Forgeover

California 2004-2010

Sun, 29 Mar 2020 09:21:33 +0000

What Survived

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 00:02:22 +0000

A lot of things went right this year too. Here’s a list of things that continued to perform through the (okay fine… second) meanest ocean in the world.

Love
RK Drums/CBQ Frankenstein Coffee Roaster
Kleen Kanteen water bottles
Japan Porlex & Zassenhausen - Coffee Grinders (quality)
Engel Refrigerators (all three)
One of two Keep Cups (may the other rest in peace)
Vitamix
Convivia

We have also added a few things to make Conviv stronger, safer, or more comfortable.

Position Report: March 11, 2019

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 11:12:33 +0000

Position: 48º 15.612’ N 2º 54.162’ W
Boats on the hard. Crew swallowing the anchor for a bit in Northern France. All is well

Position Report: October 22, 2018

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 20:54:01 +0000

Position: 12º 0.018’ N 61º 45.732’ W
Still in Prickley Bay, but we got our good spot back.
All is well.

Ordinary Extraordinary S01E02

Thu, 18 Oct 2018 17:00:51 +0000

This week we follow the kids on their Aquatic Adventure, and witness another one of the crew entering their teenaged years!

Ordinary Extraordinary - S01E02 Crêptastic Birthday from Tucker Bradford on (https://vimeo.com).

I’m eager for your feedback. What would you like to see more of, less of? Are there aspects of the production that are harder to watch? What did you love? Comment below!

Ordinary, Extraordinary

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 07:23:52 +0000

I have been increasingly interested in video and multimedia storytelling lately. I enjoy the new challenges, and hope that the visual experience can expose different dimensions of this unconventional life.

This video is a test case for a concept that Vick and I have been discussing for at least 6 years now. Our hope is that it brings to the foreground elements of our life that are ordinary (at least to us) and contrasts those against events and experiences which, though occasionally common, are extraordinary still.

Position Report: September 01, 2018

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 14:39:04 +0000

Position: 11º 59.982’ N 61º 45.834’ W
Back in Prickly Bay. It was a lot harder to find a good spot this time but we are finally settled. All is well.

Position Report: August 10, 2018

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 19:07:27 +0000

Position: 12º 27.342’ N 61º 29.352’ W
Eva and her crew are loving Carriacaou. The water is much clearer and the people more friendly. We will likely stay another week or so!
All is well

Position Report: August 04, 2018

Sat, 04 Aug 2018 12:19:38 +0000

Position: 12º 27.36’ N 61º 29.34’ W
Eva is in Tyrell Bay Carriacou. We wanted a change of pace so we headed up here to check out the regatta.
All is well.

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 11:37:21 +0000

Position: 41º 27.27’ N 69º 28.14’ W
I had a conversation with a coworker just before I left about how fresh

the ocean air smells. I was recalling the S. Indian ocean and the

rarefied, pristine lungfulls I consumed there. When the sun finally came

out this morning, I opened the hatches and took a deep breath of that

memory. It’s good to be underway again.

The first day out was a bit lumpy but we made good speed. Despite some

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 11:36:12 +0000

Position: 29º 16.362’ N 63º 30.06’ W
Today we saw a large potted plant float by. That may be one of the

weirdest at-sea sightings I’ve heard of. We had jaffles for lunch, which

is (for those of you who, like me did not know what these are) a kind of

panini like grilled cheese sandwich. They were delicious.

The kids have been playing D&D all day, which is a major improvement

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 11:34:05 +0000

Position: 36º 40.218’ N 67º 9.75’ W
We crossed the Gulf Stream last night. I had delayed our departure,

specifically to avoid a wind against current situation, and as we

progressed, I routed to the most advantageous angle of attack, but

despite my best efforts, we ended up with 20+ knots against 3 knots of

current. It was a bumpy 12 hours.

That said, it was one of the best birthday’s I have had, and we came out

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 09:02:54 +0000

Position: 43º 39.72’ N 70º 14.328’ W
Conveva is at anchor at PYS for a few more days before heading to Grenada.

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 09:02:48 +0000

Position: 43º 39.492’ N 70º 14.874’ W
Eva has cleared Customs and is about to shove off. Next stop, Grenada.
All is well.

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 09:02:22 +0000

Position: 39º 22.98’ N 68º 7.182’ W
Our second day was fairly uneventful. The kids got their sea legs (a

mixed blessing to be sure) and we lost wind for a while. Today is my

(Tucker’s) birthday, so it’s likely to be amazing, if for no other

reason than the flourless chocolate cake that Vick is going to make for us!

All is well

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 09:02:11 +0000

Position: 34º 48.942’ N 65º 27.81’ W
Yesterday we eased into our groove. Easy sailing to weather, <1m seas,

sunshine and good food was the order of the day. The night was partly

cloudy and afforded us a pretty good view of the universe.

Today has been wing on wing, dead down wind, with slight following seas.

We aren’t making great time, but the gribs said we would be motoring, so

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 09:02:07 +0000

Position: 32º 0.228’ N 64º 52.08’ W
Yesterday we had a nice (but short) visit by some tiny spotted dolphins.

We passed Bermuda this morning and lingered for an hour (off-shore) to

get an internet fix. We checked email, and I got some documentation for

some programming projects (one of which generated the NMEA lat/lon for

this position report), and then with raised the sails and continued

south. It reminded me of the time, a little over a year ago, that Eva

Position Report: July 28, 2018

Sat, 28 Jul 2018 09:01:42 +0000

Position: 25º 17.328’ N 62º 10.776’ W
After 12+ hours of motoring, the crew needed a bit of relief so we

stopped the engines and swan dove off the gantry into the Saragasso Sea.

The water was crystal clear (and 6km deep) and we took turns diving as

deep as we could, sinking cans, and other assorted nonsense. It was warm

and refreshing and just what the crew needed.

While the swimming was going on, two loaves of bread were just finishing

Portland to Grenada

Wed, 20 Jun 2018 10:13:20 +0000

Some might say that it is the very definition of madness to winter over in Maine and leave for the tropics as summer begins to burst onto the scene. Those people would be absolutely correct.

Nevertheless, that is just what we have done. The trip from Portland to Grenada took us within shouting distance of Bermuda, was entirely upwind, and graced us with a Gulf Stream crossing that was a low scale version of the worst conditions we could have hoped against (wind against current). The first few days had much of the crew horizontal and green.

Position Report: June 19, 2018

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 09:01:40 +0000

Position: 12º 0.024’ N 61º 45.732’ W
Eva has reached our destination. Prickly Bay, Grenada will be our base of operations for the summer. We found a great spot to anchor, right up close to the beach. We haven’t seen this many sailboats since leaving Martinique over a year ago.
All is well

Position Report: June 18th, 2018

Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:01:41 +0000

Position: 12º 4.2’ N 61º 46.92’ W
Eva arrived in St. Georges, Grenada just after sunset. We will spend the night here and go around to Prickly Bay tomorrow morning to check in and celebrate Ruby’s birthday.

All is well

ConvivEVA: the crew of Convivia is going sailing on EVA

Mon, 28 May 2018 18:14:35 +0000

You may have seen this hint of a story, this boatyard photo of Tucker and I, Ruby, and Olive in front of EVA, everyone’s dreamboat.

We have spent much of the last year and a half with Claude and Jules and their three kids, Noah, Lilo, and Finn. We met the kids the moment we tied our dock lines in Cape Town; our kids were off in a flash to see the kids playing with sticks on another dock. “This is the tiniest boat I’ve ever seen in my life,” said five year old Finn when she first stepped aboard Convivia. It turns out that her boat, built in her backyard, and launched only a few months before was quite a bit bigger. Claude and Jules still had many projects on EVA’s checklists during our time at the V and A Waterfront but still we managed to grab their kids for plenty of fun in Cape Town, shared a bunch of dinners together, and got out on a few excursions with everyone.

Position Report: May 24, 2018

Thu, 24 May 2018 09:26:26 +0000

Position: 43º 39.702’ N 70º 14.298’ W
Convivia is on the hard and the crew has moved onto Eva.

Eva is now at anchor in front of our old ‘home’ in the PYS mooring field. The docks are back in. WOOT!

Position Report: May 01, 2018

Tue, 01 May 2018 19:02:08 +0000

Position: 43º 39.798’ N 70º 14.52’ W
Convivia is once again dangling at the end of her chain. We are anchored out in front of the former PYS mooring field. In a few days (weeks?) We will move her to the hard and join forces with the mighty s/v Eva for another epic adventure. Stay tuned…

A Day in the Life: Walking to Work in a Blizzard

Thu, 08 Mar 2018 15:44:37 +0000

It’s been a while since we have posted an update. Mostly we have been busy with school and jobs and planning for a great new adventure in the summer. But more on that later. For now, here’s a glimpse of an average morning… walking to work in a blizzard.

Position Report: October 14, 2017

Sat, 14 Oct 2017 14:22:45 +0000

Position: 43º 39.32’ N 70º 14.99’ W
Convivia is at the dock for the first time since Cape Town. We are snugged in next to Eva, who is also at dock for the first time since Cape Town.
All is well.

Position Report: October 08, 2017

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 18:10:25 +0000

Position: 43º 39.6’ N 70º 14.982’ W
This is our actual location. Hey, and how about that pretty map on the FB and Twitter posts :)

Position Report: October 08, 2017

Sun, 08 Oct 2017 18:07:43 +0000

Position: 40º 42.768’ N 74º 0.36’ W
This is our last week at anchor (for the season). On the 15th we will be heading in to dock at Dimillo’s Marina for the winter. Hopefully, our heater will arrive before then. It’s getting chilly.

All is well.

Position Report: September 27, 2017

Wed, 27 Sep 2017 03:44:33 +0000

Position: 43º 39.612’ N 70º 15.102’ W
Convivia at anchor in Casco Bay

Position Report: July 15, 2017

Sat, 15 Jul 2017 11:15:46 +0000

Position: 43º 39.762’ N 70º 14.292’ W
Convivia is back on Anchor in Portland. The adults are looking for jobs, and the kids are enjoying “summer break”. All is well

Position Report: July 02, 2017

Sun, 02 Jul 2017 09:07:24 +0000

Position: 43º 56.592’ N 69º 27.228’ W
Zero miles to go. Convivia and crew have completed the Round the World trip that we set out on. October 1, 2011 to July 1, 2017.

Convivia fits right in here.

All is well!

Position Report: June 27, 2017

Tue, 27 Jun 2017 07:18:48 +0000

Position: 43º 39.492’ N 70º 14.862’ W
WE DID IT!

We arrived in Portland, ME with the sunrise this morning after an ideal 1400 nautical mile passage. By lunchtime, we will be with our parents again for the first time in 3 years.

Convivia had one last treat for us. As we entered the inner harbor, the fuel filter clogged, leaving us engineless in the shipping lane. A little quick thinking, and diesel soaked hands later and we were back in business.

Position Report: June 25, 2017

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 17:12:20 +0000

Position: 38º 25.482’ N 71º 59.202’ W
Well that was fun. Our little gale blew right on time, and gave us a post-Gulf Stream daily average speed of 7 knots. It is a strange thing to be sad to see such powerful weather evaporate, but now, as I look at our paltry 5.4 knot avg, and our (delayed) ETA, I find myself doing just that.

Picture a man, wrinkled and greying, standing, head above the dodger, ducking to avoid the sheets of spray shooting over the weather decks. A giant wave (12-15’) crests behind him as he turns, smiling. The vessel under his feet has carried him and his family more than 25,000 nautical miles, in safety and relative comfort. He knows that she can handle the monster that is bearing down, now about to crash over the afterdeck. His boat lifts, and then takes off. An exhilaratingly fast (15.5 knots) surf on a 43’ long board. At the trough, the boat turns out gracefully and her skipper smiles again, bidding goodbye to the swell.

Position Report: June 25, 2017

Sun, 25 Jun 2017 16:13:00 +0000

Position: 40º 49.05’ N 69º 15.21’ W
We lost our wind entirely today. It’s been 12 hrs of motoring already, and we probably have a dozen more before the wind fills in. Match that with a 1.7 knot counter current, and you have some real slow going. We used the time to make power and water though. I should probably be glad we had so much time because, in these cold cold waters, the output is about half what it was in the tropics.

Position Report: June 24, 2017

Sat, 24 Jun 2017 20:04:45 +0000

Position: 37º 46.848’ N 73º 4.098’ W
I love me a good gale, which is a good thing because that’s what we will get tonight. 12-24 hrs of gale and 11’ swell. Convivia is managing the conditions like a champion, holding her course like she’s on rails, and yawning at the occasional side swell as only an Indian ocean veteran could. The side benefit of this weather is that it should extend our amazing Gulf Stream mileage for another 24 hrs.

Position Report: June 23, 2017

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 19:09:12 +0000

Position: 35º 10.98’ N 74º 38.358’ W
We rounded Cape Hatteras (aka The Graveyard of the Atlantic) this evening. This seems momentous, our next waypoint is Cape Cod, then it’s West one last time to Portland.

If you had been a fly on the wall around dinner time, you might have heard us all belting out “Rolling home, rolling home, rolling home across the sea. Rolling home to old New England. Rolling home, dear land to thee.”

Position Report: June 22, 2017

Thu, 22 Jun 2017 17:46:37 +0000

Position: 31º 59.958’ N 77º 33.072’ W
Today was the rainy, squally day that we have been expecting (while still hoping against) since we left Georgetown. Its been a lot of motoring and a lot of staying out of the rain. We had some pretty epic nachos for dinner though, so…

All is well.

Position Report: June 20, 2017

Tue, 20 Jun 2017 14:58:45 +0000

Position: 30º 19.368’ N 78º 15.642’ W
Today’s big excitement was the mid-passage potato cull. How such a bland vegetable can smell so bad when it rots, is beyond me. Other than that, we are glad to see that the Tropical Storm is going to pass well to the South of us (thanks Suzy and Dave for the ground support). We expect to enter the Gulf Stream tonight, and start rocketing our way north. The crew is getting super excited to see family and friends and eat at the Portland Flatbread Co.

Position Report: June 19, 2017

Mon, 19 Jun 2017 13:26:51 +0000

Position: 28º 21.492’ N 76º 55.398’ W
Day 2 things are going pretty smoothly. Ruby celebrated her 13th birthday by going 3/4 of the way up the mast to save our lazy jacks. What a hero.

All is well.

Position Report: June 18, 2017

Sun, 18 Jun 2017 14:57:00 +0000

Position: 25º 38.28’ N 76º 8.718’ W
The first twenty four hours of our prospective Triumphant Return Home Passage (prospective because, un-hatched chickens) was pretty delightful. We sailed up the Exuma Sound, protected from the Ocean swell, while still attended by its winds. What a great start. Today is a little more rolly (fully exposed again) but we have decent wind.

We have started to talk about stoping in Nantucket on the way. It seems too suitably salty to miss, right?

Position Report: June 08, 2017

Thu, 08 Jun 2017 08:46:13 +0000

Position: 23º 30.654’ N 75º 45.726’ W
Convivia is rafted up to Eva in Georgetown. We did our checkin yesterday and then had a wonderful birthday celebration. We should be here for a week. All is well.

Position Report: June 07, 2017

Wed, 07 Jun 2017 18:38:45 +0000

Position: 23º 20.778’ N 74º 33.282’ W
Arrived at Long Island (Bahamas). we will spend the night here with Totem and then head to Georgetown in the morning to celebrate my birthday with Eva and crew.

All is well.

Position Report: June 06, 2017

Tue, 06 Jun 2017 18:44:41 +0000

Position: 23º 6.6’ N 74º 3.012’ W
Last night out. The conditions continue to be dreamy. A bit of a lingering counter current have slowed us down a bit, but it is hard to complain when we have had 6 days that feel like catamaran sailing.

Tomorrow we will hopefully intersect with Friends We Haven’t Met Yet on Totem. We think that we have been in communication for 8 years now, so it may be the record for longest lead up. Should be a regular old hoot! The fact that we are meeting in the Bahamas when both Convivia and Totem are West coast boats is a bit of a trip. Life is good and…

Position Report: June 03, 2017

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 18:26:59 +0000

Position: 20º 0.252’ N 67º 38.448’ W
We have rerouted to Georgetown on the recommendation of every single person we have talked to about the Bahamas. We hope to arrive ahead of a nasty looking trough that is promising to dumps lots of water out of the sky, in conjunction with some big wind.

I think Georgetown will be an ideal place to turn forty someodd.

All is well.

Position Report: June 03, 2017

Sat, 03 Jun 2017 15:34:19 +0000

Position: 21º 4.392’ N 69º 22.308’ W
This passage had been so darn mellow, it seems like we must be cheating, or getting our due after some of the earlier passages this year.

Its hard to believe that we have crossed two oceans in the past year, and that we were just leaving Cocos Keeling, this time last year.

With this adventure coming to a close, I have begun to shift my energy toward rentry. Thinking about jobs, where to live, and what to do next. It’s exciting, overwhelming, and distracting. Perhaps i can postpone that for a few more days and make the most of these last beautiful moments of crystal clear water, blue skies, and clean living.

Position Report: June 01, 2017

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 08:36:05 +0000

Position: 17º 48.258’ N 64º 32.718’ W
I seemed to have dropped the ball a bit on position reporting for this passage. Our first two days have gone pretty smoothly. We had a great current with us until early this morning, and we expect to have a mild current setting in our general direction for much of the rest of the trip. As I write this, Convivia is gliding past St. Croix (thinking of you Mead), and we expect to pass through Culebra and St. Thomas tonight (Allen & Lee, we wil be thinking of you, for sure).

Position Report: May 30, 2017

Tue, 30 May 2017 18:02:03 +0000

Position: 14º 36.966’ N 61º 3.528’ W
Our last full day in Martinique before shoving off for a long passage to the Bahamas. We have had a ball here, hanging out with Eva and exploring the island, but the season is closing out, and we have miles to cover.

All is well.

Position Report: May 30, 2017

Tue, 30 May 2017 13:15:19 +0000

Position: 14º 26.568’ N 60º 56.1’ W
We are off. Farewell Martinique, next stop, Nassau, Bahamas.

Martinique: Photos

Tue, 23 May 2017 06:50:13 +0000

Our first week and a bit have flown by. We have been busy getting the usual, post-passage stuff done (laundry, boat repairs, reprovisioning, etc) and have had little time to get out and explore this beautiful island. Yesterday, Eva rented a big van and took us on a tour. We visited the Theater of Saint-Pierre, had a little picnic on the steps and then motored a little way back towards the beach, where we spent the afternoon watching the kids play in the surf.

Position Report: May 16, 2017

Tue, 16 May 2017 07:37:38 +0000

Position: 14º 27.606’ N 60º 52.296’ W
We have moved in to the Le Marin anchorage. The kids have their own little mangrove island to play on and town is close. Life is easy these days.

All is well.

Position Report: May 09, 2017

Tue, 09 May 2017 05:52:42 +0000

Position: 14º 26.292’ N 60º 53.502’ W
Convivia and crew are safe in sound in Martinique. Our third (and last, for this trip) ocean has been crossed. The water is turquoise and the air is warm. All is well.

Position Report: May 07, 2017

Sun, 07 May 2017 15:21:38 +0000

Position: 11º 40.632’ N 59º 11.76’ W
The seas have flattened out, and we are making our northbound approach to Martinique. We have been chasing current since Fernando de Naronha, and it’s been paying off. Now we will beam reach at 7-8knots the rest of the way (I hope). It looks like we will arrive between 6pm-11pm tomorrow. We had delicious three cheese mac and cheese for dinner (mine with Sriracha, of course), everyone is happy and excited for landfall.

Position Report: May 06, 2017

Sat, 06 May 2017 06:24:16 +0000

Position: 9º 42.84’ N 56º 14.52’ W
Ticking away the miles to Martinique. The sun is finally out, we are charging up the batteries and our spirits. The kids are happy and easy going, and we are really excited for landfall in a couple of days.

All is well.

Position Report: May 03, 2017

Wed, 03 May 2017 12:16:35 +0000

Position: 5º 56.778’ N 49º 27.732’ W
Yesterday was the pits. We had swell from three directions, and Vick took some seasick pills that had side effects worse than the malaise. Today is a lot more comfortable, despite the continued squalls. We are still trying to figure out if running the engine with raw water in the fresh water side, is going to kill it quickly or slowly. I’m hoping slowly, because it’s currently the only way to charge the batteries, until the sun comes out again.

