From an earlier post here, I mentioned that there were biting midges in the marina and beaches near Sarasota, FL where we are living aboard our boat. They are commonly referred to as “no-see-ums” because they are too small to see until they actually bite you. The photo shows you the size comparison borrowed from…
New Dinghy and Motor!
Today, our brand new dinghy and motor arrived by freight truck. This is progress! Why am I so excited to get my order, you might wonder? For a cruising sailboat, a dinghy is basically your car, a way of getting from your boat to land, or to visit sites and other boats. The truck driver…
The Adventure Begins Slowly
When you start your cruising journey, you picture white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees. Drinks are optional. However, if our first few days are anything to go by, we are not there yet. Quite the opposite, though we will probably look back on these early moments and laugh one day. Why is this? Let…
Traveling Coast to Coast
Packing complete, it was time to load up the U-Haul trailer and head for Florida from our home in California. Can you say, “Long drive with a 4 year old in his car seat?” Actually, Ethan did just fine, except for those moments across Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas, when he declared he needed to go…
Packing Day!
Today, we are packing up the U-Haul trailer with everything we intend to bring on board the boat. The plan is to drive across the country, from California to Florida, in order to move onto the Taswell 43 sailboat. We will be making a short stop in Missouri to see my father, Carl (yes, I…
Laundry Aboard
As we pack and prepare to move aboard, friends and family have been naturally curious about what exactly cruising will be like. How will we cook, do laundry, provision, and all the little things that are much easier to do living on land. Let’s begin with laundry. Fortunately, we start out in a marina, so…
Cruising Transition Stress
The cruising books that do so much to lure you in to the dream of tropical locations, warm waters, sunny skies, for example, do not prepare you for the “emotional impact” of deciding to go cruising. You see, you dream about this for years, then when it is actually happening, the stress of all the…
Using a Cruising Mail Service
How do we receive our mail and packages when we are out cruising, traveling place to place? Fortunately, there are special mailing services that sailboat travelers can use to ensure you receive your mail. Joe and I signed up for St. Brendan’s Isle, a well known cruising mail service located in Florida. Specifically, we went…
We are Officially New Sailboat Owners!
They say the best day in boat ownership is the day you buy your boat and the day you sell her. For Joe and I, today is the closing date on our new sailboat, so this is officially the day we now finally own our Taswell 43. Best day #1. I must say, thinking about…
Sailboat Buyer Beware
The number one tip I can give to anyone searching to buy a boat by looking online at sites such as Yachtworld or Sailboatlisting, is to take the photos with a grain of salt. Do not, do not, fall in love with a boat online by looking at their photos. Trust me on this. I…
SV Mahi 