Cat Aboard.    The sun has finally set on another surprisingly sunny Spring weekend in the usually gloomy Pacific Northwest. As I kick back inside the boat, picking up a few things that fell down below in our first sail of the season, I’m distracted. I hear a rumble in the aft cabin. I carefully [...]

We are currently on Nuku Hiva, the last island we will explore in the Marquesas before we sail the 500ish miles to the Tuamotu atolls southwest of here and after that the Society Islands (Tahiti! Moorea! Bora Bora!). Over the last four weeks we’ve flitted among these sweet little jems floating lazily in the warm [...]

WHAT IS THE well-dressed sailor wearing these days? It’s a question that doesn’t normally occur to me, but it just so happens that West Marine has sent me a brochure listing all the wonderful boating things they have for sale, including what it pleases them to call “yachting apparel.” I must admit I have never [...]

By Nicole There’s something thrilling about standing on the rim of an active volcano, looking down into the crater and imagining the sheer force required to blast such an impressive hole in the Earth.  It’s even more exhilarating when the volcano you’re peering into erupted suddenly just 7 years ago.   Vibrant crater lake inside [...]

Perhaps our expense accountings for these two months should be called “the ridiculous amount we spent to get ready to sail to the South Pacific.” For sure, if we had decided to spend another year in Mexico and Central America we could have kept well within our budget of $1500-2000 per month. But the reality [...]

PODCAST SHOW NOTES – Episode #034 Two weeks ago, I met Chris Finks (Maritime Heritage Coalition) at the Portland Yacht Club to personally tour several of the historic and wonderful wooden boats his friends own and moor at the Yacht Club, and to talk shop (wooden boat shop of course). One of the chaps I interviewed that day [...]

One thing I love about living on the hook is living privately, quietly, and having a 360 water view. Life on the hook is abundantly pleasant. Winter moorage officially ended on May 1. Tuesday was my first day back on … Continue reading →