Position Report: April 30, 2017

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 22:13:06 +0000

Position: 1º 22.572’ N 42º 13.272’ W
Today has been back to back squalls. At one point we were getting 40Ah in from the wind generator, that was pretty exciting. The seas have picked up somewhat, so our Halcyon days may be over for a while. We also have wind more on the beam than I would like. That said, we are still eating (the last of our) fresh veg. So it’s not all gray.

Position Report: April 30, 2017

Sun, 30 Apr 2017 08:57:12 +0000

Position: 2º 17.898’ N 43º 13.188’ W
Darn has this ever been a gray and miserable day. We’ve been alternating between 3 and 7 knots as we pass from one squall to the next, and it’s been so dark that we need lights or headlamps for everything. This is the first passage I can remember that felt like time was dragging on. Oh well. We are still eating well, home made crackers and cookies so far today. When the motor is on, we listen to Hamilton at top volume and belt out all the lyrics we know.

Position Report: April 29, 2017

Sat, 29 Apr 2017 17:43:01 +0000

Position: 0º 14.262’ N 41º 2.4’ W
Convivia and her crew crossed the equator for the fourth time today. This time, in lockstep with Eva. We are almost exactly 500 nm due West from the mouth of the Amazon, and if the wind picks up as promised, we have 10 days of passage ahead.

Tonight we celebrated with cake and pizza (in that order). Every day out here is ideal, in its own way.

Position Report: April 27, 2017

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 15:11:10 +0000

Position: 1º 20.34’ S 39º 6.18’ W
Today was a little bit of amazing. The wind was 10-15 knots from off our quarter, and the current was about 1knot from behind. Without the least bit of effort we managed a 144 mile day. To make a good day better, our friends on Eva crept up to within a few boat lengths for the day, and the kids experimented with sound and signs. At one point they swooped in and launched chocolate at us, FOR THE WIN!

Position Report: April 26, 2017

Wed, 26 Apr 2017 12:07:11 +0000

Position: 2º 53.142’ S 36º 44.07’ W
Our last 24 hours have done its level best to tip our fun to suck ratio, and failed.

We have discovered a hole in our heat exchanger, which has rendered our fresh water cooled engine into a raw water cooled version.

We thought we had run out of water, a problem which was potentially exacerbated by low power and an inability to charge from the engine (18Ah from our 100Ah alternator). We found that the engine wouldn’t stop (morse cable first, then at all) and had to suffocate it. The secondary problem is solved, but I think the morse cable is corroded from the overflowing fresh water reservoir. Add to all of that a mysterious electrical failure when the boat lists heavily to starboard, and you may have reason to panic.

Position Report: April 24, 2017

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 08:30:32 +0000

Position: 3º 49.92’ S 32º 24.498’ W
About to weigh anchor for Martinique. Despite our lack of actual tourism, Fernando de Naronha will be one of our favorite places we have ever been. Looking forward to 16 easy passagemaking days.

All is well.

Position Report: April 24, 2017

Mon, 24 Apr 2017 04:16:19 +0000

Position: 3º 49.908’ S 32º 24.492’ W
With a tremendous amount of help from Claude and Jules on Eva, we managed to get our new rig up, and the outboard (which was submerged in a squall the other night) cleaned out. We are as provisioned up as we can be here, and ready to depart in the morning.

All is well.

Position Report: April 22, 2017

Sat, 22 Apr 2017 11:17:12 +0000

Position: 3º 50.058’ S 32º 24.018’ W
Almost done at Fernando. We just checked out, but still need to finish repairing the rig. Probably leave tomorrow. Next stop, Martinique.
All is well.

Position Report: April 19, 2017

Wed, 19 Apr 2017 03:36:45 +0000

Position: 3º 49.92’ S 32º 24.498’ W
We are shipbound at Fernando de Naronha (waiting for parts in paradise). Because we are American, we are not allowed to get a Visa without visiting the Consulate in the USA. So we have spent our days playing with our friends on Eva, swimming, and watching the huge dolphin pods swim around and under Convivia. The geomorphology, water color, and weather are like a dream. Every morning I wake up and look out the port lights with gratitude.

Position Report: April 15, 2017

Sat, 15 Apr 2017 06:00:57 +0000

Position: 3º 58.308’ S 31º 39.552’ W
Lovely wake up call this morning, “Dad, I just noticed the engine is overheating…”

Thank god Ruby is sharp. We turned it off and found that without sails or engine, we were still drifting in the right direction at 3+ knots. It seems like our luck tends to balance itself out pretty immediately.

I let the engine cool off a bit, had coffee and then tucked into the problem. The coolant water was murky (brown, black). Initially I thought maybe the oil cooler had leaked oil into it, then I remembered that that is hooked up to the raw water side, and now I’m just confused. I drained a bit out, and topped it off (running low on antifreeze now), and the engine has been running for hours, trouble free. Maybe we just sucked up a jellyfish into the raw water system. I’ll have to add that to the growing work list for Naronha.

Position Report: April 14, 2017

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 13:54:31 +0000

Position: 4º 18.408’ S 30º 5.088’ W
We lost our lower shrouds today. This time it was due to the bolt that holds the tangs to the mast, breaking. The port shroud dropped immediately to the deck, and the starboard hung on by a few threads. Vick and I sprang into action, dropping sails and collecting the rigging. Next she sent me up the mast to recover the starboard shroud before we lost the end of that bolt (and any chance of getting a decent measurement). As I was going up, the shroud decided to come down. I was lucky enough to catch it, mid fall. We recovered all the pieces and my dad has new ones on order.

Position Report: April 13, 2017

Thu, 13 Apr 2017 08:00:07 +0000

Position: 5º 11.85’ S 26º 53.88’ W
We are 10 days out from St. Helena and have 16 days left to Martinique. We have tossed out quite a bit of our fresh veg due to rot, and the fridge is looking a little sparse. That said, we are still eating well and finding joy in our daily routine. The kids suffer minor bouts of craziness (expected), mostly when it’s time to do dishes ;P whoda thunk?

Position Report: April 12, 2017

Wed, 12 Apr 2017 08:03:14 +0000

Position: 5º 50.58’ S 24º 27.06’ W
Today has been back to back squalls. We are reefed down and just riding them out. Sadly, the wind in the cell comes at 90° to the trades, so we are not making very good distance today. Yesterday we made 155 miles (our plan speed is 144). Still, we are happy enough, if a bit warm in this closed up cabin.

All is well.

Position Report: April 11, 2017

Tue, 11 Apr 2017 06:17:10 +0000

Position: 6º 26.1’ S 22º 9.198’ W
We are having some really fantastic sailing today. Last night’s pizza was fantastic, and we are ripping along towards the site of the former ITCZ. it looks like there is a chance that we might be able to pass North while the ITCZ is absent. Fingers crossed.

All is well.

Position Report: April 10, 2017

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 08:27:40 +0000

Position: 6º 41.742’ S 20º 0.282’ W
Last night’s dinner turned out to be glorious chicken and slaw sandwiches. Ruby’s dough was used for focaccia instead of pizza (though we are having pizza tonight, I hear). And that was in turn made into sandwiches. For the non-GF non-cruiser set, this might sound under whelming, but I can assure you, there was much rejoicing on Convivia.

Today we have been paraded by jumping fish. Hour after hour they jump. These are not the flying fish that we have become accustomed to, but large yummy looking fish. In related news, something really big bit right through my steel leader and stole my best lure today. Drat.

Position Report: April 09, 2017

Sun, 09 Apr 2017 04:50:27 +0000

Position: 7º 7.47’ S 17º 13.47’ W
The kids have requested to make one meal a day for the family. Considering that Ruby’s chocolate chip cookies are the best GF cookies I’ve ever had, I think we can trust them to do a good job. Tonight, it seems, is pizza night.

We are making great progress towards Martinique, conditions are mild, sea is down and wind is stable (though other boats report lower wind speeds today). It is a great feeling to wake up at 3am and be excited for my watch, we are truly in passage making mode now!

Position Report: April 08, 2017

Sat, 08 Apr 2017 07:26:18 +0000

Position: 7º 47.01’ S 14º 53.94’ W
We approached Ascension as twilight broke and wrapped slowly around the northwest tip of the island and down to the Georgetown Anchorage. The conditions were mild, and it seemed that the swell we had been warned of had left the area. After talking with friends on Gaia, we decided to have a closer look, and found that the anchorage was untenable, given our limited time and needs.

Position Report: April 07, 2017

Fri, 07 Apr 2017 03:24:47 +0000

Position: 9º 3.732’ S 12º 47.802’ W
The kids made cookie dough yesterday and stashed enough in the freezer that we can have 2 cookies each per week until Martinique. Another bird hit the boat last night, this time it disappeared before I could check on it. The Wha? It’s finally starting to feel tropical. Watches are in tee-shirts and undies, and I think I’ll make a batch of cold brew coffee today.

Position Report: April 06, 2017

Thu, 06 Apr 2017 03:09:24 +0000

Position: 10º 56.76’ S 11º 8.442’ W
Making decent progress. Kids totally melted down yesterday, so much for sweet passage making mode.

Last night on watch I got hit in the back of the head by a large seabird. That was pretty weird. It came to slowly and flew off after about an hour.

All is well

Position Report: April 05, 2017

Wed, 05 Apr 2017 03:46:48 +0000

Position: 12º 39.582’ S 9º 17.202’ W
Day 2 was much like day 1. The conditions are very nearly ideal and we are making slower than normal but still good progress toward Ascension. It’s heartening that we are all slipping easily into cruising mode, given that we have 7000+ miles of it to do in the next two months.

All is well.

Position Report: April 04, 2017

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 09:06:16 +0000

Position: 13º 59.808’ S 7º 44.802’ W
We are on our way to Ascension Island. If everything goes according to plan we will be another 4 days at sea, then 3 days of rest before pushing onward for Martinique. The passage has been decent so far. The seas are a little lumpier than we had hoped for, but manageable, and the wind is constantly 15-20 knots from behind. The kids have settled into passage-making mode more quickly than usual, and are happy reading and doing other low key things (phew).

Position Report: March 22, 2017

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 13:12:06 +0000

Position: 15º 55.482’ S 5º 43.488’ W
Moored in St Helena!

Upon arrival we were greeted by the crews of no less than five boats who hopped right aboard for celebratory sundowners. Those who arrived before us report that this is a magical location, and our initial survey would lead us to concur. This most remote island is dramatic, to say the least and to be here with so many old friends will complete the package.

Position Report: March 22, 2017

Wed, 22 Mar 2017 02:00:30 +0000

Position: 16º 6.18’ S 4º 51.318’ W
LAND HO!

Vick spotted the faint outline of St Helena at 715GMT. We had 63 miles to go! It looks like we will make landfall just after sunset. I spotted a large turtle to port this morning.

All is well.

Position Report: March 21, 2017

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 01:37:18 +0000

Position: 17º 0.852’ S 2º 36.54’ W
@Raymarine we are hand steering. Truly wish the ST2000 that we paid so much for (less than a month ago) was working. :(

Position Report: March 21, 2017

Tue, 21 Mar 2017 01:28:38 +0000

Position: 17º 2.148’ S 2º 34.95’ W
It’s been seriously overcast for two days and the batteries are showing it, so we had to turn the engine on this morning, just to top up. The wind has slacked off a bit too, so it works out just fine. A little boost to speed and power!

The kids are playing minecraft together and Vick and I are tearing through book after book. We expect to make landfall midday tomorrow.

Position Report: March 20, 2017

Mon, 20 Mar 2017 05:52:55 +0000

Position: 17º 36.192’ S 0º 45.708’ W
We are in the Western Hemisphere!! The coconut oil is liquid and Vick reports that she did not wear shoes or socks for her pre-sunrise watch this morning.

All is well.

Position Report: March 19, 2017

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 04:43:23 +0000

Position: 19º 15.582’ S 4º 4.392’ E
Day 5 and we are reveling in this rolling main. The sea is slight and orderly, the wind is constant the sun is out, and the reading and cuddling that we recall most warmly from our best passages are now the norm again. I could do this forever.

Our little fleet is paced just about perfectly too. Our kid boat friends are making the same daily mileage, day after day, so we are staying fairly closely clustered. I expect them to arrive in St. Helen a within a day of us (if not less).

Position Report: March 18, 2017

Sat, 18 Mar 2017 04:35:55 +0000

Position: 19º 18.042’ S 4º 13.212’ E
Day 4 and we are fully into the groove of this passage. The wind has been steady between 8-15 knots from the S to SE. We made 143 miles in the last 24hrs, not quite as good as day 1 but pretty much exactly what we budgeted in our planning. We just passed the half way point!

The kids are studying their US states. They were promised chocolate if they get them all right the first time. Vick finished reading Story of the World, and is now reading about the Oregon Trail. It’s funny how that brings back memories of my own education and of dying of dysentery in the Apple IIe game. Life is good!

Position Report: March 17, 2017

Fri, 17 Mar 2017 03:52:58 +0000

Position: 20º 4.332’ S 6º 39.132’ E
This is the stuff. The wind is just a little light (10 knots) but we are sailing well and the sea is super comfortable. The kids are reading their biographies (school work) and have finally chilled out enough to be allowed off their berths ;) Last night I watched Master and Commander for the first time and now I want to read the books. What a great way to gain perspective (we have it easy).

Position Report: March 16, 2017

Thu, 16 Mar 2017 04:40:36 +0000

Position: 21º 28.26’ S 11º 0.888’ E
The weather has moderated finally and we are smooth sailing in 10-15 knots with 2m seas. The sun is out, and we are drying/airing out and fixing a few of the worst leaks.

The kids have been a bit nuts, so they are confined to quarters for the time being. Hopefully, by tomorrow, we will be back into our family cruising mode, where we are all happy and chill and cuddled up reading books together.

Position Report: March 15, 2017

Wed, 15 Mar 2017 08:59:47 +0000

Position: 21º 31.32’ S 11º 6.882’ E
Well we didn’t get the send off we had hoped for from Africa, but after a very rough start we are starting to settle into what might be a nice passage. There has been a lot of water indoors and out which is a little disappointing since one of the major ingress points was a chainplate that I had just rebedded (oops). We are hopping for flatter seas and lower winds in the coming days, so we can dry out.

Position Report: March 14, 2017

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 03:45:53 +0000

Position: 22º 57.024’ S 14º 28.746’ E
About to weigh anchor for St Helena. Spirits are high aboard Convivia. Looks like ideal weather!
All is well.

Position Report: March 06, 2017

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 15:35:55 +0000

Position: 22º 57.03’ S 14º 28.752’ E
Arrived in Walvis Bay. All is well.

Position Report: March 06, 2017

Mon, 06 Mar 2017 03:15:55 +0000

Position: 23º 43.098’ S 13º 43.08’ E
The last 24hrs have been uneventful. Fairly smooth downwind sailing in 20-25 knots. The wind has lessened now and we are looking at a late night arrival in Walvis Bay tonight. All is well

Position Report: March 05, 2017

Sun, 05 Mar 2017 23:53:26 +0000

Position: 26º 30.312’ S 15º 1.812’ E
Convivia is outbound to Walvis Bay. A typically blustery start promises a quick passage!

All is well.

Kolmanskop - Ghost Town

Sat, 04 Mar 2017 11:39:21 +0000

We got up early early again this morning so we could get to Kolmanskop before the tour busses. It was a really good thing we did too. A surprising number of people showed up today to see this abandoned diamond mining boom town.

Namibia: A Tease

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 05:11:02 +0000

Here are a few of the things that we saw when the fog cleared on our newest anchorage. More to come

Position Report: March 02, 2017

Thu, 02 Mar 2017 03:40:16 +0000

Position: 26º 38.37’ S 15º 9.456’ E
Safe and sound on a mooring in Luderitz. Easiest check in since Malaysia. The town is surrounded by desert and it seems constant attention must be paid to keep the desert from taking it back. All is well.

Position Report: March 01, 2017

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:46:11 +0000

Position: 27º 32.85’ S 15º 6.222’ E
I can’t get over this fog. Yesterday it cleared to somewhere nearer the coast, but it still cast a grey over the day. The wind was unusable for much of the day as well, so we motored in windless overcast, in order to make water and progress.

That said, it was a pretty pleasant day. We read Story of the World and Ruby made a roasted potato dinner with bacon (yum). The tiller pilot took care of the tedious work of steering and we enjoyed the relatively flat seas.

Position Report: February 28, 2017

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 00:26:24 +0000

Position: 31º 35.22’ S 17º 17.028’ E
It has been a great day & night of sailing. The wind speed dipped to 6 knots last night, but Convivia was determined to keep sailing. She managed 4 knots throughout the lull. The new tiller pilot made all the difference.

I think I have developed the opinion that a night watch without dolphins breathing close by and shooting stars, is not a real night watch. Lucky for me, last night was real.

Position Report: February 27, 2017

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 01:21:56 +0000

Position: 31º 36.0’ S 17º 17.082’ E
Our first 24 hours was fast. We averaged 8 knots in a gale with 3m seas. As big and fast as it was, we were well acclimatized to the conditions and for the first time in months, it was behind us. We were accompanied by scores of dolphins and saw our first albatross.

Today the conditions have mellowed and we are grooving along on 10-15 knots in 1-2m seas. It’s pretty ideal. To make matters rosier, it’s warmed up considerably (though Vick is still bundled up). Somewhere in the afternoon yesterday it hit me how exciting this next few months will be. We are coming home!

A Month for Tattoos

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 04:27:42 +0000

The exchanging of tattoos has been one of the absolute highlights of my time here in Cape Town. It started with a promise I made to Brady, back in Durban, to finish his calf tattoo. Once that was complete, Brian and Karin wanted ink too, and then it seemed like every second or third night, someone was getting inked.

We only have a few days left here, but the queue is still forming. It’s been gratifying to see my skill improve (marginally perhaps) and to share in the incredible bond of trust and openness that this ritual engenders. Huge gratitude to these special people who have shared their skin and trusted themselves to mark mine! <3

SeaKids: S01E01

Sun, 19 Feb 2017 06:09:24 +0000

Hout Bay Field Trip

Tue, 14 Feb 2017 11:45:22 +0000

Our friends on s/y Eva took us on a little road trip to Hout Bay today. We picked up some more green coffee beans, and some hard to find grocery items (black beans!) and then went off to see some natural beauty. The wind was raging (probably 30-40 knots) and kids and adults all enjoyed it’s strength without having to worry about the consequences (save for one lost hat). We finished the day with a fantastic Indian food picnic with a view of the bay and surrounding mountains.

Cape Town

Sun, 12 Feb 2017 00:36:36 +0000

The kids eat breakfast, tell us that their schoolwork is done and dash off to see their friends. There are two kid boats here right now (Eva and Yemaya) and five extra kids mean that there is never a dull moment for them.

Vick and I take advantage of this new freedom to explore the town’s coffee shops and cafes. In the evening, we go to one of the neighbor’s boats for sundowners, tattoos, or an impromptu party. Life is sure enough good!

Sunrise Hike to Wally's Cave

Tue, 07 Feb 2017 00:02:00 +0000

https://vimeo.com/203095918

Jeremy Loops @ Kirstenbosch

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 09:46:10 +0000

Globe

Tue, 24 Jan 2017 00:08:57 +0000

Position Report: January 23, 2017

Mon, 23 Jan 2017 23:44:21 +0000

Position: 33º 54.498’ S 18º 25.098’ E
Arrived at V&A waterfront marina. We are so happy to be here that we keep looking at each other with enormous grins on our faces. I think Cape Town might give San Francisco a run for it’s money. As if that weren’t enough we already have dinner invites for Monday and Tuesday night, this might be a busy social stop!

All is well.

Position Report: January 22, 2017

Sun, 22 Jan 2017 19:47:59 +0000

Position: 34º 52.14’ S 19º 58.398’ E
Dawn is breaking as we approach Cape Aguhlas (the Southernmost tip of Africa). As the nascent sun starts to burn away the crisp chill of the night, it dawns on me that our long hard southing is soon behind us.

This ocean has been demanding for sure and (as promised) it has also been proportionally rewarding. The next 7000 miles will all be north.

Not My Favorite Ocean

Fri, 20 Jan 2017 10:28:48 +0000

The Indian Ocean is not my favorite ocean!

