US States Visited Summer 2011
Now that summer is almost over and we have no set plans for further travels I am taking stock of all the places we visited this summer. We really got around! Here is a map of all the states we visited together with the exception of Hawai'i, which is where Mike sailed to while I was in Mexico. We made a "circumnavigation" of the west and took a quick jaunt to [...]
Florida’s Panhandle
While working in Biloxi, Missippippi we were able to take a few days to get away from our floating cubicles during tropical storm Lee. The weather wasn't much nicer in Florida but the rain was warm and the Gulf was even warmer.
Biloxi Blues
Work work work... the sonars are doing overtime to get the good people of Mississippi some new chart data. Sidescan Sonar image of barge in Fish Haven off Mississippi Down around Biloxi Pretty girls are dancing in the sea They all look like sisters in the ocean Boy will fill his pail with salty water And the storms will blow from off towards New Orleans [...]
The circle is complete
The past two months have been rather eventful. We sort of made a circumnavigation of the western US (see map below). Here are the numbers: Over 5,000 miles driven in my tiny Honda Accord 2,500 miles in a sailboat (Mike) 3 countries (US, Canada, Mexico) 12 U.S. states (WA, OR, CA, HI, NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO, WY, MT, ID) 5 National Parks (Zion, Mesa [...]
Arrival in Hawai’i
Saturday May 7th, 2011 at 5am Mike left to sail across the Pacific from Marina Del Rey to deliver a Hunter 456. 18 days later, just past midnight, they arrived in Honolulu, Hawai'i! Their daily SPOT check-in locations are on on the map below. View Mike's Trip Across the Pacific in a larger map
Half-Way Across
Mike is just about half-way across the Pacific to Hawai'i! Here is a note from Mike explaining his daily routine aboard: "I wake up around 11 and have brunch, retire to the aft deck for sun and light reading. Then enjoy a refreshing beverage in the afternoon followed by dinner. Lay down for a bit then do the 8-12 watch. Sleep some then do the [...]
West Coast Travels
After a beautiful week-long drive down the coast of Oregon and California I waved to Mike and the rest of the crew aboard s/v Xyra as they sailed off into the sunrise Saturday morning to sail to Hawai'i from Marina Del Rey. I am currently in Ensenada, Mexico aboard my parents' boat Prana. We just had a great Mother's day exploring the area. Below [...]
Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
View of Lake Marie We're finally on our way south, where we have hopes of seeing some sunshine and warmer temperatures. Last night we stayed at a "rustic" cabin at the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park with a view of Lake Marie. While it was a bit chilly in the evening, the cabin comes with a small heater so it was all very civilized.
Excellent new weather website
I just came across this new type of weather website and I am thoroughly impressed with the many options available to view weather history and forecasts. Here is what the site says about its new service: "WeatherSpark is a new type of weather website, with interactive weather graphs that allow you to pan and zoom through the entire history of any weather station on earth. [...]
What your broker probably didn’t tell you
We've been shopping for a larger cruising/live-aboard boat for a couple of years now and just last weekend we were told about soldboats.com. This website is a part of yachtworld.com that is only accessible to brokers and contains the prices of all boats listed on yachtworld and what they SOLD for! A broker can also look at the ads of the sold boats and get [...]
Sold down the river!
Last weekend we sold Webfoot to a family from the Oregon Coast. It was a bitter-sweet day. We had some great times on Webfoot but are ready to finally find our big boat. Back to boat shopping...
Cruisers Once Again!
As of last night my parents are officially cruisers once again! For the second time in their lives they sold nearly everything and moved aboard a sailboat to see the world - only this time without me. They report having slept great and my mom even said she noticed herself smiling all morning. Congratulations! We can't wait to visit! Follow their blog here. Their new [...]
California Dreaming
We just got back from a two week trip to California. We drove straight through on the way south to visit my folks in San Diego. After a week there we drove back up the coast slowly - mostly on Highway One - making lots of stops along the way.
100,000 hours!
This old boat - on display on the boardwalk in Coos Bay, Oregon - had put more than 100,000 hours on its (Cummins) diesel before retirement!
Christmas Eve Cookies
We're all ready for Christmas. I even made some flour-less chocolate chip cookies today. They turned out great, so here is the recipe. Merry Christmas everyone! 1 cup sifted coconut flour½ cup butter, melted1 cup brown sugar4 eggs½ teaspoon vanilla⅛ teaspoon salt1½ cups grated or flaked coconut¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips Mix together butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir in coconut, chocolate chips and [...]
Boat Parade
Watched the Christmas boat parade this weekend after a great dinner in a restaurant on the 30th floor with amazing views of downtown Portland, the bridges, the river, and beyond..
The challenges of navigation
Knowing the boat’s position in relation to the sea-floor is important. But how about what is above you? How will you know that your mast will clear the bridge coming up? Throw in the dynamic mediums of water and air through which the boat travels and the answer to the equation may not be so easy to solve for. The video below shows how technology [...]
Happy Halloween!
Last night I made these "Deviled Eyeballs" I saw on GalleySwap for a Halloween potluck lunch we had at work today. They were a hit!
It’s Your Watch!
My mom found this drawing in France not long before our Atlantic Crossing. Now it hangs in my kitchen and makes me smile every morning. You can just feel how happy the guy in foulies is to be going to bed after a long, wet night watch. Not to mention how the other guy is about to feel when that drop of water hits his [...]
Multnomah Channel to St Helens
Thinking of the soon to come winter we decided to spend a relaxing weekend on the boat. We started it off right on Friday night by grilling up some steaks on our trusty Magma grill. Of course, we had potatoes on the side as well as some fresh leek that we had purchased at the farmers market. After a leisurely morning dockside, we set sail. [...]
