The sight of hundreds of sea turtles bobbing around the Pacific is still bobbing around my head. In March, we crossed the Gulf of Tehuantepec, a notoriously dangerous passage in Southern Mexico with frequent winds exceeding 50 mph. We scoured guidebooks, sailing forums, and weather models for the best time to cross. Big winds areContinue reading “Sea Turtles All the Way Across”
Author Archives: Scott R
Our Interview on Out the Gate sailing podcast
Hi folks, We’ve been quiet during the home stretch, landfall, and transition to solid ground. It’s been… a lot! These days we live with two friends near the James River. We work for energy companies, using the sustainability and resiliency skills we honed at sea to modernize the grid. We still make stuff out ofContinue reading “Our Interview on Out the Gate sailing podcast”
Ten Travel Tips from a Grownup Homesick Kid
This is a repost from Ash’s weekly newsletter, Clouds Form Over Land. Subscribe for less sailing-oriented writings in your inbox every Wednesday. When I was a kiddo, a trip to a neighborhood restaurant could spark physical symptoms of homesickness. I closed up like a clam. Hunger dropping from my stomach, the busyness of the placeContinue reading “Ten Travel Tips from a Grownup Homesick Kid”
Getting Intimate with the Engine
We love sailing — the joys of using natural differentials in air pressure paired with control lines to shape a piece of fabric and create movement is an altogether awesome way to explore the world. Sailing has been a primary form of transportation for thousands of years and for good reason. That being said, it’sContinue reading “Getting Intimate with the Engine”
Half Moon Bay
We left San Francisco at 7am on Friday, April 30 and arrived later that day to Half Moon Bay, about 40 nm down the coast. There was a moment when we were motoring out of Horseshoe Cove, our last anchorage in the Bay, where we could clearly see the river of tide we were aboutContinue reading “Half Moon Bay”
So when do you start?
It’s probably the number one question we get now. The answer is, we’ve already begun! Apologies for the gap since our last post, it’s been a heckuva month with leaving our slip in Alameda, preparing for the haul-out, completing the haul-out (yay), and making our way to a couple anchorages, to now resting in theContinue reading “So when do you start?”
Closer than ever!
Okay so maybe every day will be “closer than ever,” but it actually feels that way this week. After spending three nights on anchor last week and being able to test out the system upgrades we’ve been working hard on, we’re both very optimistic about our next and “final” steps and our early-April departure estimate.Continue reading “Closer than ever!”
Project Updates
Flash update on many projects as we’re churning them out over here! New Spinnaker A spinnaker is a light-weight sail you fly in the very front of the boat, usually when sailing with the wind behind you. They’re often referred to as a “kite” because of the way the sail pulls you with the wind.Continue reading “Project Updates”
Lighted Engine Room
Good morning! How is it Thursday already? Ash and I have been house-sitting lately and recently returned to the boat. It’s so comfortable here we both just sank back into the boat, being 100% familiar with your surroundings is such a cozy feeling. It’s such a bonus that we are able to take this littleContinue reading “Lighted Engine Room”
Electric Windlass
Azimuth came to us with a Simpson Lawrence windlass that was older than me. It worked, but not without some awful creaking, chain complications, and always the fear that I’d stub my toe on it before getting any decent use from it. It was a manual windlass, meaning that either Ash or I (or whomeverContinue reading “Electric Windlass”
Sailing Azimuth 