In January 2018, Tom and I had the opportunity to join a small team of volunteers in a diving mission to release a shark from an abandoned fishing net. It was quite a rewarding experience! Read about it in the attached article published by the St. Croix Source.
Just like anything, you start out small and progress as your skills, confidence and budget 
continues to build. I actually began sailing in the 70’s with my brother on Hinckley Lake (Ohio) on small laser style boats, which eventually progressed to 16 foot Hobie catamarans on Lake Erie. Which is where Tom and I met in 1982. He had a 16 foot Prindle. And so it began. Below is the chronology of the boats we loved and learned from. Each one with her own huge personality.
Our early sailing years were spent on 16 foot Hobie and Prindle catamarans that were exhilarating to sail, and “fly a hull”. Our local sailing club was a very active, friendly fraternity on the Rocky River shores of Lake Erie. Occasionally, we also ventured to compete in regional regattas, such as the one pictured here.
Tom’s father was enthusiastic of our love of the water, but was apprehensive of small catamarans and tossed out the idea that we may want to give a motorboat a try. Perhaps he was looking for a more comfortable ride when receiving our weekend boating invitations! For a couple seasons, we had a great time with this Owens 30 foot motorboat, but our hearts were with sailing and eventually, it was time to get back to the wind. In the meantime, we also moved from Ohio to Indiana for work in the late 80’s. And we were introduced to Lake Michigan.
We bought an O’Day 26 sloop and sailed her on Lake Michigan, our new cruising waters. She had lovely lines, a modified full keel, plenty of sail and tiller to steer her by. She, and Lake Michigan, taught us a great deal, including heavy-weather sailing tactics. She also gave us the itch to wander further afar.
Having decided to take the big leap as sailing liveaboards, we needed a capable ocean passage maker, and found it in this stout Alajuela 38′ cutter rig. She was a robust double-ender, heavy-displacement with a full keel. Between 1991-95, she was our home and magic carpet; from Rhode Island to Venezuela and nearly every island in between. Read more on that here: Living Aboard A Sailboat
During our liveaboard years in the Caribbean, we were offered Captain positions at The Moorings Charter Boat Company in the British Virgin Islands. We had previously rented sailboats almost annually in the BVI’s, so we were already very familiar with these favorite islands. For 9 months, we were employed by their crewed yacht division, hosting weekly (and longer) charters aboard a 50 foot Morgan sailboat. It was a lot of work, and an absolute blast!
Our four-year sailing sabbatical came to an end in 1995. After all, we were too young to retire and actually still loved our careers. We were ready to get back to work for a while, grateful to have ‘scratched the itch’ until we could return to cruising yet again once retired someday. But, one shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bathwater! Even though we were working full time, and my elderly mother was nearby, we still needed some ‘boat time’ to carry us through. We bought a Gulfstar 60 that we kept in St. Simons Island, Georgia, and spent long weekends and vacation time aboard.
We sold her in 2016 and had hopes of finding a new boat during the 2016-17 Winter. But then two Category 5 hurricanes spoiled the inventory we had hoped to shop.
Now we’re retired and the song of the sea continues to beckon us. We continue to explore the world by sea aboard Holland America Line ships. See Travelogues/Cruising for complete stories on our extensive journeys aboard.
We experienced some rough seas for the first of two sea days as we made our way west to Sydney, Australia. Fortunately for passengers, the worst of it was overnight while everyone was in their bunks asleep. Improved weather filled in by daybreak of day two.