Perhaps there has been another blog post of the same name; this is not a fun blog post; or a feelings story. This is just a tally; an acknowledgment that our exhaustion after a year and a half of travel is well earned, and a shoutout to the folks who live that cruiser adage “it’s just what we do [for each other].” We’re not entirely done with the Indian Ocean, but we have certainly crossed it. These nine months on this ocean between Indonesia and South Africa were hard on Convivia and challenging for the crew but as my friend Diane told me a year ago, “The Indian is rewarding.”

Position Report: January 19, 2017

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 22:29:43 +0000

Position: 34º 10.602’ S 22º 8.502’ E
Safe and sound in Mossel Bay. The difference between this town and Durban is like the difference between Nantucket and Detroit. The Yacht Club manager welcomed us with open arms and a card already in her hand. We were told that it was the safest beach in South Africa (the great whites are apparently well fed on the nearby seals, so they don’t bother people) and the town is safe to walk around.

All Is Well

Thu, 19 Jan 2017 09:20:42 +0000

I’m tucked into the corner of the settee, wedged in with seven pillows so I don’t move and I don’t have to support my own body. The bucket is next to me but I’ve taken my seasick pill and I hope to sleep instead of vomit. The dorade vent that goes under water only drains on the outboard side of the box, so instead, when it fills, water pours on my right shoulder. Some of it makes it into the bucket so I feel pretty clever, but I still don’t want to move much so the pillows and the settee and my down vest get wetter and wetter.

Position Report: January 18, 2017

Wed, 18 Jan 2017 22:22:33 +0000

Position: 34º 16.2’ S 24º 29.298’ E
Bbbrrrr. It’s cold down here. The air is crisp and clean and today we were blessed with blue skies and a tail wind. Looking to port, the next land we could see is Antarctica, just 3000km to the south.

We are passing the time listening to the Hamilton soundtrack and napping. This stretch has been fast, and we expect to be in Mossel Bay by mid morning.

Position Report: January 17, 2017

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 22:19:00 +0000

Position: 33º 44.1’ S 27º 4.002’ E
(these didn’t post initially, including for completeness)
Our first 8hrs out of East London gave us 60 nautical miles good. This coast may be brutal, but at least it’s fast.

While the rest of the family was taking a day off (seasickness abounds) I was smiling like a kid on a sailboat. Vick said if there was a Kinsey scale for sailors, I would be a perfect 6. I think she might be right!

Position Report: January 14, 2017

Sat, 14 Jan 2017 15:34:36 +0000

Position: 33º 1.002’ S 27º 52.998’ E
Arrived safe and sound in East London. This was our fastest 24 hours ever at 254 miles (just over 10knots average). It wasn’t the most comfortable, and there was a bit of motoring involved but we are past the Wild Coast and looking forward to leaving for Port Elizabeth on Monday morning.
All is well.

Position Report: January 12, 2017

Thu, 12 Jan 2017 09:14:51 +0000

Position: 29º 51.798’ S 31º 1.422’ E
We are looking forward to heading South tomorrow. The weather window looks good and, if we are lucky, we might be able to push all the way through to Cape Town. This next stretch of coast is called the Wild Coast, and has a reputation for bad behavior. Here’s hoping we found the mild wild window.

All is well.

Sani Pass: Short Video

Wed, 11 Jan 2017 04:40:32 +0000

Here’s a short but fantastic video done by the same guy that did New Year’s Ink

Audio Credit: Ehrling

Video Credit: Wayne Willis

Sani Pass—Dangerous Road; Stunning Vista

Sat, 07 Jan 2017 03:17:17 +0000

One of the things that I have been surprised with over and over on our trip around the world is how many times virtual strangers have offered to level up our experience by showing us their favorite places.

On New Year’s Eve we met Wayne, Robyn, Steve, and Mandy and invited them over to Convivia for a little celebration. They showed up with the 3am Delos tattoo party, and before they left had invited to take all seven of us up the Sani Pass to Lesotho. This pass is listed on Dangerous Roads dot com (let that name sink in for a sec) where they make special note of the carcass of 4x4s that didn’t make it, littering the ravine below. Vick was just elated by the proposal (sarcasm).

New Year's Ink

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 08:56:41 +0000

The tradition of [European] sailors tattooing each other dates back to the 1700s when Captain Cook’s crew picked up the practice from the Polynesians. Since then, countless sailors have followed in their intrepid wake. I have chronicled some of my own experiences here, and here, but haven’t spoken much about how we adopted this tradition or how it has evolved in our cruising community.

It started simply enough, with a proper anchor tattoo (Rocna), exchanged with a good friend on a buddy boat. In Johor Bahru, another sailor opted in, and since then, many more of our sailing buddies have asked (in spite of my strong disclaimer that I am not a professional) to exchange or receive tattoos. It’s become a bit of a thing.

Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Park

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 02:56:37 +0000

“We need the tonic of wildness… At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”

—Henry David Thoreau

You cannot come to South Africa and not go to a game park. That much was clear. Unfortunately our driver’s licences had expired, so the cheap option was off the table. After some deliberation, we hired a guide and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. Throughout the 14.5 hrs we spent with Sibo, we saw:

Position Report: December 12, 2016

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 04:08:20 +0000

Position: 29º 51.822’ S 31º 1.422’ E
Arrived in Durban after the worst single night passage ever. Lucky for us, nothing broke and we are all happy to be here. We’ll spend Christmas and New Years in Durban with our friends, and then continue on to Cape Town and beyond.
All is well.

Position Report: December 05, 2016

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:57:11 +0000

Position: 28º 47.688’ S 32º 4.71’ E
We are in Richards Bay, South Africa. I’ve been dreaming about this country since college and it seems fitting that we arrived here on the edge of a gale and on the very same day (4 years later) as we arrived in Brisbane.

Everyone is excited to see their friends and get some ice cream.

All is well.

Position Report: December 05, 2016

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:56:29 +0000

Position: 27º 33.558’ S 33º 0.42’ E
We had a really peaceful night and a fast first day. We are right on schedule.

All is well.

Position Report: December 05, 2016

Mon, 05 Dec 2016 10:56:24 +0000

Position: 26º 2.832’ S 33º 23.1’ E
Hip hip hooray, we are underway, to Richard’s Bay!

All is well.

Position Report: November 23, 2016

Wed, 23 Nov 2016 01:51:03 +0000

Position: 26º 0.882’ S 32º 53.748’ E
We decided that today’s weather window was too tight and the consequences too high, so we are waiting for the next one.

All is well.

Position Report: November 22, 2016

Tue, 22 Nov 2016 01:22:32 +0000

Position: 26º 0.882’ S 32º 53.748’ E
Summers in Round Pond, looking out over Muscongus Sound, I imagined the world as fictitiously vast. My horizon was bounded tightly by Loud’s Island to the East, and New Harbor to the South. Once, when my father took me on an overnight sail to Boothbay Harbor, I was fairly confident that we had reached the edge of the known nautical world. It was an adventure, first class.

Position Report: November 21, 2016

Mon, 21 Nov 2016 05:20:22 +0000

Position: 26º 0.522’ S 32º 52.23’ E
Arrived in Maputo, safe and sound. It was a raucous night but we reefed down and enjoyed the ride.

Supplies are lean these days. Olive asked if we had straws (to draw lots, of course) and suggested that we had a rendang paste, and a ‘daddy rendang’ might make a good dinner if I drew the short straw.

Engine sprung a leak again (oil cooler this time) and the old exhaust leak seems to be back (despite the new dry section we installed in Cairns).

Position Report: November 20, 2016

Sun, 20 Nov 2016 05:19:53 +0000

Position: 25º 22.458’ S 34º 16.992’ E
We had a fast night of sailing with (current assisted) speeds touching 10 knots, in only 10-15knots of wind. This morning things eased on both the current and wind fronts, and we are puttering along at a more modest 5 knots.

Vick made pizza for lunch, a luxury in these lean times. We expect to arrive in Maputo tomorrow morning. If all goes according to plan, we will make our final leap to Richard’s Bay a few days later. We are looking forward to sleep, fresh produce, ice cream, and repairs for the boat in Richard’s Bay.

Position Report: November 19, 2016

Sat, 19 Nov 2016 06:55:57 +0000

Position: 24º 4.572’ S 35º 33.792’ E
Inhambane was much nicer than expected. Despite high winds and a current against wind, it was fairly calm. We had a quiet night and left at the crack of dawn. We are now on our way to Maputo or Richards Bay, depending on weather.

Last night, we saw pink flamingoes. IN THE WILD. Day. Made.

All is well.

Position Report: November 18, 2016

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 03:28:57 +0000

Position: 23º 44.13’ S 35º 23.628’ E
Arrived in Linga Linga (Inhambane) after a night spent hove-to waiting for high tide. We used the extra time to work on our storm tactics. Convivia, it seems, doesn’t particularly like to be still. Vick just beat a Two Dots level that she’s been stuck on “forever.” We are waiting on weather to make our next jump to Maputu.

All is well.

Position Report: November 17, 2016

Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:30:54 +0000

Position: 22º 54.198’ S 35º 38.808’ E
We are underway to Anhambane, a little roadstead anchorage on the coast of Mozambique. Last night Vick reports getting a better night’s sleep than at anchor, go figure. We have a line out, Vick is hoping for tuna for sushi.

All is well.

Position Report: November 17, 2016

Thu, 17 Nov 2016 00:30:54 +0000

All is well.

Position Report: November 15, 2016

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:15:49 +0000

Position: 21º 15.738’ S 35º 6.438’ E
My watch keeps track of how long I sleep each night.

I have always thought this was a pretty frivolous feature for my lifestyle. It seems like the kind of thing a high power business exec would use to come to some AH HA moment about their work-life balance. My life, I thought really didn’t require that kind of metric.

Yesterday, as I was chatting with my friends on Saltbreaker, I came to the rather sudden conclusion that I am “all adventured out.” I’m making a lot of simple (inconsequential) mistakes. When I talk about wind direction, for example, I will reverse the ordinality, or I’ll read the battery voltage and add a volt when I say it aloud. These activities are so common, so core to our lives, that to consistently make mistakes in the reporting, is indicative of something greater.

Position Report: November 15, 2016

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:15:49 +0000

Position: 21º 15.738’ S 35º 6.438’ E
My watch keeps track of how long I sleep each night.

Position Report: November 14, 2016

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 01:20:58 +0000

Position: 21º 15.762’ S 35º 6.408’ E
Last night we saw lightning that played like a firework display. The bolts would chain and burst. It went on for hours. As a result, we opted against our moonlit sail to the more protected anchorage.

This morning we made the move. It was 6 stressful hours of slow motoring against current, but we are now safely tucked behind a decent spit of land for the impending SE blow.

Position Report: November 13, 2016

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 21:40:37 +0000

Position: 21º 8.742’ S 35º 6.378’ E
So glad that night is behind us. We returned to Convivia after the taco party to find the boat pitching wildly in a Northerly 20 knots. We hipped fatty and checked our anchor snubber and went below to put the kids to bed. After a few rounds of cribbage, Vick and I retired to bed. Sleep was not forthcoming. The bow was scooping up water every few waves, and when I went up to check, the snubber had broken (for the third time). I replaced the snubber and checked the rest of the boat. Even though she was 3 feet up, Fatty was floating every few waves, and when she went airborne again, would crash (with a shudder) into Convivia. The flopper stopper was so loaded that the shackle that holds the topping lift (the weakest link in that system) was starting to bend open. Normally, in these situations, I just attached the main halyard to the boom’s clue, and relieve the strain, but that halyard was attached to Fatty’s bridal. The answer was obvious but unwelcome.

Position Report: November 12, 2016

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 02:45:20 +0000

Position: 21º 8.718’ S 35º 6.492’ E
Yemaya arrived today with tons of fish. The kids have been reunited with their friends, and are happily creating animals out of felt while we all bop our heads to Frances England.

Tonight is Trevor’s Birthday (Happy Birthday T) and we are talking about a fish taco and cake party on the sand spit.

Looks like our next southbound window is Wednesday.

All is definitely well.

Position Report: November 11, 2016

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 03:22:34 +0000

Position: 21º 8.7’ S 35º 6.492’ E
We arrived at first light in B. Diaz. There is nothing here but a little spit of sand and apparently it gets pretty rolly when the tide covers the sand. That said, it is beautiful in its way, and we are delighted to be here.

All is well.

Position Report: November 10, 2016

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 05:16:47 +0000

Position: 20º 15.708’ S 35º 50.328’ E
The last 24 hours has followed the same pattern as the previous days of this passage. Many hours of tedious motoring (and hand steering) followed by some of the best sailing imaginable. Today the whole family was engaged in dreaming about our future. The kids both drew pictures of the tiny houses they would like to build and live in and we talked more about where and for how long we would like to live on land.

Position Report: November 09, 2016

Wed, 09 Nov 2016 01:39:22 +0000

Position: 18º 48.222’ S 37º 46.128’ E
Last night was one of the best nights of passage I have ever had. The exhilaration of gently flying across the ocean at 9 knots with nary a chop to the water, combined with the bright moonlit, star filled sky was an overwhelming experience. Add to that the difficulty of navigating this enormous gyre (to maximum benefit) and I was in a bit of sailor’s heaven.

Position Report: November 08, 2016

Tue, 08 Nov 2016 01:36:10 +0000

Position: 17º 52.23’ S 40º 23.952’ E
We sailed really nicely all night under a starry sky. We have a 2.5 knot current with us now and are flying towards Mozambique at 8ish knots. It’s strange to be in the middle of the Mozambique channel on the biggest news day of the decade (in the USA) and we are torn between wanting the blow by blow and being grateful that we won’t know until it’s over. If you have our at-sea email, maybe send us the results (and a big virtual hug if the news is bad). We are working out our backup plans… just in case.

Position Report: November 07, 2016

Mon, 07 Nov 2016 21:50:47 +0000

Position: 17º 9.63’ S 42º 9.3’ E
We motored for 12 hours last night, hand steering the whole time. Not fun. To balance it out we had a small meteor storm and a gorgeous moon set. We are sailing again now and spirits are high. All is well.

Position Report: November 06, 2016

Sun, 06 Nov 2016 01:21:14 +0000

Position: 16º 34.98’ S 43º 47.178’ E
Heavy rains last night helped us balance our water supply. The sailing has been, by and large, excellent. Spending our days playing family games and listening to podcasts and our nights staring up at an impossibly starry sky. All is well

Position Report: November 05, 2016

Sat, 05 Nov 2016 06:19:58 +0000

Position: 15º 52.002’ S 45º 20.598’ E
What a fantastic way to start a passage. We have been steadily increasing speed all day. At the moment we are beam reaching at 7 knots in nearly flat seas. About an hour ago we overtook a big local schooner that had smoked us earlier in the day when we were both down wind. There was some light hearted teasing and lots of laughs when Olive brought out her homemade bow. Then we ducked them and took off. Let’s hope these conditions continue throughout our passage.

Position Report: November 04, 2016

Fri, 04 Nov 2016 03:30:48 +0000

Position: 15º 46.026’ S 46º 14.694’ E
Katsepe will be our final anchorage in Madagascar. Just five miles from the big smoke, but feels as remote as many of the small islands we have visited here. Lots of nets to dodge, kept the sail interesting!

All is well.

Madagascar's End

Wed, 02 Nov 2016 08:25:04 +0000

This is where we bid au revoir to this country that has fascinated us with its warmth, diversity, creatures, landscape, and spirit. Majhunga, a city that cruisers alternately describe as “too dangerous” or “enchanting” is far from the crystal clear water of Tany Kely, but promises an easy clearance and provisioning for our trip across the Mozambique channel.

Ready as we are to see what lies beyond this next horizon, I feel now that our time here was too short. There were so many places that we sailed by that I would have liked to have lingered in, and so many conversations that (due to my failure to learn the local languages) were not had.

Position Report: November 02, 2016

Wed, 02 Nov 2016 08:05:37 +0000

Position: 15º 43.878’ S 46º 18.762’ E
Well that was an interesting passage. We left Morumba at 5pm, hoping to arrive in Majunga by mid-day (to get a head start on our clearing out and provisioning exercise). Poor wind and counter current slowed our progress, and by midnight we had made only 40 miles good. By the end of Vick’s watch at 3am we decided to turn the engine on. Just before she tucked in we both smelled something awful and burnie and chemical coming from somewhere near us.

Position Report: October 31, 2016

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 05:49:11 +0000

Position: 14º 53.598’ S 47º 20.4’ E
Arrived in Morabma after a great sail. Glad we left early because the land and sea breeze pattern that is like clockwork around here didn’t manifest today. Instead we got a sea breeze that took a little siesta in the middle of the day. Half of the fleet left in the last two days and the remaining half is right here or on their way. I love this feeling of getting ready for a big passage, in good company.

Position Report: October 30, 2016

Sun, 30 Oct 2016 23:15:25 +0000

Position: 14º 31.8’ S 47º 37.998’ E
Nosy Saba has been one rolly anchorage. We are super grateful for the flopper stopper this morning. On the up side, it is a gorgeous spot and our friends on Yemaya say it is some of the best snorkelling they have seen so far. All is well.

Position Report: October 29, 2016

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 05:19:33 +0000

Position: 13º 42.702’ S 47º 54.0’ E
Spent two nights at Honey River. It was a lovely anchorage. All is well

Position Report: October 29, 2016

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 05:16:39 +0000

Position: 13º 30.798’ S 47º 58.002’ E
We made a quick stop at the lemur island to see two new kinds of lemurs, what a treat. All is well.

Position Report: October 25, 2016

Tue, 25 Oct 2016 11:41:38 +0000

Position: 13º 32.202’ S 47º 59.988’ E
Today we went back to Tany Kely for a last visit with our turtle friends. The kids all went on a solo expedition to the lighthouse and we adults enjoyed a rare moment of peace and quiet.

Now we are back in Russian Bay for the last time before heading south. We decided to take a rest day here after our two hour day sail turned into 6.5 hrs.
All is well.

Tany Kely - Sea Turtle

Tue, 18 Oct 2016 03:01:30 +0000

Yesterday I unlocked a life achievement. While snorkeling at Tany Kely, I noticed a sea turtle. He was having a leisurely lunch on the reef far below. It was deeper than I normally free dive, but I wanted to chill with him so badly that I just took a breath and went for it.

Position Report: October 17, 2016

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 10:05:41 +0000

Position: 13º 24.0’ S 48º 13.212’ E
It’s always nice to return to a place that feels familiar. This is a mostly work stop for us, but I’m sure we will find some time to unwind too. Once we are done here, it will be mostly southbound until we cross to S. Africa.

All is well.

Position Report: October 17, 2016

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 10:03:18 +0000

Position: 13º 28.998’ S 48º 14.25’ E
We made a day anchorage on Tany-Kely. Anyone who has said that there is no good snorkeling in Madagascar, hasn’t been here. This rivaled (though perhaps did not exceed) our Lizard Island snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I was gifted an unexpected deep free-dive with a sea turtle (a long held yen of mine), and everyone seemed pleased with the effort. The price has just gone up from 10,000Ar to 20,000Ar. Not sure if it’s seasonal, but it was worth it.

Position Report: October 17, 2016

Mon, 17 Oct 2016 09:59:41 +0000

Position: 13º 24.792’ S 48º 20.292’ E
Lokbe - Nosy Be: This anchorage was a bit of a lark. We were only 5 nm away, which was a bit too close to feel like a real effort, but it was reputed to have a great guided nature walk. We were not disappointed. The anchorage was more settled than Nosy Komba, despite being more exposed. The tour was easily set up; after asking around at two villages, we were directed to Freddy, in a third village. It just so happened that Freddy was adrift (fixing his outboard) at the time of our last direction, so we were told to talk to “that guy.” After a nice chat, and a friendly tow, Freddy agreed to give our two families (Convivia and Yemaya) a tour of the old growth forest for 10,000Ary/person. It was money well spent. I will post photos of the experience on Forgeover.com, and you can let us know if you would have been able to find the chameleons without help. I couldn’t have, for sure.
All is well.

Position Report: October 12, 2016

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 21:38:34 +0000

Position: 13º 26.472’ S 48º 21.042’ E
At Nosy Komba. The early shore party reports a very interesting village with houses built into the rocks, fantastic local art and crafts and a funky welcoming atmosphere. I’m really looking forward to the lemur tour today.
All is well!

