December 20, 2017
Radio ga-ga
James hates talking on the VHF. Whenever we need to do so he always shakes his head vehemently and thrusts the microphone in my direction. Without regular access to a mobile phone or your own personal wifi your boat’s radio systems become your...
November 20, 2017
S-l-o-w time
The nature of the experience of travel is hugely dependent on the speed at which you move. When we first told people that we had grand plans to sail around the world, those that didn’t simply blink back at us in disbelief would nod slowly, as if...
November 14, 2017
The outer islands
The country of Papua New Guinea is a place that’s always conjured up images of the exotic for me. From the treehouse-building Korowai tribe, to the unusual Vogelkop bower bird and birds of paradise native to this land, PNG is a place that most of...
October 20, 2017
Maiden voyage
One thing that I’ve learned is that sailors are suckers for ritual celebrations. Crossing the Equator, cutting over the International Date Line, transiting the Panama canal and “closing the circle” upon circumnavigation are all [...]
October 1, 2017
Like a fish to water
Living on a boat with kids means that you’re in and out of the water a lot. It’s a welcome way of cooling off from the heat of the day in the tropics or calming down if the children have got a bit wild. It’s our backyard, our swimming pool, our...
September 29, 2017
How do you know weather to go?
Our route this season takes us along some rather untouched and remote places, more so than in years before. This sometimes makes getting a good weather forecast a bit tricky. Previously we’d consult marina offices, go online where possible and...
September 20, 2017
The sun has got his hat on
“Oooh, aren’t you lovely and brown!” our families cooed in awe soon after we started our sailing adventures. Funnily enough, their admiration actually made us turn rather pink with embarrassment as, in our books, that meant that [...]
September 1, 2017
Sailing the Solomons
There is always a squeeze point in our sailing plans. Although we try to avoid sailing to deadlines there are larger forces such as cyclone season, monsoon season or the turn of the prevailing winds or currents that force our hand. That’s one of...
August 20, 2017
The perfect wind
Sailors, true sailors, know how to grab their moments. A mere ten knots of wind guarantees them swiftly casting off the lines or, for the truly skilled, stylishly sailing off the anchor, to go out and play in the light breeze. Strengthening winds...
August 9, 2017
More Vanuatu voyages
We’ve been continuing our passages northwards through the islands, sailing from Port Vila to Mele Bay and then Havannah Harbour on Efate island, then onwards to Emae, Epi, the Maskelynes and Malekula, with a little side trip to Ambrym. We're now...
August 7, 2017
The den gets a makeover
When your boat is 27 years old and you're the fourth owners it's understandable that you'd make some changes. When your time onboard has seen you transform from a carefree cruising couple to growing your crew en route and now sailing as a family it's...
July 20, 2017
V-berth vacations
The in-laws are coming to visit. Having friends or relatives coming to stay is always an interesting exercise. Visitors to a boat, however, have a completely different set of challenges to meet [...]
July 20, 2017
Turtle vid
I love turtles. One of the things that I most enjoy about our sailing travels is the ability to swim with animals in their natural environment. Snorkelling on reefs is one of my favourite things to do and it’s an added bit of magic when a turtle...
July 10, 2017
Going Bamboo
While we were in New Zealand we forged a new relationship with Go Bamboo, a company that's serious about keeping plastic out of our coastlines, oceans and landfills. Their first major product breakthrough was in designing a [...]
July 1, 2017
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 [...]
June 30, 2017
Number 33
We arrived in Aneityum, the most southerly island in Vanuatu, after an 8 day passage from New Zealand. Instantly the layers of stress and worry that so acutely mark the preparation stage for leaving a country were shed as quickly as the layers of...
June 20, 2017
Going overboard
“Bagpuss is floating away!!!” Comes the fervent cry from our daughter. Every sailor has a plan for a man overboard situation. You consider how you’d manoeuvre the boat to recover someone from the water and the process for getting them safely...
June 10, 2017
Yum yum yum
When your family onboard includes a Londoner with a rare and supreme talent in the kitchen, another Londoner with a great appreciation of good food and a Californian who likes to experiment with new flavours you know that the average mealtime is not...
June 5, 2017
It takes a village
Our lovely friends at gDiapers asked us to take part in their podcast series called "It takes a village to raise a parent". They interviewed us, asking questions about [...]
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