sailing

The hook on Isla San Francisco in the Sea of Cortez Mexico

Ships Log March 7, 2023-Unexpected Adventure

What an interesting few days!! A labyrinth of mangroves with an abundance of White Egrets, stone cairns overlooking the ocean, and an unexpected hiking adventure teetering on the very exposed crest of a mountain range. I’m sitting in our cockpit with the canvas windows completely open, listening to the gentle movement of water lapping at the sides of the dinghy.  The sun has just set casting the most perfect orange glow on the mountain that […]

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Ships Log February 27, 2023

LEAVING LA PAZ Sometimes we wonder if we’re on the right road in life and then little things pop up that say “yes, you are”. There is this little stirring of impatience that occurs when we’ve been sitting somewhere for too long. We both experience this whether we are on land or sea. For most, this is called a vacation. Becoming cruisers it is called a lifestyle. There are many boaters who get to a […]

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Ships Log February 21, 2023

Carnival in La Paz, Mexico. Up until today, it’s been mostly really loud thumping base keeping us awake until 2am…man, have we really gotten that old? Tonight, we went into town to actually experience this tradition of indulgence and fun before the fasting of Lent begins After a morning of emails and group contracts , we headed into La Paz for a double Avocado Burger (we must indulge after all) and a walk on the […]

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Somebody Make Me Go!

Emily and I made the trip down to Makara with the intention of going out sailing for a few days. This is a normal and expected desire of every sailboat owner, yet it never fails a clever set of factors will conspire to persuade you not to go. This time was no different. We arrived in good time to our marina in Channel Islands Harbor. The day before leaving we received from Renogy a replacement […]

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Engines and Moving Forward

Engines And Trying To Move Forward Emily and I were excited we had our new boat with a bit more space. Our old boat, Phenix, an 1972 Islander 37, was still in the marina. We had prepared her to be sold over the last month leading up to January 2020. Emily had spoken with a broker, which we would need as we lived 6 hours away. The broker was set to meet me the next […]

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Learning to Trust Heaving To

Almost to San Diego The day had started out with light winds blowing out of the northwest. They were driving me south-southwest, more toward the south pacific instead of my destination of Southern California. I had barely rounded Cabo San Lucas and was losing ground the further I went. If this continued it was going to take a long time to get home. The information I read about the clipper route back to Southern California […]

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Finding Makara

Sailing to Santa Cruz Island, Channe Islands National Park It was a cool fall day on the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon. I walked down the docks toward a small boat. I looked at the beautiful lines of the Pearson Triton sitting in the slip in front of me and dreamed of where it might take me. I knew I would buy her that day. As I walked back up the dock to head home […]

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Finding Purpose

In 1997 I had my first faint thought of sailing. I grew up in the deserts of Arizona, so the idea of traveling the world by boat was not the most natural vision to have. It was a chance discussion with a couple which sparked my curiosity. They spoke so passionately about sailing. I was always drawn to adventure. The year prior I had climbed my first route on El Capitan in Yosemite National Park […]

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