Nosy Komba

Wed, 12 Oct 2016 10:37:50 +0000

We have seen lemurs already (in Russian Bay) but all of us were excited to have a better introduction to them at the (locally) famed Nosy Komba lemur park.

The island is a weird mix of eco-tourism and authentic Malagash culture. It’s like a cleaned up Nosy Be. The pathways were all kept immaculate and the arts and crafts stalls boasted some of the best finished work we have seen in Madagascar.

Position Report: October 10, 2016

Mon, 10 Oct 2016 22:15:05 +0000

Position: 13º 43.5’ S 48º 11.328’ E
Another ideal day sail bright us to the anchorage at Nosy Manolo (Munoko).
The anchorage is quiet and picturesque but there was a weird tidal slop in the middle of the night. We are taking about a beach barbeque tonight.
All is well.

Position Report: October 08, 2016

Sat, 08 Oct 2016 10:20:59 +0000

Position: 13º 34.512’ S 48º 5.748’ E
We had a relaxing daysail from Russian Bay to Nosy Kisimany today. The wind was behind us the whole way at about 10 knots and our newly cleaned bottom facilitated 7 knots with dinghy in tow. I was pretty excited about this because we had just switched the 153% genoa out for the much more efficient 110%. The 153 gave us about 4 knots VMG on our way to Russian Bay (granted there was an unfavorable current and our bottom growth was insane).

Position Report: October 03, 2016

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 07:23:40 +0000

Position: 13º 32.13’ S 47º 59.868’ E
Back in Russian Bay after a productive and enjoyable week in Crater Bay. Looking forward to some chilling out without all the trips to town, errands, and chores. Time to change the oil, tighten the rigging, and clean the hull. ;)

All is well.

Position Report: October 03, 2016

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 07:21:50 +0000

All is well.

Position Report: October 03, 2016

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 07:21:50 +0000

All is well.

Cascades d'Androadroatra

Sun, 02 Oct 2016 09:02:51 +0000

Brian and Brady offered to take us on a hike today. They promised fields of ylang-ylang and a waterfall swimming hole. We were not disappointed. It’s weird that after all this time on and in the water, I’m still renewed and reinvigorated by fresh water running over me.

Position Report: September 26, 2016

Mon, 26 Sep 2016 08:25:20 +0000

Position: 13º 24.006’ S 48º 13.194’ E
We had a great hike to the the Mozambique Channel today, followed by a little punch at the watering hole in Russian Bay. Then we set sail for Nosy Be (Crater Bay). Tonight we will hunker down here and then go into town for reprovisioning.

All is Well.

Position Report: September 24, 2016

Sat, 24 Sep 2016 05:31:32 +0000

Position: 13º 32.19’ S 48º 0.198’ E
In Russian Bay for the Regata. Amazing light wind sail today (when the wind finally graced us). Put the 153 on for the first time since The South Pacific. Looking forward to meeting some boats we have been hearing about for years.

All is well

Madagascar: In Photos

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 12:14:21 +0000

Position Report: September 22, 2016

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 07:01:22 +0000

Position: 13º 15.756’ S 48º 14.334’ E
Made it to Nosy Be. It was an almost perfect day sail complete with whales (perhaps too close) and sun, and toes dipped off the gunnwhale. We will celebrate Olive’ 9th birthday here tomorrow in the company of our long lost friends!

All is well.

Position Report: September 22, 2016

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 06:56:05 +0000

Position: 16º 43.2’ S 49º 58.302’ E
Spent the night in this beautiful roadstead anchorage. Mild roll and a rough looking beach landing.
Onward today.
All is well.

Position Report: September 22, 2016

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 06:56:02 +0000

Position: 16º 25.71’ S 49º 50.628’ E
Slow, light wind sail across the Canal de Sainte-Marie today. A little rain didn’t dampen our moods at all though. This anchorage is a bit rolly, but beautiful as can be. Tomorrow we’ll see if we can stretch our legs on the endless golden beaches.

All is well.

Position Report: September 22, 2016

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 06:55:59 +0000

Position: 12º 53.79’ S 48º 34.71’ E
Arrived in Nosy Mitsio. Happy reunion with old friends, but none happier than the kids who are reunited with their besties after FIFTY SEVEN long days (but who’s counting).

It is barren but gorgeous here. No internet here (the horror).

All is well.

Position Report: September 22, 2016

Thu, 22 Sep 2016 06:55:52 +0000

Position: 13º 36.498’ S 50º 10.26’ E
Our first day has been rolly but fast. Very fast. The wind is ripping up the coast of Madagascar, and I’m starting to wonder if the weather prediction was correct.
Crew is happy and healthy.
All is well.

Famadihada: The Turning of the Dead

Sat, 17 Sep 2016 09:11:03 +0000

Five years ago, a teenage girl died in the small Malagasy village of Antanambe. She was buried, as is her family custom, with all of her relatives, in a small plot cleared from the rain-forest in Verezanantsoro National Park. Here she awaits the decay of her corporeal form, so that she may finally join the spirit world. In the meantime though, she becomes lonely. The song and dance, the strong tradition of love and support that her village offered in life, is absent in death.

Position Report: September 11, 2016

Sun, 11 Sep 2016 04:16:21 +0000

Position: 17º 0.0’ S 49º 50.868’ E
We have arrived in FREAKING AFRICA. I can not recall exactly how long I have dreamt of this. It is hard to say if I will be more enchanted by landfall on the continent, but for now I am just basking in the realization of a 20+ year old dream. Madagascar looks gorgeous from the boat. We’ll spend the day aboard (quarantine) and clear in tomorrow.

Position Report: September 10, 2016

Sat, 10 Sep 2016 04:16:21 +0000

Position: 17º 33.012’ S 51º 40.188’ E
We are fully in the passagemaking groove now. The kids’ frenetic energy has reduced to a simmer and our sleep schedules are adjusted to night watch. We should arrive in Madagascar in the morning. For now we are enjoying nearly flat sailing under full canvas.

All is well.

Position Report: September 9, 2016

Fri, 09 Sep 2016 04:34:39 +0000

Position: 18º 4.458’ S 53º 48.438’ E
The sea state has calmed way down and we are now in the most ideal conditions that we’ve seen in this ocean. The wind has picked up to around 18 knots, swell around 1.5m.

The kids are a bit stir-crazy, which is par for the course at day 2. After lunch Vick is going to read Story of the World, and that should settle things back down.

Position Report: September 8, 2016

Thu, 08 Sep 2016 04:16:21 +0000

Position: 19º 14.058’ S 55º 37.242’ E
First night out was great. The Indian Ocean continues to send us messy, uncomfortable seas (even though they were slight by comparison to our first passage) but the wind is just about perfect (15-18knots from abaft). Everyone is settling into passagemaking mode, but we won’t have much time to enjoy it, as this passage is scheduled to be just over 4 days.

All is well.

Position Report: September 7, 2016

Wed, 07 Sep 2016 04:16:29 +0000

Position: 20º 9.606’ S 57º 29.826’ E
We are back at the Marina in Port Louis. We had a great sail today and the conditions for Madagascar are looking fantastic. That said, we will all be sad to leave Mauritius behind. This place has been full of good friends and good memories.
All is well.

Position Report: September 5, 2016

Mon, 05 Sep 2016 04:34:39 +0000

Four Days, Three Dinner Parties

Sun, 04 Sep 2016 02:20:45 +0000

Cruising is a social experience. We hang out with our sailing friends almost every day out here, sometimes it’s for an hour at sunset, or a beach bonfire or potluck, and occasionally—if we get lucky—we strike up a friendship with a local, and get to see a different perspective on our current locale.

This past week has been bomber. We had a birthday bash on Wunjo for Jean-Michel, an authentic Swiss Fondue with our good friends on Mares, and topped it off with an amazing BBQ with our new friends Herman and Jane.

Le Morne Brabant: Hike

Sun, 28 Aug 2016 10:17:50 +0000

We have been here, in Mauritius, for a few weeks and haven’t really ventured out of the incredibly comfortable anchorage of Grande Baie. We see the impressive spires, off in the distance and remark that we should probably go check those out before we leave.

On Friday night we ran into Herman again, and she invited us to join a group of her friends for a hike up Le Morne Brabant. We couldn’t turn down such a great offer, even when it came with a 5am wake up call.

Position Report: August 28, 2016

Sun, 28 Aug 2016 04:34:39 +0000

Position: 20º 0.612’ S 57º 34.542’ E
Still in Grande Baie. Our weather window closed on us so we are taking the opportunity to dig a little deeper. Tomorrow we will take an adventure with our new friends to Le Morne (reputed to be the more picturesque beach in Mauritius). Looking forward to seeing more of the island!

All is well.

Position Report: August 06, 2016

Sat, 06 Aug 2016 17:14:57 +0000

Position: 20º 9.588’ S 57º 29.826’ E
We are on the wall in Port Louis now. It’s very public here (read, people unabashedly gazing in the windows at 11pm), but cool nonetheless. Speaking of cool, we are desperately hoping for not-cool showers today. Brrr. After showers, we hope to check out the amazing fresh market and the natural history museum, and maybe find a dosa. Tomorrow, I think we might get out of here and check out Grande Baie.

Position Report: August 04, 2016

Thu, 04 Aug 2016 05:31:48 +0000

Position: 20º 8.04’ S 57º 28.932’ E
Made it to Port Louis, Mauritius after a really awesome 2 day sail. The Indian Ocean actually has it’s nice days, it seems. We had wind 10-20knots from directly behind the whole way, with gentle 3m seas. No real squalls (a few light sprinkles) and generally good spirits. We are all overawed by the city lights and kind of excited to seek out a coffee shop and maybe a bookstore :)

Position Report: August 03, 2016

Wed, 03 Aug 2016 05:31:48 +0000

Position: 20º 0.198’ S 60º 31.398’ E
The first day of our passage to Mauritius has been everything we hoped for. The seas are slight (for this Ocean) and the wind mild (10-20 knots). It looks like we’ll get in either late tomorrow night or early the next morning, but we are conformable enough that it doesn’t much matter to us.

All is well.

Position Report: July 29, 2016

Fri, 29 Jul 2016 20:45:56 +0000

Position: 19º 40.698’ S 63º 25.158’ E
We are still in Rodrigues. After being down with the flu for a few weeks, the crew is just starting to crawl back into the light. We are looking forward to a few more days of exploring and enjoying this wonderfully chill and beautiful island, before continuing on to Mauritius with the next weather window.
All is well.

Point Cotton Hike

Thu, 07 Jul 2016 01:40:56 +0000

St Gabriel Hike

Sat, 02 Jul 2016 11:47:50 +0000

Alicia, from the boat On Verra, has been organizing hikes for the cruisers nearly every day that we’ve been here. It’s one of the best cruiser services I’ve ever experienced because it helps us to see the natural beauty of the island, and gives us a much needed endorphin hit and kick in the pants to get moving in the morning.

Today she took us by bus to the trail-head at St Gabriel crossing. From there we walked past the largest church in the Indian Ocean (also conveniently, the pit stop). The trail started just below the church and wound through lush forest, rock strewn pasture, and down a long slope with a stunning view of the lagoon and sea beyond.

Days to Remember

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 08:10:43 +0000

A few days ago I was told that my dorades were dusty. The next day another person mentioned how dirty my decks were. And yet another person asked me why I had so much crap in my cockpit. All of these criticisms hit me deeply and personally and brought back every single boat insult ever slung my way. I emotionally fled to a perfectly polished tiny cottage where I could live alone in shiny silence with a hand blown glass vase full of pink peonies on the table and not a single crumb on the floor.

Rodrigues Music

Mon, 27 Jun 2016 00:02:00 +0000

Rodrigues: First Impressions

Sun, 26 Jun 2016 11:08:54 +0000

There are places in the world that feel like home from the outset. These are the places where you feel yourself exhaling in long comforting sighs; where you recognize people whom you’ve never met, and they greet you as friend; where there is a familiar smell (chill in this case) to the air, and a landscape that seems ancestral, though your predecessors may never have come within 10,000 miles of the place.

Indian Ocean: Not That Much Fun

Tue, 21 Jun 2016 14:04:43 +0000

Imagine you are sitting down, enjoying dinner. It’s Taco Tuesday® (but on Thursday, because you have no sense of time). Suddenly the salsa jar becomes a projectile, it jumps straight up, then banks hard to the left and hurls itself at you, missing by inches. The jar (which you forgot to put the lid on between scoops) explodes, covering your last clean shirt in a delicious yet inevitably perishable blaze. You sigh.

Position Report: June 20, 2016

Mon, 20 Jun 2016 02:09:13 +0000

Position: 19º 40.002’ S 63º 25.29’ E
We arrived. The Indian Ocean is a very naughty ocean. A very very naughty ocean indeed?

All is well.

Position Report: June 19, 2016

Sun, 19 Jun 2016 01:28:39 +0000

Position: 19º 29.988’ S 64º 57.192’ E
Almost there. We expect to arrive in Rodriguez by daybreak tomorrow. Today has been more of the same with the notable distinction of it being Ruby’s birthday. As those who know us well would guess, this means cake, and since we’ll be having the “Real Cake” when we arrive, we made this surrogate cake special by having it for breakfast. The fast today was broken with a Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcake. Not bad for a crew of sea-weary salts.

Position Report: June 18, 2016

Sat, 18 Jun 2016 02:33:41 +0000

Position: 19º 16.272’ S 67º 32.082’ E
Today was a rare good day on this passage. Convivia was more sailboat than submarine. We did have an exciting moment at dinner when, minding our own business, the jar of salsa jumped up in the air and hurled itself at Vick and I with as much force as physics would allow. Fortunately for all who enjoy slapstick, the jar was open at the time and much laughter ensued (if you conveniently masked out the officers, now dressed in their pico de gallo dress uniforms).

Position Report: June 17, 2016

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 23:39:02 +0000

Position: 18º 43.08’ S 70º 25.89’ E
Today I ventured outside of my own volition (I was outside during the night to fulfill my skipperly duties). The air had that crisp, chill smell, like an autumn night, and I was struck by the realization that this must be some of the most rarefied and pure air in the world. Even the places where the wind developed are pristine, unadulterated by humans and our pollution. I breathed deeply sensing that I might never breathe quite so clean again.

Position Report: June 16, 2016

Thu, 16 Jun 2016 05:58:28 +0000

Position: 18º 28.812’ S 72º 14.148’ E
I have been inside for the vast majority of today, as has the rest of the crew. We have done so because to do otherwise, even for the briefest moment, has been to subject ourselves to a saltwater shower, with no hope of fresh water rinse.

The wind has been just on or even slightly ahead of the beam, and just hard enough that we have reduced sail to a double reefed main, with no jib. The sea, eager to do its part, have joined in the fun by being washing machine consistent and impressively sized. No single component of this package of dismalness has been dangerous, but taken together they are a touch unpleasant.

Position Report: June 15, 2016

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 20:19:26 +0000

Position: 17º 33.672’ S 78º 4.11’ E
Today was a lazy day. After yesterday, we decided to take it easy. We had arepas and eggs for breakfast, and sampled the new coffee that I roasted last night (it was amazing, if I may be so bold).

After the morning radio call, we set into our modest chores. I had to run the generator, and make water. Of course, nothing is ever easy, and by the time I got to second coffee, I had completely disassembled and reassembled the generator, which oddly, now only runs with full choke.

Position Report: June 15, 2016

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 01:38:25 +0000

Position: 18º 1.452’ S 75º 24.792’ E
The wind shifted to the south early in the morning. We had mac & cheese for dinner. In between these two noteworthy events we did what we do most days: ate some popcorn, listened to books and read them, did schoolwork. As unexciting as this may sound it all surrounds a day which is also the anniversary of moving aboard Convivia. 6 years ago today we took one giant, significant step towards living the life we had dreamed of. Five(ish) days to go to Rodriguez.

Position Report: June 13, 2016

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 00:03:57 +0000

Position: 17º 14.838’ S 80º 27.462’ E
We hit the half way point today!!

Last night I saw something that every sailor dreads. Awaking to a thunderous bang, I rushed up to the cockpit. Vick pointed forward on the port side and I saw the lower shroud, dangling helplessly. We swiftly doused the jib and I tethered in to inspect the damage. The strap toggle, which holds the lower threaded rod for the turnbuckle, had shattered IN TWO PLACES. I asked Vick to keep us downwind, giving me time to think, while there was less pressure on the shrouds.

Position Report: June 11, 2016

Sat, 11 Jun 2016 00:37:46 +0000

Position: 14º 54.072’ S 85º 23.388’ E
Today Ruby asked if she could go to the Eiffel Tower. We let her know that it would be quite a bit easier for her to do that than it would be to go to Rodriguez. What’s more, without looking anything further up about either place, we know a fair bit more about what she would find there. She seems determined to go there, with our without us, when she get’s back to the USA.

Position Report: June 10, 2016

Fri, 10 Jun 2016 23:03:22 +0000

Position: 14º 11.928’ S 88º 8.592’ E
Today was just lovely sailing. It took me back to the South Pacific. The sea was closer to 2m and organized, and the winds hovered around 15knots. The kids made up codes and Vick and I rested and ate. We had huevos rancheros for breakfast. All is well.

Position Report: June 09, 2016

Thu, 09 Jun 2016 01:26:37 +0000

Position: 13º 42.318’ S 90º 18.912’ E
The sea state has settled a bit as did the winds. Vick made a delicious tuna steak salad with ginger, garlic, carrots and rice noodles.

We are all relieved that the worst seems to be behind us for a while. We may see another few days like this at the end, but we anticipate at least a week of smoother sailing first.

All is well.

Position Report: June 08, 2016

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 01:10:57 +0000

Position: 12º 50.772’ S 93º 3.822’ E
Another rough and boisterous day for us. Mother Ocean gave me two late birthday presents though. 1. Our fastest day ever, 182 miles in 24 hours, and 2. A gorgeous blue tuna. The kids were joking around a bit more today but are still a bit wobbly on their feet. We are still doing well on, and grateful for the prepared food that Vick made before we left.

Position Report: June 08, 2016

Wed, 08 Jun 2016 00:37:21 +0000

Position: 12º 12.792’ S 95º 54.078’ E
Another rough and boisterous day for us. Mother Ocean gave me two late birthday presents though. 1. Our fastest day ever, 182 miles in 24 hours, and 2. A gorgeous blue tuna. The kids were joking around a bit more today but are still a bit wobbly on their feet. We are still doing well on, and grateful for the prepared food that Vick made before we left.

Position Report: June 07, 2016

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 01:13:05 +0000

Position: 12º 12.18’ S 95º 56.46’ E
So it’s my birthday. I’m celebrating it the way any true salt would, by heading out into the ocean with a fresh breeze at my back.

The 3m+ square seas have made for a bit of a lumpy start, but the 8.5knots of average speed might make this our fastest 24 hour day ever and see us to Rodriguez in 10 days rather than the 14 we planned on.

Cocos Keeling: A Slice of Paradise

Wed, 25 May 2016 02:50:42 +0000

There are places that you hear about from other cruisers, special places. Perhaps the first time will be over sundowners in someone’s cockpit, and then again online, or through the coconut telegraph. After a while, a few of these places rise to the top, they become legendary. We have had the incredible good fortune of having visited many of them, but this one, we almost missed.

We had originally planned to take the North Indian Ocean route, which would have shown us Sri Lanka, Maldives, Chagos (another storied cruiser destination) and possibly Seychelles. The wind died early for that route, this year, and we missed our chance. Then we decided to go from Padang, Sumatra, directly to Madagascar, but the winds weren’t really blowing that way and we didn’t have the fuel to motor to the wind. So we lucked out.

Position Report: May 22, 2016

Sun, 22 May 2016 21:13:09 +0000

Position: 12º 5.778’ S 96º 52.788’ E
Arrived in Cocos Keeling. We are all super glad to be not on passage. Vick celebrated by cooking 4 pizzas and now we are all celebrating by eating them. Later on we may celebrate with a margarita or two. We’ll spend our time here, beach-combing, snorkeling, and working on the boat (a few leaks may have been found on the way here).

