. To explain why, I need to back up just a bit. Since entering the Chesapeake Bay in July, we have had a bit of an engine issue. Our faithful Yanmar overheats when running […]
Solomons, MD – Part 2
When a boat is in the water things like to stick to it. We are constantly at war with algae slime, barnacles, mussels, oysters and all sorts of other crustaceans. This is a battle no boat owner has ever won. The best us boat owners can hope for is a mild growth. When we kept […]
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 […]
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Ah…land ho! The sight of St Augustine, Florida was just wonderful. We originally planned to be in St. Augustine for a week but we think we will stay two. During each leg of the journey from St. Petersburg to St. Augustine something on the boat simply decided it didn’t want to play anymore. As […]
“If I had a Shotgun…”
“If I had a shotgun, I’d shot a hole in the bottom of this boat”, Cindy, said upon our arrival in St. Augustine FL. As we continue our trudge up the east coast, we have been plagued with problems. We sort of expected some issues as Cream Puff has not been sailed hard in quite […]
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 […]
A New Rig
This week was the most expensive week of our lives! Ouch. Okay, perhaps the day when we purchased a house or one of our boats was really the most expensive week of our lives. But, we don’t have jobs anymore and when money goes out, it doesn’t come in (this is really quite scary […]
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 […]
Our Boat Stinks!
Peeeeee-yew! That’s what our neighbors are saying about Cream Puff. We have a pet Osprey who enjoys using the very top of our mizzen mast (rear shorter mast) as a dining room table. Ospreys eat fish. They are messy eaters. All the lovely parts of the fish the osprey doesn’t eat, like the guts, head […]
