To see the wild ocean with your own eyes, uncut by the perspective of others; to seek for solitude at its source; to take on difficulties that call for previously unsuspected grit; to cast your lot with the likes of Ishmael and to assemble your story from the stuff of an endless, empty sea; in other words, to sail alone around the world … isn’t a solo enterprise. It takes a community to pull it off.

So, it’s fitting that now, in the brief space between the Figure 8 attempt that began last October and the one to come this ...

As cruisers, we learn to predict the weather in our home waters with relative ease: it becomes instinctive. In the summer cruising grounds your radius from home port is likely to be only 100 miles. You will probably stay within your local seasonal weather pattern. Cruising the ICW is quite different. If you watch the local TV weather forecast in the morning, its afternoon predictions will be practically worthless as by afternoon you will be 50-60 miles away. This morning’s weather center forecast for tomorrow morning will be different from the forecast at tonight’s anchorage. In short, you will get ...

What’s your favorite place? We’ve heard this question a lot lately. Jamie’s current answer to the “best place” question is that he has 100 top ten favorites. His point (aside from the impossibility of picking just one) is that there’s context needed. Some places are favorites for the delicious food. Others are unforgettable for their underwater life. Still others for the cultural experiences and learning opportunities they offered. There are so many things to love about a place! The point is made as a family when we each rattle off a few that are top of mind, and quickly finding ...

Rick Tomlinson is one of yachting’s most accomplished photographers. What I didn’t know before we met, was how accomplished he is as a sailor. Rick was a crew member on four consecutive Whitbread Races, and literally invented the modern concept of onboard reporter. Back in his day, Rick was an integral member of the sailing crew – he took photos onboard as a hobby, on his off-watches, and even developed film in the galley sink offshore! Mia and I traveled to Rick’s beautiful studio in Cowes on the Isle of Wight last September to chat about his career.

Show notes:

We’re back in Holmiabukta, my favorite anchorage in Spitsbergen so far, in the island’s NW Corner as it’s known in the local parlance. Mia is trying to figure out the labeling on the water tanks – we all showered yesterday and didn’t run the watermaker in the silty water, so all but one of the tanks (plus the bladder tank) is empty. The labels got screwed up when we re-did the plumbing, so it’s a matter of trial and error now finding the full tank.

We left Texas Bar at midnight on Saturday morning, knowing there’d be a westerly wind ...

That moment when your evil plan is finally realized: to infiltrate a boatyard as its General Manager, lay low for 14 months, doing your job diligently, until finally you can spring your trap and yes, get a free haul-out. They never saw it coming.

There was some doubt it was even possible, as my boat is on the fringes of what our crane can lift. Our crane, which is nearly 90 years old, but still passes inspections, can lift 12 tons at our pick spot. Sailboat Data lists my boat as weighing 23,000 pounds, which gives 1000 pounds of leeway, ...

The sad looking picture above is the back of Have Another Day’s 240v AC panel.  Though it doesn’t look good here, it was scarier looking when I first opened the panel the and the dull grey stud with the red 6 gauge wire was glowing red along with some of the wires exposed copper conductor.   As soon as I saw the state of affairs I disconnected shore power and began investigating.  The culprit was pretty easy to identify and turns out to be a matter of basic good practices not being followed when this panel was constructed, but realizing we ...

(Cont. from part 8) Four hours later, we moved the boat out of Hornbaekpollen and into the beautiful half-moon bay at Texas Bar. Turns out, the place is just a hut, and a tiny one at that, with a huge TEXAS BAR written on the front of it in wooden driftwood, nailed to the walls. An old ship’s hatch sits out front with a couple of makeshift driftwood benches. The hut blends right into the grey scenery – it’s a very basic four-walled structured covered in tar paper to keep it watertight and with a stainless steel chimney sticking out ...

July 8, 2018

Day 190/20

Noon Position: 38 07N 123 30W
Course/Speed: ESE7
Wind: WNW15-25
Bar: 1019, falling
Sea: NW7-10
Sky: Clear
Cabin Temperature: 62
Water Temperature: 51
Sail: #2, full

Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good: 161
Miles this leg: 2,741
Avg. Miles this leg: 137

Wind came on fresh after dark. By midnight I had three reefs in the main and two in the working jib. We took the short, steep, bullying sea between port quarter and beam on, and Mo steered heavily. Deep reefs and still too much sail, but I wanted the speed.

By early morning, winds were ...