Cocos is gorgeous. More to come. All is well

Position Report: May 22, 2016

Sun, 22 May 2016 20:47:25 +0000

Position: 10º 53.172’ S 98º 31.272’ E
Standing, one foot on the weather deck and one foot in the cockpit, staring out over the bow and beyond, I am reminded of all the times in my youth when I stared over the deck of our Luders, out past Louds Island, to the deep water. I remember the sense of awe and fascination, the mystery of the ocean. I remember wondering what it would be like to cross one someday.

Position Report: May 19, 2016

Thu, 19 May 2016 00:03:21 +0000

Position: 7º 10.278’ S 101º 17.28’ E
When I hired Bob Perry to advise me on which boat to circumnavigate on, he hammered into me that “seakindly” was not a word, and that it was too ambiguous to be used in serious discussions about a sailing boat’s qualities. I accept the venerable man’s critique, but today, crossing our first segment of open Indian Ocean, with the wind crossing our bows at 12-15 knots I thought “to be close reaching in 15 knots in open ocean, and to say ‘I love sailing’ must be the definition of sea kindly.”

Position Report: May 18, 2016

Wed, 18 May 2016 01:57:19 +0000

Position: 5º 33.828’ S 102º 26.31’ E
Enggan pitstop successful. We had the anchor down just after sunrise. After breakfast and a 15 minute “power-nap” (power nothing, I promise) we were loading the dinghy for a shore trip.

We found the local business man, and arranged for diesel to be delivered, or maybe we would go pick it up, or maybe it would come in a hundred gallon sized plastic bags, details are hard to follow in a foreign language. 5 hours later we were loading up the dinghies with jerry cans and heading for distant shores.

Position Report: May 18, 2016

Wed, 18 May 2016 01:39:40 +0000

Position Report: May 17, 2016

Tue, 17 May 2016 01:01:02 +0000

Position: 4º 55.128’ S 101º 59.418’ E
We had a nice day of sailing today. Winds aft of the beam most of the day at about 10 knots meant less roll and less noise. Eventually, just as the GRIBs predicted, the fun was over, but we were pleasantly surprised that our misbehaving engine belt, behaved! We charged and made water while making great time. Tomorrow we will make a quick stop for fuel and then continue on to Cocos Keeling.

Position Report: May 16, 2016

Mon, 16 May 2016 02:50:51 +0000

Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E
We are underway!! We are heading towards Cocos Keeling, with a possible refueling stop on the way. It’s been a rolly start with a lot of motoring (which we expected). Unexpected was the new new belt that I installed in the final hours of our last passage, loosening up so much that our engine overheated again. It’s under control now, and we are wallowing along, hoping for wind!

Position Report: May 16, 2016

Mon, 16 May 2016 02:50:05 +0000

Position: 3º 30.09’ S 100º 47.148’ E
Last position was incorrect. This is our current position.

All is well.

Position Report: May 16, 2016

Mon, 16 May 2016 02:32:03 +0000

Position Report: May 15, 2016

Sun, 15 May 2016 23:48:16 +0000

Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E
Still waiting for wind. There is little to do but swim and catch rain water. We were visited today by a couple of local kids about the same age as Ruby. They spent hours jumping off Convivia with our kids. They left as the sun started setting. I could tell the kids were glad to have other kids their own age, even if they only shared a couple of words between them. We are thinking of leaving tomorrow, whether or not the weather cooperates.

Position Report: May 11, 2016

Wed, 11 May 2016 14:19:01 +0000

Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E
Moved anchorage this morning to a less rolly spot. This anchorage is closer to a little village as well.

At one point in the afternoon we were visited by a group of local kids in dugout canoes. One of them was leaking pretty seriously, but the kids were having fun bailing it, flipping it over, and bailing it again. Olive, little cruiser girl that she is, jumped right in and started trying to plug the holes. She started with paper towel, then a piece of rope. They used various items to shove the rope into the hole, and perhaps even had some success. These kids didn’t speak Bahasa Indonesia (some local language) so we didn’t even have the barest communication with them. Watching Olive help out fellow mariners filled my heart with pride.

Position Report: May 11, 2016

Wed, 11 May 2016 01:51:38 +0000

Position: 3º 17.1’ S 100º 26.952’ E
Moved anchorage this morning to a less rolly spot. This anchorage is closer to a little village as well.

Position Report: May 10, 2016

Tue, 10 May 2016 22:55:17 +0000

Position: 3º 9.69’ S 100º 25.62’ E
Arrived at our launching off point. Now we will wait for weather and try to find someone to sell us some diesel (in case it doesn’t come in time). We are anchored behind a spit of lightly vegetated sandbar in a horseshoe shaped cove. The break curls around the edges, menacingly, but where we sit the water is smooth and calm.

This should be a nice spot for the night, tomorrow we’ll likely find something with better shore access.

Position Report: May 10, 2016

Tue, 10 May 2016 17:47:23 +0000

Position: 2º 59.55’ S 100º 31.548’ E
On passage. Our first night out was a bit rough: engine overheated, alternator stopped working, VHF/AIS/Radar voltage drop (overheated). We did get the sails up for a few hours and that’s been pretty nice. I’ve managed to solve everything but the voltage drop and I think that’s immanently solvable. Landfall this afternoon. We will wait for weather for the big jump.

All is well.

Jump for Joy

Wed, 04 May 2016 09:36:04 +0000

We have an odd tradition on Convivia. I would like to believe that it was modeled after a trait I picked up in my wilderness canoeing days, but really , it is probably more just good fortune. We tend to set a day for departure, work our butts off to make that schedule, and then we realize that we have no real imperative to leave. So we postpone a day. This day, is a special kind of day because unlike other chilled out days, we really didn’t expect it (even after many many iterations). So we end up swimming around the boat (because Fatty is often either on deck or hipped and ready) eating popcorn, and generally being a family of extreme leisure. This photo pretty well captures that spirit.

Position Report: May 01, 2016

Sun, 01 May 2016 16:42:05 +0000

Position: 1º 12.918’ S 100º 24.09’ E
At Anchor for a couple of rest days. Waiting for wind to head W on.
All is well.

Panen Raya (Harvest Time)

Thu, 28 Apr 2016 08:55:48 +0000

Back when I was a dirt dweller, I used to buy coffee beans from this little warehouse in Oakland. The company, Sweet Maria’s, was owned and operated by a guy who personally flew around the world, visiting plantations, sampling coffee beans at the source, and then buying small batches from the best of them. I have wanted his job ever since.

When I imagined this sailing adventure, I pictured myself, sailing through the world’s finest coffee growing regions, making dozens (if not hundreds) of forays into the mountains to restock my ever dwindling supplies of green beans. As the journey wore on, it became apparent to me that this dream was (perhaps) a bit unrealistic. The resources and local knowledge needed to find and visit the farms change with every locale, and the time and money needed to make the trips is not insignificant on our modest budget.

Position Report: April 25, 2016

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 01:11:36 +0000

Position: 1º 0.21’ S 100º 22.746’ E
Safe and sound in Padang after a lightning (& cake) filled passage. It will be an interesting challenge to find our way around, as this appears to be the commercial port.

We have five days until checkout though, so I’m sure it will be fine.

Tomorrow is Convivia’s sixth birthday.

All is well.

Position Report: April 22, 2016

Fri, 22 Apr 2016 02:34:48 +0000

Position: 0º 8.166’ S 98º 20.688’ E
Arrived at Sipikia under moonlit sky last night. Coming around an enormous surf break without light is pretty disconcerting, even when you’ve got satellite view, charts, and radar all corroborating that the reef is where it should be. It went smoothly though, and we had enough energy left to roast up a kilo of fresh coffee. Mmmmm.

Convivia and crew crossed the equator for the third time yesterday. We’re getting good at this.

Nias: Day One

Tue, 19 Apr 2016 05:56:58 +0000

Today we joined No Regrets, for a trip into town for fuel, groceries and a visit to a traditional, mountain top village. When we arrived a local kid came up and offered to do a high jump demonstration. In this village, young men must jump over this stone structure in order to win the right to marry (I guess they were breeding for height).

The jump was over so quickly that I am really glad I recorded it. You can enjoy it below the photos.

Position Report: April 18, 2016

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 23:25:07 +0000

Position: 0º 34.44’ N 97º 44.064’ E
Arrived in Lagundri, amidst surfers and world class break. We ran out of fuel and had to sail in, which was a bit hairy, but I’m so grateful that we had the wind to do it.

S/v No Regrets was right behind us offering support. It’s so reassuring to have the comradery of fellow sailors out here.

We will probably crash out early tonight, having had basically no sleep in the last 24hrs.

Pulau Lasia

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 03:09:07 +0000

Our last anchorage was so beautiful and relaxing that we didn’t want to leave. The thunder and lightning almost gave us the excuse we were looking for but, time and international clearance rules wait for no one. On to Nias and Telo for the last (fun) bits of our Southeast Asia adventure!

Position Report: April 14, 2016

Thu, 14 Apr 2016 14:52:59 +0000

Position: 2º 10.332’ N 96º 38.94’ E
We arrived at Pulau Lasai this morning after an exciting night of dodging shrimp boats and lightning squalls.

This place is gorgeous. The kids rate is as their second favorite after Suwarrow. The water clarity is superb (50-100’), the snorkeling is reported to be excellent, and the island is deserted. We share the anchorage with “On Vera,” another US flagged boat from Alameda.

Position Report: April 13, 2016

Wed, 13 Apr 2016 02:39:12 +0000

Position: 2º 58.536’ N 95º 57.258’ E
We are just off Pulau Simelu now, but it’s too late to make landfall tonight. Beyond that, we heard of a lovely little island just south of here that we are eager to see. We should make it before midday tomorrow.

Today was spent mostly motoring. The kids signed up for my new Jr Watchkeeper Program and have racked up over ten sightings each. It’s great to see them excited about this. Olive is a pretty talented radar technician already.

Position Report: April 12, 2016

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 00:01:42 +0000

Position: 4º 59.034’ N 95º 11.418’ E
The anchorage was so rolly last night that we gave up on sleeping by 4:30am. This allowed us to make a early start and, with good wind, we were able to sail all day. The downside was that the swell continued well out to sea.

Lucky for us our first tack (about 30nm out) gave us a better attitude to the swell and we have had divine sailing ever since. We are breezing down the coast of Sumatra now, at around 3 knots (most of the day was 6ish) and thanking all that is good that we aren’t motoring.

Position Report: April 10, 2016

Sun, 10 Apr 2016 04:10:27 +0000

Position: 5º 29.616’ N 95º 13.542’ E
Mainland Sumatra is gorgeous folks. We opted to anchor tonight rather than make passage and it seems like the right choice. Sharing the anchorage with us are Zuleka, Salt Breaker, and Peregrine. It will be tough to pry ourselves away from the beach and promise of sightseeing. We’ll have to see how it goes.
All is well.

Chillin' in Thailand

Tue, 22 Mar 2016 03:20:37 +0000

The pace of life aboard Convivia has shifted. The hectic days of boatyard stress are behind us, as are the days in the Marina, fixing those last few (critical) systems. We’ve found a sleepy beachfront to anchor in front of and, with no transportation, have settled into leisurely days of kids floating beside the boat, easy conversation, and no plans to speak of.

This transition to cruising-proper is one that you can’t see but in hindsight. I think it started three or four days ago when we returned our scooter. It was given a boost by our recent depletion of funds, which strengthens our resolve to stay put. We’ve got another kid boat nearby (Quasar) so ours have a friend to occupy the day. They come home exhausted and hungry, and crash out early, leaving plenty of time for Vick and I to play games and share a couple of ciders.

Thailand so far

Fri, 26 Feb 2016 03:32:23 +0000

Thailand feels like cruising again. Our pace through Australia was breakneck, and Indonesia was challenging. Most of Malaysia felt like a race to the boat yard, and then there was that two month job. I thought Langkawi would feel like cruising again, but it ended up feeling a bit more like a boozy purgatory.

The second we dropped the hook on Ko Tarutao I felt months of tension drain out of me. It didn’t hurt that this was about the time when Olive discovered that she could talk endlessly about Minecraft to me if she rubbed my back and feet. It’s been amazing in many ways.

Yard Dogs

Mon, 08 Feb 2016 18:25:56 +0000

Our time in the boatyard was so long and the spectrum of emotions so vast, that I decided to make it into a little slideshow video. Enjoy!

Thaispusam in Penang

Wed, 06 Jan 2016 06:46:40 +0000

We had an Uber driver recently that asked us if we would be in Penang for Thaipusam. He was part way through forty days of preparation, fasting, celibacy and not shaving in advance of this important Tamil Hindu holiday commentating the God Murugan, representing goodness over evil. Because our stay in Penang was much longer than we anticipated the kids and I had an opportunity to witness the celebration.

In Penang, thousands of devotees follow a procession of a chariot to the Sri Mahamariamman Temple carrying small pots of fresh cow’s milk as offerings. Other devotees observe by piercing their skin with small hooks or large skewers and carrying large kavadi on supports around their shoulders and waists.

Yard Dog's Christmas

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 01:11:21 +0000

We have been in the boat yard for two weeks now. Things are moving along at the expected pace (slower than I would hope, but reasonable for this oppressive climate). The boat is covered, and has its first coat of primer. The propeller shaft is off, the old swim ladder (which has been held captive by the Monitor for years now) is being removed and welded over. While we have the hull exposed, we are also adding glass around the keel (about 6mm at the widest point) and removing some blisters.

Refueling Adventure

Fri, 13 Nov 2015 00:00:55 +0000

Continued from here

Trying our luck, in this case meant speaking entirely in Indonesian, asking around for someone who might have a surplus, and then negotiating the purchase or trade without the benefit of local currency (which we had divested ourselves of in Belitung, as we were intending to leave the country).

While we were attempting to nap, a precocious pre-teenager named Chandra paddled up in his dugout, asking for books, water, and/or footballs. We offered a few gifts, and then I asked (sensing his “can do” personality) if he could help me find solar (diesel). With the help of Google Translate, I learned that he could help, but only if I came with him right then. I hadn’t slept a consecutive 3 hours in the last 72 and the prospect of undertaking such an adventure was daunting, to say the least.

Nets, and Squalls, and Waterspouts

Thu, 12 Nov 2015 10:00:27 +0000

The last 72 hours have been some of the most surreal, exhausting, and exciting of my life.

I wrote about some of the first two days’ highs and lows here. The following night and day were just as full on. Things started out calm enough that I thought I might just watch a movie on my first watch. I was into a really high tension scene in Fury when I looked up and saw buoys all around. I had just scanned the horizon moments before using a combination of binoculars and a high powered flashlight.

Indonesian Halloween

Sat, 31 Oct 2015 08:44:59 +0000

In every other place that we’ve spent an October 31st, it has seemed like the holiday would at least have been heard of. Port Villa, maybe less so, but they get enough expats and tourists, that maybe someone spilled the beans. And indeed, when Ruby traipsed through the markets with her fairy gown and Vanuatan headdress feather, it was taken as cute, at worst.

Here on Pulau Parang, it is quite clear that our foreign holiday would be about the most mysterious and possibly offensive sort of festivity. So we decided to have a quiet celebration between the two boats (Peregrine and Convivia). Last night we got together (sans Vick, who was feeling ill at the time) and made arepas, and fried eggs, baked potato wedges, and watermelon drinks, while painting each other’s faces, and carving… you guessed it (no you didn’t) watermelons.

Karimunjawa Scooter Tour

Tue, 27 Oct 2015 08:42:03 +0000

For the past four years Vick has not driven a motor vehicle of any sort. Today that streak ended. We picked up scooters and hit the roads of Karimunjawa to explore. No ID or paperwork was required, just a little cash and we were good for the day. We didn’t have gas, helmets, or even maps, and it wasn’t entirely clear that the scooters would start (p.s. they often did not). Google doesn’t show roads here (could be because most of them really are not actually roads). We had SO much fun!

Passage Gratitude

Sun, 25 Oct 2015 03:19:47 +0000

I don’t know what exactly it is about passagemaking that brings out these feelings but it’s so common as to be a phenomenon. Despite the sleep deprivation, and subtle (and sometimes acute) hardships of crossing hundreds of miles of ocean. Despite being cramped in a small, often roughly rolling vessel with two lovely but demanding children, I often find a moment, or a long string of moments where I am just so overwhelmed with gratitude for my great good fortune that it feels transcendent.

I Want to See Dragons for My Birthday

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 07:35:55 +0000

We take birthday wishes seriously in Convivia. We keep presents small and homemade, as the real celebration is in the cake. Cakes are dreamed up layer by layer, often years in advance. Olive wishes for her eighth birthday were a stuffed mouse, a watch, pizza for dinner, and a caramel, chocolate, marshmallow and chocolate ganache layer cake. All of her wishes seemed totally reasonable thanks to my mom sending a birthday watch to us before we even left Brisbane. I had a stuffed mouse pattern on board, along with fabric and stuffing. I stowed a stash of Belgian chocolate under my bed in June and in Darwin I packed into my teeny tiny fridge the cream, butter, and mozzarella necessary for the big day. Somewhere along the way Olive decided on a bigger wish, “I want to see dragons on my birthday.”

Can't Get Home Without Leaving

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 18:15:50 +0000

We are sailing off the beaten path a bit in Indonesia. We skipped joining a rally and are making it up as we go along. Our pursuit is for language and connection, fresh food, day to day life, green coffee beans, handmade fabric, some snorkeling, and volcanoes. I don’t remember when I first saw a photo of Kelimutu but it has been one of my must-go destinations.

Kelimutu is a high (1639 meters/ 5377 feet) volcanic mountain on Flores, deep inland near a small village called Moni. It last errupted in 1968. There are three enormous crater lakes filled with thickly pigmented water that changes color over time. Local lore says that spirits go to the lakes, and which lake a spirit is assigned to depends on the age and character of the person who died. There is one lake for young people (Tiwu Ko’o Fai Nuwa Muri- Lake of the Young Men and Maidens), one for old (Tiwu Ata Bupu- Lake of the Old People), and one for the thieves and murderers (Tiwu Ata Polo- Bewitched or Enchanted Lakes). Photos I had seen of Kelimutu were just stunning, I have a bit of an ongoing desire to see volcanoes, and since I was going to be in this part of the world I needed to figure out a way to go.

Selamat Jalan

Fri, 18 Sep 2015 18:15:36 +0000

In Bahasa Indonesia, Selamat means “Congratulations” and Jalan means “to go” (or “road” or “walk”, but work with me). Together these worlds (Slemat Jalan) mean “Goodbye,” but as we saw the words pass above us on a number of arches in our descent of the mountains from Kelimutu, I couldn’t help find the literal translation amusing; “Congratulations on going.” This little side trip definitely threatened, several times, to not let us go.

Kupang Traditional Market

Sat, 12 Sep 2015 07:44:35 +0000

“Where are you from?” they ask us. “Where is your home in America?” “How long was your flight?” It is difficult to answer and it is hard to explain in our few basic phrases. Our home has been only the boat for more than five years and San Francisco, California is written on the transom, so it’s the best answer we can offer.

I think the true answer may come when I start to feel homesick. It’s the big latte at Cafe Fanny on a cold Saturday morning. It’s the vegan yuba roll ups at the Berkeley Whole Foods Market, eaten in the car after making it through the busy store. It’s the endless vegetables at the Berkeley Bowl. It’s the carne asada tostada salad at Picante Taqueria. It’s Acme bread’s big round walnut loaf worth the long lines at the Mountain View farmer’s market. It’s the roast beef sandwich I crave from Whole Foods. It’s that smell in the air in the Penny Ice Creamery. It’s the dark chocolate salt caramels at Recchiuti. Maybe home is the San Francisco Bay Area after all.

Taken for a Ride

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 03:52:01 +0000

Nobody likes getting ripped off and, for whatever reason, it hurts me on a personal level. At the end of the day I feel that the money I have paid was worth the service I received, but I was seriously chaffed by the way I was treated.

When I arrived on the beach here in Kupang, I had just about no information about how to proceed through clearance. I had read the few sparse pages in our guidebook, and had one additional number to call for a local agent. I had already paid an agent for our CAIT (AU$260) and 60 day Social Visas (AU$280 for four of us). And when the local agent here approached me on the beach and asked for US$150 I said “too much.” She insisted that this was the standard rate, and no matter how much I negotiated I was in a weak bargaining position and felt forced to concede to her rate. I later found that even the US$100 I was asking for, was more than the going rate.

