It still rains in paradise
It’s raining today in Fiji. Or perhaps I should say it’s raining again in Fiji. In the last few weeks we’ve been making passages through the reef systems of this beautiful island group but progress has been slow as we’ve been weather dodging, trying…
The naked truth
Perhaps it comes from being away from your home country and its associated stigmas. Or maybe there’s an element of feeling on a perpetual holiday. It might even be as simple as no longer caring what anyone thinks. Whichever way you look at it the…
The Catch – blunders, mishaps and misadventures of the learner cruiser fisherman
It’s an unspoken rule, almost a seafaring law, that those who are liveaboard, long-term, worldwide cruisers can catch the freshest, finest fish that the oceans have to offer. Any old salt can throw out a line and reel in dinner with the ease and…
3 years at sea, 1, 2, 3…
Those of you who have been reading these ramblings for some time will be aware that we do a run down of our boating statistics each year. So, in the spirit of full disclosure, here's how we made out this year and how it looks compared to [...]
Milestones
Just wanted to share our 3 latest boat milestones: A few days ago we crossed the 180th degree of longitude. That makes us exactly halfway round the world. We've also just completed our 3rd year at sea. We thought that an appropriate [...]
The curse of communication
Picture the scene: you’ve just crossed an ocean and, filled with elation, you’re brimming with the urge to share that news with your friends and family back home. But for the global cruising sailor it’s not just as simple as picking up the phone to…
All by ourselves…along with everyone else
It’s morning and I climb our companionway steps to sip my coffee on deck. I nod a greeting to the couple on board the boat anchored behind us, much as I have done on and off for the last four months. They are in their late 60’s and the extent……
Water babies
When our families in the UK mentioned to others in conversation that we were expecting our first baby in Mexico, while sailing around the world on our boat, the news was met with shock, awe and interest. Yet, while adapting to our new roles as…
Don’t let it break you
Our windlass has broken. There are certain things on your boat that it’s relatively easy to do without and there are others that, when they suddenly stop working, can stall your plans, your mind and ultimately your spirit. Sometimes you tackle a…
Role play
A few years ago James and I were walking along the cliffs of a Cornish seaside town and I glanced out to sea at a sailboat on the horizon. “We could just buy a boat and sail round the world”. That sentence changed everything. He quite rightly…
Balancing act
Like any new parent adjusting to their role both James and I have had some uncertain moments. But it’s par for the course and a necessary part of feeling more confident in the choices we make for our child. We feel confident that being able to both…
Two years on…
Today is October 8th, the anniversary of the day that we threw off the docklines and said farewell to the UK. Since then a lot has happened and we wanted to take a moment to acknowledge everyone who has been supportive and encouraging of our journey…
Here, there and everywhere
When our little daughter, Rocket, was only four weeks old we had to unexpectedly fly to Mexico City and I found myself in the rather bizarre position of breastfeeding her whilst walking to join James in a queue at the airport. Yes, we have a baby on…