I have been learning Spanish in fits and starts since Mrs. Gardner’s 10th-grade class. My one-semester college language requirement repeated much of the same material and sent the basics of verb conjugation, masculine/feminine, and pronunciation to my long-term memory. Over the years, I dusted off that knowledge while volunteering, playing water polo, and working inContinue reading “Estadounidense”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Hurricane Plan
There’s a lot to catch up on since our departure from Pacific Honduras, but let’s jump ahead to the current happenings of the SV Azimuth crew. A couple years ago, we met two friends at our workshop + farm space and learned they operate an eco-retreat in Panama. We added a star on our mapContinue reading “Hurricane Plan”
On Watch
Back in the Gulf of Fonseca, we had the opportunity to do something we hadn’t done in quite a while or since – go sailing together! Wait, what? Most of our passages down the Pacific Coast have been multi-day trips. Azimuth travels at about 5 miles per hour in moderate wind and we can countContinue reading “On Watch”
Frogger
The trek from southern Mexico to Balboa, Panama is 1000 miles as the dolphin swims. Six countries have jurisdiction over this coastline, with their varied entry requirements, fees, and proximity of supplies to their harbors. The Tehuantepec and Papagallo wind systems hold court as well, and COVID precautions continue – although we’re happy to reportContinue reading “Frogger”
Latitude 38
Some tales from our voyage are included in the March issue of Latitude 38 magazine! Click here to read all about it in the Changes in Latitude section (pages 86-89). Keeping up this blog has been a delightful way to hone and share reflections from sporadic Wi-Fi, and it’s neat to see our words inContinue reading “Latitude 38”
On the Road Again
This song holds a special place in the Gremel heart, so it came as little surprise that when my sister texted our sat phone, “on the road again!”, I’d already been humming the tune for 30 minutes. Our extra check-in-and-out of Mexico provided more than just déjà vu. The repetition helped our Spanish skills andContinue reading “On the Road Again”
Here and Back Again
No question about it, this has been a tough week aboard the good ship Azimuth. We started with heads down focus on our midway maintenance punch list. Other members of the Panama Posse had reported dirty diesel sources up the coast and we knew it was time to change our fuel filters too. We installedContinue reading “Here and Back Again”
Weather Window
The saying goes, “sailing plans are written in the sand at low tide”. For the past ten days, we have been hunkered down in the protection of Marina Chahue waiting for our window to cross the notorious Tehuantepec Bay. The recommended route is to sail with “one foot off the beach” along the curve ofContinue reading “Weather Window”
Sightings of the Devils Ear Tree
We hopped across the Gulf of California to La Cruz de Huanacaxtle – a fishing village in Bandaras Bay, NW of Puerto Vallarta. The town is named after a tree that had been catching Scott’s woodworker eyes throughout our route. These trees provide ample shade, interesting shapes, and a coveted combo of hardwood and fastContinue reading “Sightings of the Devils Ear Tree”
Blog from Crossing the Sea of Cortez
After spending a Steinbeckian segment of time exploring the Gulf of California, we began plotting our course to the mainland of Mexico. We spent that final week bopping around Isla Carmen with Oakland friends aboard S/V Petrichor. The stars aligned for our friend Jen to extend her vacation, jump from their ship and cross theContinue reading “Blog from Crossing the Sea of Cortez”
Sailing Azimuth 