Darwin

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 17:55:59 +0000

The sky feels too low here. That was my first and most enduring sentiment about Darwin. I also have an overwhelming desire to open my photo editor and drop the exposure, turn up the contrast, add a bit of saturation, and mess with the white balance.

What Darwin lacks aesthetically, it more than makes up for in hospitality. On the business side, I have never had more things gifted to me. Including engine parts (small but significant, and delivered to my door), ice cream for the kids, tiny glass bottles with a scroll for messages, and rides. The kids are free on the busses, sailing club, and generally (it seems) anywhere there isn’t a specific kids price.

Position Report: August 11, 2015

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 01:23:22 +0000

Position: 12º 25.56’ S 130º 49.23’ E
Day 4 in Darwin. Today is the day we start in on our worklist. Yesterday was entirely laundry, 13 loads, 5 hours + travel. This position report is also the first one that will post directly to forgeover.com. It’s an early trial of a new “Post to Wordpress” feature that I’m working on. All is well.

Dad Moments

Fri, 07 Aug 2015 20:56:13 +0000

Parenting is *hard.*I still find myself waking up at night to tend to bad dreams, or bug bites, and there’s the constant sibling squabbles, and, with us, homeschooling battles. That’s not to mention the challenges of ushering our kids through their self-identification. I have noticed, several times over the busy few years past, that I haven’t really been focusing on those moments that make parenting awesome.

On Lizard Island, we got our first real break of this leg of passage making. We snorkeled, and hiked and spent time together having fun. It really frustrated me that Olive wouldn’t get in the water. We know she can swim, and she is excited about her new wetsuit and mask, but she just wouldn’t take the plunge. Then one afternoon, after getting really upset about it, she and I were playing in the shallows and I started acting like godzilla, stomping and grunting, and she pretended to fight me. After a little of this horsing around, I asked her if she would like me to teach her something. She agreed, and we got her mask. I showed her how to clear her snorkel and how to put it on underwater. She was really good, and I let her know. She was visibly proud, and something changed in her. We spent the next hour or two snorkeling in the shallows and now she asks constantly when we will get another chance.

Cook's Look in Photos

Fri, 24 Jul 2015 02:09:25 +0000

Today we set out for what was listed as a 2.5hr hike for experienced hikers. It was what the Australian National Park system classified as an extremely difficult hike. We were definitely worried that Olive wouldn’t be able to make it. She is not what you might call the most enthusiastic hiker on easy pitches. For this hike, I tried a different tactic. I told her upfront that this would be a tough hike and asked if she felt up to it. Of course she did, and with a little distraction* she was able to make it the whole way up and down, carrying her own weight.

Off to See the Lizard

Tue, 21 Jul 2015 15:44:27 +0000

I don’t know what’s going on with me. We spent last night in this lovely ClubMed anchorage.

This looks like a place you might like to stay at for a while right? I promise, the previous anchorage was even more picturesque.

I, however, have no desire to stay. I don’t even feel the pull to slip into my brand new wetsuit and swim with the stunning fish that have been hanging out around Convivia. We are going to spend the day here, but only because the 100ish miles to Lizard will take us ~20hours, and we want to arrive with the sun overhead.

Impressions of Cairns

Thu, 16 Jul 2015 20:33:46 +0000

I feel like I’ve been moving at light speed for the last five days. We arrived in Cairns on Sunday. Unlike a lot of marinas in Australia, the arrival was really smooth. The marina left keys for us so we could access the showers and be free to come and go at night, and they were very relaxed about check in protocols. After 12 days of passage making (with one trip to shore on Maggie) we were more than eager to grab a familiar burger at Grill’d. It was nice to finally relax and get a full night’s sleep.

Cruising Again

Wed, 08 Jul 2015 05:42:45 +0000

We were waiting for a bus to take us somewhere and Vick looked at me and said “It’s kind of amazing, we just took off and now we are cruisers again. Heading off, looking for beaches or towns to explore, no real destinations…” It was clear that she expected it to take some reacclimation to get back into the swing of this. I remarked that I thought the ease of transition was because cruising is our natural state, and all the other things are what we have to do in order to make cruising possible.

So Hard

Sat, 27 Jun 2015 16:28:34 +0000

I don’t know how many times I uttered that terse phrase yesterday. Saying goodbye, it’s…

Hard.

Rather than sputter on sentimentally I’m just going to post a ton of random pictures of some of the people we’ve come to love in our too short stay here. Thank you all for making our going away party such a touching success. We will miss the heck out of you!

No Fresh Perspective

Sat, 13 Jun 2015 21:40:44 +0000

I’m sitting in the City Library. Olive is watching Minecraft videos and Vick is reading a cookbook. This is the place where I spend the majority of my waking hours recently. It’s been my “office” for the last several months. This is the place where plantefunder.org took its new shape. The colors and sounds are so familiar that they have become my norm. Boat, Library, Gardens, Library, Boat. That’s my daily route. Even the handful of coffee shops I frequent aren’t as comfortable as this space has become.

I Would Do This for Free

Sun, 31 May 2015 06:10:51 +0000

I just set up a Patreon.com page. If you haven’t heard of it yet, patreon is a service that allows content creators, artists, and musicians to accept the generosity of their adoring public (that’s you).

The concept mirrors the ideal that Amanda Palmer talked about in her awesome TED Talk. Do what you do for love, then ask for help. I suspect that this idea is as old as art, but AFP puts a new spin on it by making it distributed.

Ready for Adventure Again (almost)

Thu, 28 May 2015 14:04:30 +0000

We arrived in Australia almost exactly two and a half years ago. Pulling into Brisbane after 15 months of cruising seemed decidedly like the end of our adventure. We were trading sun soaked beaches, a persistent, intimate awareness of the weather, sundowners with dear friends, and nearly daily boat maintenance for the relative ease of city life, a stable job, and weather that wouldn’t really affect us.

What I soon discovered was that it was just the start of a new adventure, one punctuated by forging new relationships, and building a life in a foreign country. Making this foreign country feel native—navigating the subtle cultural differences, finding our community, as well as coming to the understanding that all the animals that could kill us here, wouldn’t necessarily (under normal circumstances) want to kill us— was just as challenging and exciting as when we sailed through Mexico, or the Marquesas.

Preparations

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 02:38:23 +0000

After nearly a year of gathering moss, Convivia and her crew are overcoming inertia and getting ready to cruise again. This week, we took advantage of the public holiday and school break and got Convivia out of the river and onto her anchor.

Before we could do that though, there were a number of boat-list items that needed to be knocked off.

Dodger repair

Our dodger was hit hard during the big hail storm. Several large holes were punched in the old, brittle, windshield panes. We couldn’t go anywhere without fixing them. Unfortunately, this was a much larger task than it seemed at first blush. The old Sunbrela was worn out, and even if we could have salvaged it, the hardware was installed over the plexiglass, and the zippers were shot. The upshot was that the whole frame had to be remade.

Coyote: The Trickster

Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:25:18 +0000

When I met Robbie last year, all I knew about him was that he was inking all of my friends and that Gael thought that he could definitely help with this crazy octopus idea that I had. By the time that tattoo was done, I had made one of those rare friends that defy the rules that erode normal friendships under the pressures of time, distance, and language. Roberto is a kindred spirit.

Frickin Hella Fans

Sat, 31 Jan 2015 16:10:05 +0000

To say I am annoyed with Hella Turbo Fans is an understatement. These very basic fans cost a mint and aren’t nearly as robust as one would hope. We lost 3 in the first year of cruising. Hella was kind enough to replace them for us, but more continue to fail, and the RMA process was so involved that I’m just not inclined to try it again.

That said, they still receive high marks from reviewers, so I have concluded that they are simply the best of a very small and underwhelming pool of contenders.

Community

Sat, 03 Jan 2015 13:48:00 +0000

From time to time, in the course of my travels, people have asked me about “home.” By this they usually mean the USA in general or one of the specific places I’ve lived. When I talk about the good things, I almost always start and end with community. I tend to describe (my) New England as a place where community is valued highly, and then give specific examples of the types of activities that illustrate this value. The coffee social we organized when we lived Mountain View was one common example, but this New Year’s Eve will be my new favorite (if I can find a way to encapsulate it).

Lyman Family Christmas: In Photos

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:39:59 +0000

We celebrated a late Christmas with Vick’s side of the family at her mom’s home. Despite our host getting sick at the last moment, it was a wild success, complete with two rounds of Cards Against Humanity for the bravest of the lot.

A (pseudo) Tourist in the Bay Area

Mon, 22 Dec 2014 15:27:53 +0000

Our trip to the Bay Area was surreal. We had the pleasure of staying with our Framily (the Logans). Their home feels like our home, even though they had only just moved in when we moved away. So much of our old community vibe lives there, that it was like stepping back into routine. And unlike our family, theirs is supremely tranquil. We also had the good fortune to connect with a few old and seriously dear friends, strengthening relationships that have been mostly on hold since we left.

USA 2014-2015

Wed, 03 Dec 2014 08:34:37 +0000

Native Culture Shock

Wed, 03 Dec 2014 08:11:49 +0000

I’ve been meaning to sit down and put my thoughts to words for a week now. Arriving in the United States after 3 years abroad was certain to be a bit of a transition. This long separation is compounded by the nature of my lifestyle: the constantly shifting landscape (literally and metaphorically); the unique challenges of a life at sea; establishing myself for life and work in a (not so, but still) foreign country; and the very real fact that I have, over the past 3 years, manifested a life that is as close to my personal ideal as one can get while still balancing the needs and desires of three other individual beings.

The Best Thanksgiving Ever

Fri, 28 Nov 2014 13:26:05 +0000

Thanksgiving is the best holiday ever invented. Full. Stop. Granted it may come from questionable roots, but what it has become to my family and friends, is a holiday centered around gratitude, relationships, and gluttonous consumption of delectable foods. For a family that has named its home and lifestyle Convivia (a party centered around food and friends), it stands to reason that this holiday would be significant, and for me it is doubly so.

dolphins on the bow

Mon, 20 Oct 2014 23:34:14 +0000

India 2009

Mon, 13 Oct 2014 18:46:48 +0000

Global Circumnavigation: 2011 - 2017

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 06:19:40 +0000

Olive Turns 7: A Parenting Win

Sat, 11 Oct 2014 04:18:14 +0000

It’s not an unfamiliar scene on Convivia. It’s the night before a present giving event, and Vick and I are wondering if we should run out and get one or two more things. “We have Ruby’s presents (the most substantial expenditures this year at $24), and my 6” handmade felt pterodactyl, and… that’s it."

Our cultural programming was going haywire. I pretty much assume that a birthday or christmas is going to run ~$300/kid when it’s all said and done. Was this going to be the worst birthday ever?

GBR 2014 In Photos

Sat, 13 Sep 2014 19:35:11 +0000

I was going to hold these for an epic post about our trip but time seems to have gotten away from us. In lieu of a narrative, here is a little photo essay!

What Sailing Feels Like

Fri, 04 Jul 2014 17:57:45 +0000

Most of the time when I’m sailing I feel like a 14 year old boy, getting into some harmless but possibly significant mischief. I stand looking over the dodger, just soaking it all in as if, at any moment some authority figure is going to send me home.

North Enough!

Wed, 25 Jun 2014 05:46:23 +0000

We spent a few lovely days at Middle Percy Island. We visited the legendary A-Frame, took a long hike up to the Homestead to visit Cate and John, and the Roundhouse to visit Steve. It was a lovely island with a storied and rich history and the current leaseholders were warm and hospitable. I’ll look forward to going back on our way south. Sadly, weather and internet forced us onward. We stopped in Scawfell Island for two days, but the internet there was too sporadic to support my work, so we were northbound again. When we arrived in Thomas Island, with it’s workable internet and gorgeous coral beaches, we knew we had made it to “North Enough.” Our weeks of searching were over. From here on up to Townsville the weather will be warm enough for Vick, the connectivity conducive to my work, and the flora and fauna rich, diverse, and unusual enough to hold the kid’s interest for days on end. Here are a few photos of our journey from Keppel.

Best Day Ever

Sun, 22 Jun 2014 01:19:06 +0000

I have a hard time assigning superlatives. I tend to experience life in an abstract way that doesn’t depend heavily on specific, quantifiable metrics. So when I say that this was the best day ever, take that with a grain of salt. There were other best days. They might have been better, who knows. Not me :)

Today started slowly, in the usual ways. After coffee and breakfast I headed up to the cockpit to knock a quick tiller repair project off the list. With that success behind me I focused on the horizon.

Great Keppel Island in Photos

Tue, 10 Jun 2014 02:10:08 +0000

We had been stuck on the boat for 6 days. First for sailing and second for weather in the anchorage (35 knots, come on). We finally rowed against said wind (maybe only 20 knots), to spend the morning on shore.

We were greeted by a slightly kitsch “cruiser’s camp” that sported a very helpful trail map. When you discover a map, there is only one thing to do…

Thirty Nine

Fri, 06 Jun 2014 11:05:50 +0000

The first day of my fortieth trip around the sun began in darkness. No, this isn’t a metaphor, it’s 3am. Vick woke me with a kiss. “Happy birthday, it’s your watch,” she said through her smile.

I’m 39. This is one of those birthdays that should feel insignificant in comparison to it’s immediate neighbor, but I actually feel sorry for 40. I mean how could forty compare to a year that starts with stars, salty kisses, sea air, and phosphorescents.

Farkwar is Born

Thu, 15 May 2014 05:00:15 +0000

When I was younger (let’s just say I was 10) my uncle would entice me to row him across what seemed like an endless [Muscongous] sound to Loud’s Island, by making up silly stories about a fellow named Barfoolean Farkwar.

Barf would do things like set out to sail without a sail. When he realised his blunder, he would split all of his underpants in half, and sew them together to make a stinky sail (Barf wasn’t much for hygiene).

Migrations

Tue, 06 May 2014 01:54:46 +0000

It’s getting cold here. The crew of s/v Convivia has concluded that cold is stupid and, upon concluding that, realized that we don’t have to stand for it. We have a portable life and I have every programmer’s dream boss who said (way back when I was hired) that he didn’t care where I do my work as long as I do it well.

So we have decided to take this portable lifestyle of ours and move to the Great Barrier Reef for the season*. We have to be back for the Logan’s visit in September, which gives us almost exactly 4 months to enjoy the reef. We plan to leave late May or early June (I want to be in the tropics for my birthday, if possible).

Another Post About How Awesome Brisbane is (i know…)

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 02:34:07 +0000

So this just popped up in our back yard. It’s been behind a fence for months now, slowly coming to form. I didn’t pay much attention but today I took the kids over there so Vick could have some space to put the boat back together after last weekend. This is what I discovered.

And some genius solved a problem I had never even acknowledged was a problem. You know those noise makers that they sometimes have at playgrounds. The ones you want your kids to play because it seems indicative of an interest in music, until you realize it’s just their normal desire to make as much noise as possible.

Gear Review: GoToobs

Wed, 23 Apr 2014 22:00:12 +0000

Okay, I don’t do a lot of gear reviews because, well, because this is really not that kind of blog. That said, there is one piece of gear that we use every day (except some of the crustier passagemaking days perhaps). When we use it, we hardly notice it’s there. In my opinion, that’s a good way to feel about gear.

The GoToob is a silicone soap/shampoo container with a hard plastic top. The 2.5oz ones have a suction cup on them that sticks to many marina bathroom walls (YMMV). They are the perfect size for carry-on, and fit nicely in a slim bathroom bag. When I get in the shower, I pop them on the wall and tap for a perfect dose of Dr. Bonners or shampoo.

Sundowners

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 03:56:30 +0000

Is this even a term that non-cruisers know? If so, does it even mean the same thing? We went for sundowners on Condessa del Mar tonight. The last time we did that we were in a deserted island with 6 other boats, all of whom were sharing this quintessential cruiser experience.

A sundowner is, technically speaking, a drink shared with friends as the sun sets. It’s misleading though because, more often than not, sundowners last until late in the evening. When the bugs have come and gone and things are finally starting to get cool; the stars are out and the milky way fills the sky, that’s when we start to notice that maybe we’ve stretched the event a little long. That’s when we start to realized that the crackers and special recipe popcorn we brought doesn’t necessarily constitute dinner, and maybe the kids should get to bed soon.

Tangalooma Easter Weekend Photots (part 1)

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 15:51:22 +0000

Photos after the break

The Sailing Me

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 10:44:22 +0000

“I wish everyone who knew me could know the sailing me!”

I posted this on Facebook today. It was one of those thoughts that popped into my head ready to publish, and didn’t require a lot of fact checking. As the day passed though, I found myself coming back to that thought. What makes the sailing me noteworthy, why do I prefer it to the geeky me, or the business me, or the city slicker me?

(A)Typical Sunday

Sun, 09 Feb 2014 16:26:35 +0000

Olive wanted to make an explosion. Ruby remembered that you can win mentos at the arcade. I thought, “it’s about the most expensive way to do this experiment but it makes a great story” so off we went.

Octopus Tattoo

Tue, 24 Dec 2013 03:28:12 +0000

Today is Christmas Eve day so we did what any normal family would do and got some tattoos. Technically mine was started last night, but we did all of the shading today.

Our artist, Roberto Galbiani, an Italian architect-turned-tattoo-genius, was introduced to us by friends that run our favorite cafe (Pablo). If you remember back to the post about my Marquesan Tattoo, you might recall that I wasn’t sure that I would ever get another one. This opportunity made for too good of a story to pass up, and I was at a moment where I had something that I wanted to record in skin, so I enthusiastically pursued it.

BOS -> AKL -> PPT -> BNE -> PPT -> BNE -> PPT -> VAV -> TBU -> NAN -> BNE

Wed, 30 Oct 2013 05:08:00 +0000

We were all excited to get to Tahiti of course. The excitement was partially because it was Tahiti and partly because it was one of the few places in the South Pacific that we were pretty certain we could receive birthday presents for Tucker and Ruby. We anchored by Marina Tahina for a bit and picked up our new spinnaker and even a wifi antenna (both shipped from the US). It was exciting to have mail from the States after many months without.

Riverfire 2013

Sun, 06 Oct 2013 17:57:50 +0000

Riverfire is a-mazing. The city of Brisbane (with generous support from the business sector) light fireworks off all along the waterfront from the Story Bridge to Southbank, and from the tops of the largest buildings in town. They have flyovers from impressive killing machines, and just an astounding amount of fanfare. We had a very small party on Convivia, where we enjoyed a front row seat to the best fireworks display I’ve ever seen.

A Tall Poppy in Oz

Sun, 06 Oct 2013 03:42:19 +0000

One of the very first things I learned about Australian culture was that it robustly supports the lopping of tall poppies. Unless you are from AU, NZ, CA, or the UK you probably don’t even know what this term means, Wikipedia describes it as:

“… a social phenomenon in which people of genuine merit are resented, attacked, cut down, or criticised because their talents or achievements elevate them above or distinguish them from their peers.”

Sliding in Sideways…

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 03:38:01 +0000

I’ve found myself having rather candid conversations about our finances lately. Inevitably I find myself saying “we’re skidding sideways into each paycheck.” Indeed last month we made it across the line by searching pockets for laundry money. It would, if I were inclined to look at it that way, be a realization of one of my worst pre-cruising fears.

Over the last week I conducted an informal survey of cruiser friends on Facebook. Of the 16 respondents 10 cited money as one of (if not the most significant) reasons that people fail to launch their cruising dreams. In About the Crew I described how we chose to throw financial responsibility to the wind, and I thought it suiting that I take a minute to let you know how that all shook out.

September in Brisbane

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 04:47:36 +0000

September has been a month of goodbyes and getting-to-know-yas. It’s been a month of changing weather (for the better) and changing government (for the worse). It’s been full of laughter, outdoor play and exciting summery events.

We are all feeling like Brisbane is home, and except for the outrageous cost; and missing our family and friends back home; we are just delighted to be able to say that.

In the spirit of photo-blogging when I don’t have enough new things to say, here’s another montage of our month. Hopefully the captions will tell our story well.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Fri, 20 Sep 2013 14:07:29 +0000

Coffee is very important to us here on Convivia and we’ve expended quite a bit of time and energy, ensuring that we always have good coffee to drink. When we left the US we were aware that AMPs were king and decided to play it safe with a hand grinder. For the most part that grinder has been a joy. I love the ritual of grinding my morning coffee, and really only mind it when we have friends over for coffee and I have to grind a lot more.

