We are overdue to leave for our big offshore trip. Last summer came and went, this summer came and we are still doing essential renovations to our 50-year-old steel sloop.
Blog
Our stories and experiences are documented here. From the thoughts written during the First Time Offshore, to FAQs about cruising, to the humor and angst of day-to-day life while cruising, this is where to find our stories.
Odds ‘n Sods: Rainy Day Jobs
We are barreling towards departure day sometime in August. Sometimes it feels impossible we should leave in two months, other times it’s just damn difficult to believe we can get away then. The boat is going together, true. Two days ago Jon put the second rub rail back on the boat and yesterday he installed […]
Renovating a Rusting Steel Boat: a Cautionary Tale
Steel boats with wood decks will rust. Eventually. And if your steel boat is 49 years old, as our Phoenix is, that “eventually” has come. But if there is enough good about the boat to be worth the work, even a rusting boat is recoverable, if you have the skills and the time. Interested in […]
Refit for Pacific Tour
We’ve hauled Phoenix and moved her to a boat shed. Jon has started the final refit for leaving the west coast for Hawaii next spring. He will do the extensive carpentry and mechanical work on the list, plus hire and oversee the welder / metalwork. I am still working, but will contribute to the later […]
First-timer Account of Offshore Sailing
What’s it Really Like to Go Offshore? I have been a sailor all my life, but only started cruising in 2001. I grew up racing in small open boats, windsurfing, and day sailing. Years later when my husband proposed the cruising lifestyle and maybe a circumnavigation, I started reading to find out what this was all about. Was […]