Changing Course
As John & I prepare to become full-time sailors, we’ve been reading lots of great books…and now I have another one to add to the list of must-reads. Changing Course: A … Continue Reading
Author: Christa Greer
Big Move
Giraffes…not sure why they fascinate me but they do. I can’t stop watching them whenever we’re at a zoo, and now I’ve discovered that giraffes live at the Montgomery zoo … Continue Reading
Get Her On Board
When John ordered this book, I was intrigued by the title Get Her On Board. It’s a guy’s guide to convincing a reluctant wife that sailing off into the sunset … Continue Reading
True Spirit
True Spirit is another biographical account of sailing, this time from a young person’s perspective…a very young person. It’s the true story of Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian who sailed solo, … Continue Reading
Bumfuzzle
I finished reading Bumfuzzle – Just Out Looking for Pirates a couple weeks ago however it took a while to percolate my opinion of the book. It’s a tale of a young couple deciding to give up their careers to … Continue Reading
Living a Dream
I find the best way to judge a book is if I’d recommend it to someone else…well, it just happened, without me even thinking about it. I finished reading Living a … Continue Reading
Checklists – Part 2
Now that we have a few miles under us, we have taken all the various checklists that we have come across and developed our own. We had a few templates/drafts … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – Lessons Learned
During our voyage, I picked up many pointers about sailing but the true “lessons learned” were things that will be transferable to other areas of life as well. 1 – Importance of crew … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – The Last Leg
It was already light out at 7am as we were approaching Comino Channel between Malta and Gozo, a much smaller island next to Malta’s main island. We anchored in famous Blue … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – A Long Morning
The next morning we were roused at sunrise under cloudy skies. Winds were 18 knts with gusts to 20. Sylvie was now skipper and John & I were replacing her … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – Departure From Hammamet
After the excitement of our camel riding excursion, we headed back to the boat for supper and then prepared to leave Hammamet for Malta. John was skipper and gave me … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – Arrival In Hammamet
We were surprised that the knock on our door for shift change came at 6:45am, an hour later than we expected. It was already light out and the city of … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – On To Hammamet
We awoke to the sound of a jet engine taking off at the nearby airport and it was already light outside. After breakfast on the boat, Stephen advised that I … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – The Next Morning
With the coming day, I was willing myself to feel better. There was very little wind and we were motoring most of the way. John came up on deck as … Continue Reading
Passage to Tunisia – The First Night
John & I decided to further our sailing experience by doing an off-shore trip with Malta Sailing School, to follow up on our Day Skipper course that we completed in … Continue Reading
Going Coastal
To carry-on from our Day Skipper Sailing course in June, John & I returned to Malta for a five-day practical Coastal Skipper course with Sailing School Malta. Our home for the … Continue Reading
Cruising
An interesting philosophy received via the Practical Sailor Waypoints Newsletter from August 13, 2014. Cruising under sail is a hundredfold more complex than merely buying a suitable yacht. We know this … Continue Reading
Ready to Set Sail
This week I finished the Sail course through CPS. I spent a lot of time reading through the material (yes, much longer than John took), so I felt pretty confident … Continue Reading
Symbols and Abbreviations Used on Admiralty Paper Charts
Here was a semi-costly lesson that hopefully will help you avoid the same mistake. When we went on our Day Skipper Course, we weren’t smart enough to take anything with … Continue Reading
Float Plan
We have heard about these so-called Float Plans during our training, but no one we have encountered so far seems to use them. With John’s aviation background, it is an … Continue Reading