July - August In Photos

Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:34:53 +0000

A Laundry Tour of the South Pacific

Wed, 07 Aug 2013 05:07:14 +0000

A reader on a women’s sailing group I’m part of asked if it was possible to sail the South Pacific without washing laundry in a bucket. Laundry was much harder for me than being on a boat for 24 days straight, cooking underway, or seasickness, and something I stressed out about far more than the weather, ships, or squalls. I got over my stress about laundry by finding other people, and sometimes machines, to do my washing for me. It was expensive and it was worth it.

School Holiday

Sat, 13 Jul 2013 18:25:47 +0000

School Holiday is our family’s newest novelty. Vick braved the first week (of two) on her own. It was cold and rainy and they spend a lot of time baking and visiting the museums. By the end of the first week though (despite heroic displays of positivity) it was getting pretty clear that if we the three of them spent the next week on the boat, in the rain, it was not going to be a good scene. We consider ourselves to be pretty stout, flexible cruiser types. When the condensation gets so thick that it starts collecting as drops on the overheads, we grin and bear it. But this wet season seems to have started when we arrived in Australia and 7 months later, is still going strong.

And Just Like That She's Nine

Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:05:25 +0000

The count down to birthdays happens early with Ruby. She counts the months, the weeks, the days. She plans her cake, remembers the ones that have come before, and has a pending list of the cakes for three future birthdays. She knows that she has about 50 weeks now to finalize the next one. So, as with every year, she invented and confirmed the cake, dug out the party flags and invited her friends.

Slut Shaming — From a Man's Perspective

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:47:19 +0000

I’ve been noticing a lot of articles, podcasts, tweets, and other coverage lately about slut shaming and rape culture. Maybe it’s that I have decidedly feminist sexual politics and my friends and news feeds tend to reflect and amplify those topics, or maybe (I can hope) it’s because our society is starting to realize that feminism and (more basically) respecting women is an issue that men have a serious stake in.

When I hear on the news that people are sympathising with rapists who’s “futures have been ruined”, I assume that the part of the population that thinks that way must be incredibly small, uneducated and dim witted. When I read the dozens of brave letters from women (some in their middle years, some in high school) who have been sexually bullied, slut shamed, and raped I would love to believe that they represented 100% of the population that has been saddled with such a burden.

Life Like a Story

Sat, 08 Jun 2013 17:15:12 +0000

There are many kinds of books and as many kinds of book lovers. So please read the following from your own perspective and not through my eyes.

You know that feeling when you pick up a good book, and you just can’t put it down? You know the feeling when you get to the end and desperately hope that the author writes a sequel, or another book as good as the one you just put down? I love that feeling. That’s how I want to feel about my life.

Autumn in Australia

Sun, 07 Apr 2013 05:31:22 +0000

It’s autumn here.

I know that may not seem like it deserves its own line but you know what, it does! The year here starts in Summertime and then goes to Fall. Fall comes before Spring in the southern hemisphere. You can get all intellectual about this but until you feel it, you’re not going to understand why those three words get their very own line.

The weather has been getting cooler but I foolishly keep pretending that everything is “normal.” So when Ceilydh asked us if we wanted to do a little mini-cruise over Easter weekend, my mis-calibrated brain thought “it should be getting warmer every day, why not.” The day before we left the forecast was for four days of solid rain. Lucky for us we got nearly perfect weather for the whole trip and had enough sun that we could almost maintain the illusion of the season our bodies were expecting.

Crossing an Ocean with iNavX

Sat, 16 Mar 2013 08:51:39 +0000

Note: I wrote this post in September while making passage from Vanuatu to Australia. I was all fired up about it until Vick read it and crinkled her nose (or something like that). I relegated it to the drafts folder and forgot about it until now. Recently a bunch of this year’s puddle jumpers have asked about this topic, and I figured “what the heck” I’ll just post it in case it helps someone. If you aren’t about to go blue water cruising, I suggest you give this one a skip. If you’re leaving tomorrow, and you don’t already have an iPad, likewise, skipperoo. But if you are using an iPad for navigation and haven’t already learned these tricks, I think it would be a really good idea to read this, digest it and then ask me to fill in detail for anything that wasn’t clear. Please do leave a comment so everyone can benefit from the process.

And just like that… I'm plugged in!

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 03:18:20 +0000

I’ve always known that there is a flow to life. Swim with it and you move quickly towards your destination. Swim against and you may get where you think you want to go, but man do you have to work for it. After a year an a half of cruising, I was well positioned to stay in the flow, but it was surprisingly difficult to maintain my conviction in the sleepy months surrounding the holidays. The city was all but dormant, there were no jobs posted, no real professional meetups, and I was starting to think of forcing, and leveraging. In other words, I was getting desperate.

Brisbane is Seriously Awesome Folks, Seriously

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:14:32 +0000

You have seriously got to be kidding me. I love this city so much I want to dig up the homes of my family and friends and move them all here. Today we went to the Queensland State Library with the kids. We tricked them (yes, I am that devious) by telling them about the Augmented Reality treasure hunt that uses the ipad to find clues. In reality it is the best ruse ever to get kids to follow their parents on a magical tour of the coolest library I have ever been to.

Holding Hands

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 21:15:54 +0000

I was fortunate to have a pretty amazing/progressive sexual education. When I was an early teen I participated in a program called AYS (About Your Sexuality) that my church put on. You can read the wikipedia article for a slightly jaded synopsis of the curriculum, but for me it provided all of the information that I needed to take it real slowly, sexually speaking.

As a result while most of my guys friends were losing their virginity, I was kissing and holding hands. I got really good at it. In fact I got so good at it that I had an entire (2 week) relationship once that centered around (shall we say) erotic hand holding. Twenty something years later I find that I still get a charge from it.

Australia 2012 Recap in Photos

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 19:40:58 +0000

I have been pretty relaxed about my blog posting since we arrived. I think I thought I had little to say but the photos I have taken tell another story, so I will let them…

The Nature of Community

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 15:24:21 +0000

I’ve always been a pay it forward kind of guy. I love helping my friends out and I love to build community. Every once in a while I ask for help, and every time it’s hard. I don’t fully understand why, but I do know that I am distinctly averse to receiving generosity. This past week has been a learning experience for me.

It started, I think, when the lights started to flicker. We nursed our failing batteries all the way across the South Pacific but when we got to Bundaberg we just let it go. By the time we arrived in Brisbane they were near dead. Then a few nights before Christmas, when Ceildyh was over for dinner they died for good. We were eating and making merry and the whole boat went dark and silent. I switched us over to the starter battery and we finished the night with light (but no music). The next morning Evan called to let me know that he could help out with some old (but hopefully not as dead as our batteries). Then the sink fell in…

Ltd Espresso Blows My Mind

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 03:25:43 +0000

A double espresso is 15 grams of uniformly ground bean, 9 bars of pressure at the group head, and a 30 second pull at 92ºC (±2º). If you have ever stood by my side as I pulled a shot, you have heard this stated as fact. I suspect on some Platonic level it is fact. I also freely admit a certain amount of pride in both knowing this magical formula and being able to extract espresso that tastes great by using this formula. It’s not surprising then that I have invested a certain amount of confidence in said numbers. Today that confidence was utterly and totally shattered by the owner of Ltd Espresso.

Oooh heaven is a place on Earth

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 03:51:45 +0000

Krister summed it up pretty perfectly over margaritas the other night, “This place is like a joke, it’s like they said let’s take all the money the US spends on the military and spend it on public services.” Nail, meet hammer. Brisbane has free museums, free multi-city-block-long-swimming-lagoon-with imported sand, free public transportation in and around the city center, free bikes to ride, reliable water fountains, tons of live music, and a government mandate that building owners provide public facing art installations. This place is like a joke, and I love the punchline.

Goodnight Cruise

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:38:31 +0000

It is time to bid farewell to the star filled night sky, to the meteor showers, to the dolphins that scared the crap out of me on night watch. I am just settling in to my last chocolate watch (the salty watch is 8-12, 3-6 is for chocolate); in a few hours the sun will come up and we will line up for the first of several channels that will bring us to our new home.

Ten thousand thirty five photos

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 03:17:21 +0000

Tucker took 10,035 photos during our eight month voyage across the Pacific but what I hope I always remember cannot be captured with the camera.

The excitement of checking out of Mexico and watching the shore disappear in the east

The perfect sapphire blue of the ocean, hundreds of miles out, in the morning sun

Looking up and seeing the Southern Cross for the first time

The feeling of arrival when the latitude ticked down to zero

Photos: Port Vila, Vanuatu & Chesterfield Reef, New Caledonia

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 20:37:14 +0000

We’ve got a wordy type post in the making. In the meantime you can feast your eyes on some photos from Port Vila and the most spectacular Chesterfield Reef. Chesterfield was a safety option for us on our passage to Australia. I was pretty sure that we wouldn’t stop there but as we got close fate forced our hand. Am I ever glad it did. Chesterfield deserved a week but we had only a few days to enjoy it. We made good use of the time, fixing boat problems, snorkeling, beach combing, and hanging out with our friends on Britannia. Our time was up too soon and we headed out into some nasty weather to make it to Australia before the rally ended. Next time around we will definitely make more time for this sweet spot!

Where have we been all this time?

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:02:00 +0000

During one of our last days of our Pacific crossing Tucker and I sat in the cockpit remembering out loud each and every stop since we’ve been out cruising. Convivia sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge on October 1, 2011 and took a few weeks sailing down the coast of California. We spent five months in Mexico and in the spring of 2012 we began crossing the Pacific. We left Banderas Bay, Mexico on March 19th, 2012 and arrived in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia on November 16, 2012. Since we left North America we spent 60 overnights at sea (I didn’t count the days or parts of days for those passages) and had 23 additional day sails. We zig-zagged north and south moving from colder to warmer and back until making landfall last Friday in Australia.

Mystery Island

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 02:48:08 +0000

Mystery Island is a little sand spit in the lagoon that we anchored in at Anatom. The island is haunted—or so the locals believe—and this makes it uninhabitable for any ni-Vanuatu. The interesting thing is that they don’t mind going over there for the day to sell cheap “made in China” trinkets to cruise ship tourists. They get a lot of opportunities to do this too as a cruise ship pulls in every 3-5 days (in season) to barf out a few thousand pink gaudily dressed tchotchke-hungry consumers. As a result the island has been “developed” into a kind of Survivoresqe theme park, part tasteful thatch shelter, part gauche photo-op, but all very interesting if you happen to go over there when the show isn’t on.

Everything Old is New Again

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 15:04:49 +0000

We’ve visited four of Vanuatu’s beautiful islands. We’re now in Port Vila experiencing the touristy city life, with ridiculous cover bands playing loudly on the harbor’s edge, gift shops filled with Chinese made souvenirs, and inappropriately dressed tourist girls. While I love our access to the waterfront showers, the delicious juice bar, and the amazing produce market, this is a scene that could be experienced in any country. Where we’ve come from in Anelcauhat, Aneityum and Port Resolution, Tanna, is another world, a world I’m so grateful to have seen.

Manually Adding GRIBs to iNavx without Jailbreak

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 14:42:36 +0000

Back in July of 2011 I wrote a pretty geeky post about adding grib files to iNavx by first jailbreaking your iPad and then doing a series of complicated steps to get the gribs from Airmail (or wherever you download them from) to the iPad. I’m here to say that with newer versions of iOS (5+) there is an easier way.

First I should explain why this is a concern. If you are bluewater cruising, chances are you will not be able to use iNavX’s built in GRIB downloader. This means that you will have to download them through Airmail, zygrib, Ocens, mailasail, or what have you. These programs all have decent grib viewers but it is sometimes nice to overlay these on your charts. Enter the solution.

Volcano - Photo Essay

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 05:01:06 +0000

Dream Fulfilled

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 22:08:00 +0000

We are in Tanna Vanuatu. Last night we drove on a dirt road that was cut through a rain forest. It was just unbelievable that they could make a road at all here , and it certainly required 4 wheel drive. Krister and I stood in the bed of the pickup with Olive and Ruby standing between our arms, staring up over the hood as it deftly negotiated lava rock, mud and volcanic dirt, up and over impossible hills all the way to our destination.

I <3 Uninhabited Islands

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:54:23 +0000

Here is a post that we really wanted to get up in Tonga but the slow internet stalled it out. We have been really fortunate to get a few very special places to ourselves on this trip. The island of Kenutu is located on the other side of a tricky pass and we happened to get in just before a low pressure weather system rolled through. The net result was that we had the whole island to ourselves (with our good friends on s/v Tao) for almost a week. I think the pictures will tell the story best.

Ruby's First year of Cruising

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 02:08:10 +0000

This week we had a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our first year of cruising. A mother on a group that we belong to asked for suggestions for a reluctant soon-to-be-cruising 7 year old. We mentioned it to Ru and asked if she would like to write a letter to this girl and she jumped at the chance. Here’s what she said:

My name is Ruby. I am 8 years old and have been cruising for a year. I left from San Francisco a year ago today with my mom and dad and little brother. I heard that you might be a little worried about cruising and I want to let you know that it is really awesome.

Flyin' Through Fiji

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 02:27:48 +0000

As we made our way across the Pacific we were perpetually asking “can we spend a little more time here?” After ~10 years of putting off today’s desires in favor of tomorrow’s dream it was finally time to say “Yes, why not!” The down side to this was that we knew that every extra day we spent in today’s paradise would be borrowed from tomorrow’s. You can only defer for so long before the cyclone threat starts making your choices for you.

Last Days in Tonga

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:55:08 +0000

First Day of School

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:47:53 +0000

One of the things that our kids miss while cruising are typical stateside milestones like the First Day of School. Where I grew up the first day of school was the day after Labor Day, which happens on the first Monday of September. Five year olds begin kindergarten, and while Olive doesn’t turn five for another couple of weeks, she would be a kindergartener now. We were lucky enough to send our kids to the General Primary School in Matamaka Village for their first day last week!

The Possibilities Are Endless

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 01:01:02 +0000

When I heard Zinnia was planning to move to Penrhyn I thought to myself, her mother may never see her again. And I thought that my children may end up moving to a place somewhere in the world, a place so remote that Lonely Planet only has five sentences to say about it.

I Should Get a Haircut EVERY Year

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 13:20:46 +0000

The Tropicana has become our hangout. It’s got good espresso, Internet, courtesy flags, a gluten free sensitized owner and is very cruiser friendly. Add to that the fact that Lisa(the owner) is our goto girl for local information and you start to see why we stop in every time we walk down the street.

So yesterday we were walking down the street, the kids were doing well, and we had a few hours to kill before the laundry would be ready (or so we thought). I realized that it was high past time to get that haircut I had been talking about for the last 6 months. Knowing that Lisa would be able to point me in the right direction, I popped my head in and asked the question. “…the guy in the back is a barber,” she answered, turning back to her bookkeeping.

Whales

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 13:44:55 +0000

The aluminum tour boat pulled along side Convivia at nine am on a cool wet morning. It was the first gloomy day in 5 days and we wished we could change our reservation. Unfortunately we had put our money down and were committed.

As the drizzle pelted our eyes the Operator (guide) gave us the spiel and implored us to help keep a lookout for whales. I got the kids settled and poked my head out into the spray to keep watch. I was struck by how fast we were moving. The boat’s 20 knots could have been 100. After moving no faster than 9 knots for weeks, it felt like we were flying. Soon we saw our first spout and doubled back to take a closer look.

The Good

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:41:00 +0000

I should have known that I would eat my words…

We left Samoa this morning under a bright blue sun filled sky. The wind was fresh enough to move us along nicely and so we decided to go between Upolu and Savai’i (the two main Islands of Samoa) on our way to Tonga. As we rounded Upolu and started South I said to Vick “Shoot, I think we may have missed out by not going inland a bit.” It’s true, I’m sure. I can only justify so much with the tired “we had so much work to get done” line. In retrospect though we did end up loving Samoa in spite of some of it’s odd officials. We had one of the absolute best meals we have ever eaten (Vick compared it favorably to the Slanted Door, our old favorite) at Tatua Bistro in Apia. Our friends Mark and Jenny on Condessa took care of the kids for the night so we could have a downright sinfully slow meal. Great food, perfect service and personal attention from the owner (when he found out I was GF and wanted to make sure everything was prepared safely for me) made it a night to remember.

I Have Never Felt So Foreign

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 14:27:32 +0000

When I visit a new country I tend to see all the ways in which its culture is different first. A week or so into my visit the similarities with my native culture overtake the differences and I am overwhelmed (for a time anyway) by the beauty of our world’s diversity.

Here on Samoa (pronounced Sa’ moa) I have yet to move fully into the second stage. Every time I feel like I am close, something alien is revealed to me that sets me back to seeing the differences. This (two) island nation is gorgeous. Its people are, by and large, incredibly outgoing and proud of their heritage, and they share a (second) language. I had expected this (amongst other things) to make it easy for me to fit in and feel welcome here. Not so much.

Suwarrow, a Photo Recap

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:36:11 +0000

We arrived in Apia, Samoa early in the morning yesterday. Thankfully the internet was fast enough here to upload a few photos.

We're. Not. Leaving

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:17:00 +0000

We have looked at the gribs (graphical weather predictions), the surface analisys, and read the tea leaves. All data clearly shows that tomorrow morning would be the best possible time to leave if we wanted a quick and comfortable passage to Samoa. Normally that would be all we needed to know to set us on our merry way.

But we aren’t going. Not yet anyway. Suwarrow is all of those things that I said it was in the previous post. It’s also something more. None of us have tried to articulate what it is, but there is something deeply special about this place and the way our family has reacted to it.

Suwarrow

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 05:01:00 +0000

This is what I have been waiting for. Suwarrow is the dream that calls so many sailors into a cruising lifestyle. Remote, lush, pristine, and virtually unpopulated Suwarrow offers its raw self to its few annual visitors to explore, inhabit, and love.

To put a finer point on this we have been cooped up in the boat for six straight days while the island has received (I would guess) more than its annual expected rainfall. In the few sunny moments we hop in the dinghy, bail it out for 10 minutes (all that rain could sink a dinghy) and rush to shore.

Cooks Bay, Mo'orea & Fare, Huahine

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:21:34 +0000

Mo’orea and Huahine are my favorite islands in the Societies and close to my favorite in French Polynesia. They both have a laid back air and, as much as any of these heavily visited islands, seem less fatigued by the demands of tourism than I would have expected.

All that being true, what really made these spots shine was the social life. After the Rendevouz lots of boats hung around and made their ways, more or less together, through the remaining islands. In Cooks bay a few of us centered our daily activities around the Bali Hai Club. We sat by the pool while the kids ran and swam, made new friends, and generally took it easy for almost a week. We even got a rental car for an afternoon and toured the island.

Stretching Our Legs

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 20:39:17 +0000

The idea was to get off the boat and stretch our legs. We had been to swim with the rays the day before, but that doesn’t really count. Our feet hadn’t touched land in a few days and we thought a little walk would do us good. The Mo’orea Agricultural Center looked like it was close to the head of the cove we were anchored in, so we hailed Wondertime and met at the beach in our dinghies.

Stone Bench Vignette

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:11:39 +0000

Cruising kids, like kids everywhere else in the world come in all sorts of flavors, have unique personalities and in any anchorage you would be lottery-winner-lucky to find two the same age. Somehow they manage to forge the most beautiful friendships out of this seeming chaos. This little gallery captures this dynamic in a way that I have never been able to put in words. Look at each one for a moment and then flip through quickly.

The Anchorage of Doom!

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:24:50 +0000

Cue creepy music. We anchored in the north east conner of Opunohu Bay along with almost every other boat that crossed the Pacific from the Americas. (big exaggeration but it paints the right picture.) It was a tiny anchorage with reefs all around and a very squirrely wind, a perfect recipe for doom (dun dun duuuuun).

As it turned out we had two lovely days there with no incident. On Sunday night somewhere around 11 the wind started to build and the rain started driving sideways from the east. I went into the cockpit to make sure everything was lashed down and stowed and stayed a little longer to watch the wind instrument. 30, 32, 35 knots; it was creeping higher. Then I looked up in time to see a massive blue hull grinding down our port side. “Holy Shit!” I yelled “we have been hit, Vick get up here.” I watched in startled terror for a moment as our outer lower shroud was plucked like a guitar string, twaaaaang then saw the dinghy (which had just been smooshed between the two boats) recoiling. A moment later the dinghy’s bow was 10’ up in the air. I rushed to the shroud to fend but the blue boat was already receding, “crap, it’s going to hit the panel” but Vick was already there, lifting the precious solar panel out of harms way. As the blue boat departed the wind caught its bow and sent the stern on one last mission of destruction. It missed our self steering vane by inches and was gone.

