Cruising Outpost magazine
The nice folks at Cruising Outpost magazine in the USA gave us a 10 page spread for "The coconut milk run", a piece all about your [...]
Missed us in New Zealand?
Didn't manage to come out to see us during all that time we spent in Aotearoa? Don't despair, our cruising in this beautiful country was bookended by [...]
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…
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 [...]
Haul or nothing: boat in bits
The New Zealand winter and having a new baby crew member meant that we weren't going to be sailing on the boat for a little while. This makes for a perfect time to haul out and do some routine maintenance as well as address any [...]
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 [...]
The best bit of travelling
While on the road I had an article published in 'The Natural Parent' Magazine. One of the other contributors to this magazine was lovely enough to reach out and get in touch with us, offering us any help she could as we are new to New Zealand. We…
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…
Life on the open road
There are go times and there are slow times. This time last year we were prepping for crossing the South Pacific ocean, which dominated our 2014. Having safely reached New Zealand in late November we decided that to do justice to this beautiful…
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…
Life upriver
Whangarei is just a little way north of Auckland and the town basin dock lies 15 miles upriver from Whangarei Harbour mouth. This means it's a perfect spot to have your boat for a while if you're planning on any big boat projects or other work as…
In praise of domesticity
New Year has found life on board becoming all about 'boat sweet boat'. It's a natural progression after being on the go for 9 months across the Pacific that we're using cyclone season and our arrival into New Zealand to have a little down time.…
Aotearoa – land of the long white cloud
Our arrival in New Zealand saw us making landfall at Opua, the port of entry in the Bay of Islands. This was a great jumping off point for exploring these spectacular waters en route to Whangarei, where we planned to be based for a little while. The…
Smoothly does it
So, in typical sailor fashion, after meticulous planning of our Fiji to New Zealand passage, making sure we had extra crew on board and timing our departure just right in terms of weather, it ended up being really very straightforward and simply…
Haul or nothing
Just when you’re getting ready to cross the largest ocean in the world the last thing you want to deal with is an unexpected costly and crucial repair. Now, I don’t think you need to know as much as we do about boats in order to be aware that a…
Where, Pacifically, are you going?
As you may be aware we're hoping to head across the Pacific starting this March. But, one thing that we've been asked on a number of occasions is how these exotic places all relate to one another and when we'll get to each one. A sailor's plans are…