Sydney, Australia – At dawn on March 7, the Amsterdam rounds The Heads, the imposing rock cliffs that guard the entrance from sea to harbor. As we continue up the channel, we pass the spectacular Sydney Opera House on our port side, and then beneath the iconic Harbor Bridge, with scant clearance above us. Morning walkers on the bridge wave and cheer our arrival as they look straight down the few feet onto our decks. A thrilling experience from either perspective! The rising sun peeks through the broken morning clouds, sending a ray of light upward seemingly from the bridge’s massive pylons. Quite a glorious ‘Down Under’ welcome. Continue reading “Leg 4: Australia and Homeward”
We arrived into Port Stanley, Falkland Islands on Tuesday, January 28. Unfortunately, the bleak weather and 45 mph winds will not permit us to launch our tenders for the ½ mile to shore. The Harbormaster hailed our ship to advise that their port docks were taking on boarding waves and that it would not be prudent to come ashore. We had no choice but to weigh anchor and continue onward, towards the South Shetland Islands and the beginning of the Antarctica peninsula.
This past winter, Tom and I found ourselves back aboard the m.s. Amsterdam, a 780-ft ship operated by Holland America, for our second Grand Voyage circumnavigation cruise. This years intended itinerary was to be 128 days, following a route around the southern capes of South America and Africa. And while we were to have a few repeat ports of call, we would visit many new places, including Antarctica. What we did not expect, was a pandemic that would bring the entire world to a halt. Including our voyage after 80 days. I hope you’ll enjoy my travel journal for our ‘Half-World’ cruise of 2020… Continue reading “Leg 1: Caribbean & South America”
It seems fitting that I begin my blog while here in the British Virgin Islands, as it was here in 1982, where my life in nautical miles really began. Back then, there was a group within our Hobie Cat club that put together a sailing trip to the BVI. It was my first time in blue water, and I was hooked. It was the perfect combination of sailing, snorkeling, island breezes and scenery. You could really say that trip charted a course in my life that would take me places I never imagined. Since then, Tom and I have spent a significant time in the BVI; as visitors, residents and even employees.
Our 1980’s sailing in the BVI was joyful. Tom and I had been bitten by the bug. Hard. We began to scheme how we could live that cruising lifestyle for more than just annual vacation time. We knew that if we didn’t do it before we got ‘old, fat and grumpy’, we’d probably never do it. We loved our careers but decided to take a 4-year sabbatical from our careers to satisfy our itch.
Our planning to make this all happen propelled us to read every article, book or publication of others living aboard. We self-studied and both attained our Captain’s Licenses and took celestial navigation courses. And all the while, we were searching nationwide for The Right Boat. Our long list of seaworthy boat criteria led us to a 38’ Alajuela that we found in Newport, Rhode Island. “Windborne” was a stout cutter rig with a sea kindly gait that became our floating home for four years, during which we sailed her to Venezuela, Trinidad, and all the Eastern Caribbean islands along the way. Click link for complete stories: Living Aboard A Sailboat
Since then, we’ve sailed a wide variety of boats and routes along the way. Many folks have asked us to write about our places, adventures and experiences. And so, I’m now “sticking my toe” into the blogging waters.
After the arid heat of the Middle Eastern deserts, we’ve arrived to cooler temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea, now only in the 60’s. A dramatic change in climate, cultures, food, styles and slightly improved internet! And we have once again returned to legible alphabets. Continue reading “Leg 4: The Mediterranean, Northern Europe and UK”
After leaving Australia we turned towards Indonesia, easily one of the most intriguing destinations on earth. But coming into the port of Komodo Island (located between the islands of Sumbawa and Flores, in the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago) feels like arriving on an entirely different planet. Stepping out onto the deck in the morning, the landscape in front of us stopped us in our tracks and took our breath away. The lush green majestic mountains were stunning. And the early morning mist added to its intrigue.
Continue reading “Leg 3: Indonesia, India, Middle East & Suez Canal”
After leaving Pitcairn Island in our wake, we sailed to Tahiti, which is the largest island of French Polynesia and home to the capital city of Papeete, where we docked. Papeete is a bustling large city, in contrast to the rest of the island which is fairly underdeveloped. The tropical climate here makes everything grow like its on steroids. Enormous flowers, vines, trees, fruits. Leaves are the size of me! The air is sweet-scented and briny all at the same time. Continue reading “Leg 2: South Pacific Islands, New Zealand & Australia”
Life in Nautical Miles 