Expect the unexpected
The first lesson of parenting is really to expect the unexpected. Funnily enough, the exact same can be said of liveaboard sailing. One of the great challenges of sailing out from a country like New Zealand and on to remote islands like those of…
Change is in the air
Autumn is here. For three years in the tropics we missed the changing colours that the turn of season brings. It wasn't until our camping trip all around New Zealand that we were able to re-familiarise ourselves with that shift of light, and time…
Pescadora mia
There are some important milestones for a boat girl to go through. At 3 and a half our little Rocket has had a BIG moment... She just caught her first fish! She has an ongoing joke that "Dada is rubbish at fishing!" and [...]
We’re taking over!
Our good friends over at gDiapers have kindly invited us aboard their Instagram page for a couple of days. Why? Because they're keen to share the real stories from the gMums and gDads who use their products. So, on the 27th and 28th of this month…
A river runs through it
In our years at sea we’ve sometimes had a break from the ocean swell or bouncy anchorages and chosen to sail on a river. Yes, it is unlikely that you will get an easy sail but even motoring upriver is a lovely adventure in itself. Plus, you’re…
All things winches
As an important part of our general maintenance we've been servicing our winches. With two little helpers of course [...]
In between jobs
Occasionally we get a proper weekend, free from boat jobs. This last one was all about making. Making food, making dens, making pictures [...]
Water babies again
James teaching Rocket how to balance and hold the paddle. Indigo clinging on to the bow on a [...]
Our littlest crew…
...Has finally had his first passage. We made the trip up from Whangarei to Opua over a few days via Urquharts Bay, Tutukaka Harbour and Urupukapuka Bay in the Bay of Islands. The kiddos are adjusting to [...]
Busy boat life
Some days are all about staying in and playing Duplo [...]
Hello Peppin
A warm welcome to our latest sponsor, Peppin Boutique, who have provided us with some lovely clothing goodies for Rocket and Indigo [...]
Dolphin Watching
While our boat is out of the water, prepping for leaving New Zealand shortly, we're heading south to visit some friends. First stop is Auckland and the lovely folks from s/v Dolphin of Leith, who we first met in the San Blas islands of Panama more…
Good things come to those who wait…
For those of you who have been eagerly awaiting some news on this page, we just wanted to let you know about the safe and sound arrival of [...]
Putting faces to the names
While in Wellington on our recent travels we were able to pop into the Phil & Ted offices and finally meet our supporters there face to face. They provided us with both a highchair and playpen to experiment with on our journey as a sailing family.…
Bump in the road…
So why a roadtrip? And why now? You may well ask. Well, it's important to us to see as much as possible of New Zealand in honour of our second boat baby being born here. Plus, it's lovely to spend some quality family time together, just the three of…
A family at sea
Here's the 'mum profile' interview I did for our friends at Nature Baby. The full piece can be found on our 'Mothership' page, in the Nature Baby entry or you can go to the site [...]
Farewell to the boy next door
Being quite new to cruising has meant that we've welcomed the opportunities to make new friends whenever we can. We made friends for life in Laurie and Damon of s/v Mother Jones in Panama, and ended up buddy-boating with them for a few months and…