The Frankenfold Myth

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 01:54:25 +0000

When I talk about our time in Papeete (Tahiti) I am inclined to describe it as all work and no play. When one is bogged down with projects like the Frankenfold (a.k.a the mainfold from hell), it is easy to forget that much fun has also been had. So before elaborating further on All The Fun® allow me to describe this particular bit of boat owner’s misery.

Frankenfold

Convivia has had numerous small fresh water leaks since we bought her. These have been dealt with more or less as they came up, and along the way I have even managed to improve on the system. On passage we started to develop a leak at the kitchen faucet, the location and disposition of which made it very difficult to fix. The short term solution was to decommission the faucet. Plumbing then took top priority on my project list. I had plenty of time to think about how best to address the situation. I wanted to remedy the existing problem and also make a substantial improvement to the overall stability of our ship’s pressurized water system. Ultimately this would have meant removing all of the hose and replacing it with Sea Tech hose. This being the middle of nowhere, I was not holding out of that. Plan B was to replace as many of the nylon fittings as I could and add a manifold as close to the pump as possible. After several (though it seemed like several hundred) trips to several hardware and marine stores, I was able to get all of the part together and complete the project. The result (as seen below) is not beautiful, but it works and solves a problem that would have been inevitable had I not taken the time.

Are we crazy?

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 18:39:06 +0000

I am often asked about cruising with kids. Is it difficult? I’ve overheard people talking about us. We’re brave apparently, and it’s not because of the ocean, or the remote places we go, it’s because we took our kids. We’re also crazy, according to a gal hiking behind us recently. And we love the commotion, mess, and noise of 5 little kids running around the boat, thought the gal in the slip next to us for a week in La Cruz. Most people out here have waited until their kids are grown up and from what I gather, most people are unwilling to live this closely with their kids day in and day out.

Fakarava: First Days (in Photos)

Sat, 26 May 2012 01:35:36 +0000

I’m still catching up with my thoughts on Fakarava. The passage was too short to properly transition from the fierce rugged beauty of the Marquesas to the low, almost delicate Tuamotus. Our first night on Fakarava was spent catching up with long lost friends from Estrellita. The next day was spent snorkeling and watching the kids learn how to swim on the beach in front of the White Sands Resort.

This place is just too… much. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking and I’ll try to be more articulate in my next post.

Vaipo Waterfall

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:44:21 +0000

Peer pressure was (for once) well placed when it was applied to our reluctance to hike “5 hours” to see another waterfall. We had already seen one in Fatu Hiva and it was quite magnificent. That hike was great too, but I just couldn’t motivate for a much longer hike, even if it was the 3rd highest waterfall in the world.

“It’s amazing,” “It’s breathtaking,” “You’ve got to see it, really.” We heard nothing but praise and even from people who had already trekked to the one in Fatu. In the end it was Wondertime that brought us around to the hike. They hadn’t arrived yet and we didn’t want to leave for the Tuamotus without catching up with them. For so many reasons, this was the right call.

Daniel's Bay: Aka Survivor 4 beach

Thu, 24 May 2012 00:33:46 +0000

I’m not sure I knew that Daniel’s Bay (aka Hakatea Bay) was the site of Survivor 4 when we decided to check it out. By the end of our 5 days there it seemed to be the theme for everything. So much so that when I organized a little beach bonfire on the last night, I sheepishly touted it as the Survivor Beach Bonfire.

Our stay there was nothing like the reality show though. We spent our first day on the beach, collecting limes and coconuts and generally making ourselves at home on the abandoned shore. The gendarme from Taiohae was there, which we thought was a little weird until we discovered that he was probably investigating the sensational cannibalism case* that has made the news (though thankfully not enough to catch our parents attention) lately.

Taiohae and D'Anaho Bays

Sun, 13 May 2012 02:06:56 +0000

I kind of pride myself on having a “feelings” kind of blog. You know, the kind that is more interested in how a place, or thing, or experience made me feel rather than (strictly speaking) a description of the place/thing/experience in question. Which is sort of by way of explaining why I’ve been a little short on blog posts lately.

The problem, in vague terms, is that I have been feeling the same thing over and over again. This whole chapter in my life can be summed up in one short word; WOW. I feel like I’ve been sailing, hiking, and bumming around in an ever increasing state of slack jawed amazement and revelry at the immense cultural and natural beauty. And while this is certainly no regrettable state to be in, it is a little overwhelming and, well, not entirely conducive to introspection.

Photos From Tahuata and Ua Pou

Fri, 04 May 2012 20:04:32 +0000

I fear I may sound like a broken record if I continue to extol the many virtues and superlatives of these remote, exotic, and vibrant islands. So rather than continue along that path, I will just share a few photos of our time in Tahuata (where we got the tattoos) and Ua Pou (where live the friendliest people in the Marquesas). Hopefully these varied snapshots will capture the essence of our last 2 weeks in a way that words can’t.

What Broke

Thu, 03 May 2012 11:58:49 +0000

Well we have covered about 3000 miles since we left Mexico and as any passage maker can attest, stuff breaks. I was actually kind of surprised by what broke and, by and large, how quickly and easily it was repaired. Most of our damage was small, interior, and caused by our kids. I left a lot of the little stuff off this list because it was already getting long. A few of the breaks were avoidable, and we have learned some good preventative maintenance lessons (like don’t let the sails flog at all). The remainder was either just old boat stuff, or general maintenance.

How I found my, "It's Okay" in the hands of my Marquesan tattooist

Wed, 02 May 2012 23:59:37 +0000

I’ve been lucky to have a number of encouraging and reassuring people cross my path, people who have confirmed that what I was after was the right thing for me, and a couple of years ago I met someone who had such confidence and assuredness about his sailboat and his cruising plans that I couldn’t help but admire him . As we became friends he repeated his mantra, “it’s okay” about any worries I had about living aboard, fixing up Convivia, and sailing away. He even called us just before we untied the dock lines to remind us that everything would be just fine. I’ve tried to remember /just/ the tone of his believable voice and though I’ve repeated his words a million times, I’ve been searching for my own authentic, “it’s okay.”

The most beautiful place

Wed, 02 May 2012 23:49:49 +0000

Four days after making landfall on Hiva Oa we sailed into Baie Hanavave on Fatu Hiva, the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It is the most beautiful place I can even imagine. The hills are high and covered with a hundred colors of green. Palm trees lean toward the ocean cliffs. The grassy areas are dotted with mountain goats. The sky is a dark blue, heavy with mist, and threatens to explode into a squall or a rainbow. I wonder if rainbows are overlooked here. I can’t find a local person that can tell me what they’re called in French or Marquesan.

Tahauta Mana

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:15:00 +0000

Our culture kind of falls flat on celebrations of personal success and accomplishment. The Marquesans however—and in fact Polynesians in general—have a long standing tradition of recording rights of passage and personal achievement in the skin. These tattoos become a living visual history of each inked individual.

Victoria and I had long known that we would participate in this tradition upon the completion of our first major ocean passage. It seemed congruous in so many ways. The adoption of this beautiful tradition, the telling of our story, and the celebration of this voyage which follows (in some small way) the spirit of Marquesan exploration.

Our Route Across the Pacific

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:56:08 +0000

I thought this might be interesting for some. These are our 24hr waypoints for the whole trip. What isn’t shown is the track (our actual path of travel) witch , more often than not, zig-zagged across the almost straight line described here.

Cruisers familiar with this passage will almost certainly understand what is going on around day 10 . This is where we decided that the ITCZ crossing would be much better a few degrees west. As it turns out those demoralizing days of heading west instead of south, were well worth it. We never really saw the ITCZ. Big thanks to my buddy Krister for keeping us informed of weather and routing us expertly through this area of turmoil.

Our Days at Sea

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:11:40 +0000

I was stunned I think, when Ruby asked me why the days were so short. We were on our boat, sailing across the Pacific, from Mexico to the Marquesas, a passage that takes around three weeks (24 nights out for us) and my almost eight year old couldn’t find enough time in the day for everything she wanted to do. “The days were so much longer in La Cruz. Why are they going by so fast on passage?”

Photos from Crossing and Landfall

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:04:40 +0000

Landfall in Paradise

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 17:29:30 +0000

When we left Mexico we were headed to Nuku Hiva, one of the northern Marquesan islands, with an easy anchorage in a town that allowed us to clear in to French Polynesia. About a week into our passage we opened the Charlie’s Charts and our Lonely Planet guide books and decided to head for Hiva Oa, the largest southern Marquesan island. We don’t want to miss the nearby islands of Fatu Hiva and Tahuata. We are anchored now in Baie Tahuku near the town of Atuona.

Shellbacks.

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 21:04:00 +0000

For many years whenever I got cold enough to warrant socks or sleeves or worse, a jacket, or if I bought a new pair of long pants that needed hemming, my solution was simple, I’d ditch all those things and head to the equator. So when I was actually on my way to the equator you can imagine I was pretty darn happy to lose the layers and finally warm up!

The Vastness

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:41:00 +0000

When I was a boy I would sit facing the ocean, on a beach, on a breakwater, on a boat and imagine myself surrounded by its vastness. In these youthful projections, I would never tire of its endless blue. I pictured myself a captain on a small, seaworthy vessel.

As a young man I would sit on that breakwater, that beach, that boat, and contemplate my insignificance. I imagined living a life where I was more free to live as I chose, where my priorities could be manifest in my daily life, where I was not beholden to the compromises that modern life demands. I looked to the sea and saw what I believed might be the final fastness of freedom.

Convivia Gourmet

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Okay, maybe a gourmet is a bit haughty when most of our meals are cooked in one pan but we have been having some seriously good food lately and I thought it was worth mentioning.
If you search for a book or article and use the words “cruising” and “cooking” you are likely to find a lot of great resources. Great if you like canned (including canned meat) and and heavily processed foodstuffs.
Victoria has read every one of these galley cookbooks that she could get her hands on and has summarily rejected the notion that she can’t sail the world and eat well. Let me tell you, this is one experiment that you want in on.
So without further ado I will taunt you with some of the treasures we have had over the last few days. If sailing to the South Pacific wasn’t enough to have you scrambling for a crew position, this list should seal the deal.

The Awesome Ocean

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 17:19:00 +0000

Wow! We are currently rushing, racing, charging across the pacific at a sustained 7 knots with statistically significant periods of 8 knots. This speed, it seems, comes at a price. We have really enormous swell. If my estimation is correct (and it’s really tough when you are in it) we are looking aft at 3-4 meter seas.

If you haven’t been out in huge, short period swell before you may not appreciate how high a 4 meter wall of water is. I sure didn’t. It is awesome! Really in both the modern and archaic meaning of the word. Water like this (though it won’t likely be the largest we will see) inspires awe, and is freaking cool.

Day to Day

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 13:41:00 +0000

We raced out of Bandaras Bay on Monday with good steady winds that moved us 173 miles in our first 24 hours. Even though we were bashing through swell and all a little queasy it felt amazing to be ticking away the miles so quickly. Since then we’ve passed the 500 mile mark, the boat has become a lot more comfortable.

On Sunday night while we were sitting at the Port Captain’s dock our friends Pat and Ali and their two kids came to bid us farewell. Ali asked that we blog a lot, about everything, even the boring things. I’m sure no one has a more comprehensive blog, about their day to day life and adventures. She knows what’s she’s talking about! So, Ali, this post is for you.

The Crew Gets Our Groove Back

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:43:00 +0000

Today was another slow and steady day. We had plenty of sun (enough to top off our batteries by 2pm) and the few clouds we saw were distant and fluffy. The wind was practically non-existent, but we ghosted along at 2-3 knots on what there was.

On the “exciting” side, it was Olive’ 4.5 birthday today. We had a big celebration where Olive called in her half birthday wish for a glass of soy milk. This had been a hot topic lately, not because we are short on soy milk (heavens no) but because we didn’t have much space in the fridge. We relented and Olive seemed delighted, though she never did finish that glass.

Low Lattitudes High Levels of Awesomeness

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:22:00 +0000

I just had one of those rare pure moments of perfect bliss. It happened when I went forward to let out the boom vang. After letting it go I paused for a moment to look around (something we do almost constantly out here). Something about the familiar vista caught my attention and I went forward to the bow to figure out what it was. As my hand grasped the forestay I time-warped back to my childhood. In that moment I was standing on the bow of our Luders staring down Muscongus Sound. Ahead of me (it seemed then) was the whole world and my life, just waited to be experienced.

First Days of Passage

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:06:00 +0000

The first two days of passage making went quickly. We got into our grove after about 12 hours. Ruby got to drawing (some pretty amazing stuff really) and Olive pretended to blow things up. Vick and I just stared out at the sea and (I at least) tried to wrap my head around what we were about to do.

Day 1 put 170 nautical miles under our keel. For the non-cruisers out there, this is a pretty astonishing pace. We were moving 7.5-9 knots with winds off the beam for most of the ocean time (Banderas Bay was quite a bit slower). The sea state was miserable with 2m swell at 15 seconds on the beam. Olive got sick once and then declared “I’m all done being sick now.” And she was!

Zarpe diem or 6 busses for 6 Tacos

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:26:19 +0000

Today’s goal was to obtain a zarpe. For those who haven’t done this, a Zarpe is the official document that you get when you leave a country by boat. They aren’t strictly necessary, but you can be rejected from entering your next port if you don’t have one. We decided that a 2,800 miles U-turn was enough reason to jump through a few hoops.

So armed with a thousand opinions and rumors, we headed over to the Capitainia de Puerto in Puerto Vallarta. The Capitainia gave us a bit of a hard time but ended up giving us the paperwork we needed. After filling it out and giving them the correct paperwork we were directed to Immigration and Customs at the airport. The customs officer was very polite and very confused. I seems that the fact that our boat was in La Cruz created a bit of a jurisdictional problemo for our new friends. Finally one of the customs officers pointed us in the right direction.

Land Ho…me

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 06:00:13 +0000

We have been living on dirt for a week now and it’s not as totally weird as I thought it would be. Of course, I have been working on the boat every day, so it’s not like Convivia and I are estranged, but it is strange to watch the kids spread out all over this little house like gas (filling all available space). The boat was supposed to splash on Friday, but they found hundreds of blisters and they had to be dealt with. The yard has been great. Their staff have helped me through countless hardships and even lent me tools (an unheard of generosity in the realm of boatyards).

So Much Joy

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 20:38:02 +0000

Ah the pictures. I know I have gotten behind, and I apologize. This batch is less about beautiful places and more about smiling faces. This last month seems to have been overflowing with joy here on Convivia. Here are a few choice vignettes.

Big Drama in Little La Cruz

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:55:44 +0000

Someone dropped a bomb on the morning net today. We were speeding right through our regularly scheduled broadcast when the voice of Marina La Cruz came on to inform us of a policy change. “The dinghy dock” (which had hitherto for been free) “will now be $5USD/day. We will also be issuing a day pass for the cruisers in the anchorage; $20 for use of the ‘services’ [VIP lounge, showers, etc.]” The net nearly imploded. For a few minutes all you could hear were boos and clicking as every boat that was listening echoed their dissent. $5/day is easily twice the most expensive dinghy dock fee in Mexico. We cleared out of Cabo (the former champion of excessive price) in just a few days, largely because of their API and dinghy dock fees. My mind was racing. Where could we go and still provision and get work done on our boat. Are the tacos in Punta de Mita anywhere near as good?

"Admiral" of the Banderas Bay "Fleet"

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:57:22 +0000

Last week I failed to appear at a Pacific Puddle Jump planning meeting and was consequentially elected to be the “Admiral” of the Banderas Bay “Fleet.” It’s not entirely clear to me what this means so I am assuming that I am the project manager of a cat herding operation. The Pacific Puddle Jump started nearly 20 years ago as a way for pre-gps, pre-accurate-long-term-weather sailors to support each other in crossing the largest ocean in the world. Over the years technology and knowledge base have matured and become fairly ubiquitous. The upshot is that nearly anyone can spend a little time on the internet and reap the wisdom necessary to cross the ocean. In spite of this sailors up and down the Pacific coast of the Americas still flock to the PPJ meetings in search of social connection, reassurance, and more information.

Preparing to Jump

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 10:08:51 +0000

We are about a month away from setting out across the largest ocean on the planet. The list of things to do; for the boat; for the kids; for us; just gets longer but we are confident that we will be able to make the trip safely and comfortably.

This week we are working on the haul-out. We got an insanely high quote last week, and then subsequent tips from fellow cruisers gave us renewed hope that we might not have to spend a fortune for a few coats of paint and some holes in the hull. Once we figure out where and when to haul, we have to decide what we are going to do with the family. Depending on where we haul out we may be able to live on Convivia, but do we want to? Living on a boat “on the hard” means no grey water, no potty, and a 15’ drop if anything or anyone falls off the deck. It most likely means a lot of eating out. Right now I am leaning towards a cheap apartment or hotel for the week that Convivia is out of the water.

The things we do in Mexico

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:36:44 +0000

When we left California we knew that we’d have to lower our standards in certain ways. We left our carseats behind, sold our bike helmets, and stepped out of Whole Foods.

We got to Mexico and ate ceviche, with salsa, from a street side vendor. When we order water at a restaurant we don’t worry if it comes from a bottle or a glass.

We’ve accepted rides in cars without carseats. We’ve taken rides in taxis without seat belts. We once waited for a bus so long we got in a delivery truck in the front seat, with no seat belts, with a stranger.

Falling Apart in Paradise

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:14:57 +0000

We are in our final port of the Mexican leg of our great adventure. The boat is falling apart around us*: port lights leak in the rain; blown gasket on the water heater causing fresh water to hemorrhage when we turn certain faucets on; little sun for power; water maker broken; and we are temporarily out of money. Note: I did not catalog any of the things I have fixed recently.

Another Chapter in the "Why Love Mexico" Series

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 06:00:06 +0000

I know, I’m a broken record, but I feel I underestimated Mexico and want to shout its praises for all who, like me, didn’t know what they were missing. I know I’m not that first to blog about this, we aren’t even the first to get video, but still this is special.

I took this footage after a long, stressful and slightly anti-climatic day. Afterwards I felt renewed, and ready to rock some bureaucracy. I can’t say public transportation in the USA ever gave me that much!

Goodbyes & Circles

Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:00:42 +0000

Today we said goodbye to a family that we have been traveling with since Mazatlan. In the cruising world this is called buddy boating. That term really falls short of the mark though. When you cruise intentionally like this with another boat, especially one with kids the same age as yours, your lives get subtly interwoven. You tend to eat together daily, errands and activities sync up and within a few weeks you feel almost as at home on their boat as on your own.

Just Around The Corner

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:00:07 +0000

We’re in Manzanillo, anchored outside of Las Hadas resort and we’re on the verge of a transition. Our friends that are heading to El Salvador and Panama are heading south while we turn around and return to La Cruz in Banderas Bay. Manzanillo is where we make the choice not to head to Panama, or El Salvador, or Columbia, or Costa Rica, or the Galapagos or even to Zihuatanejo, because it’s too far to just turn around. Boats are now making their plans to head south, or head into the Sea of Cortez, or like us, to sail across the biggest ocean on the planet.

Photos: Chamela & Barra de Navidad

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:00:41 +0000

Chamela

For some reason I didn’t take as many pictures as usual, but I did manage to capture the flavor of these two stops, with just a handful of good exposures. Chamela is an unassuming, quiet harbor frequented (it seems) more by Mexican tourists and RVrs than by cruisers and foreign tourists. I loved the chill, laid back beach scene and Ruby worked up the nerve to ask a spanish speaking girl to play. Once she got over the initial static barrier of communication, they played for an hour or so in the surf and on the beach, while Vick and I enjoyed a great grilled snapper. Perhaps we will get another chance to enjoy this harbor on our way back to La Cruz.

Burn Out

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:57:23 +0000

I’m going to risk sounding slightly ungrateful or whiney—though perhaps other long term travelers will understand—in an attempt to bring some resolution to the way I am feeling today. I woke up this morning to this view:
(note, I took this with the iPad, just now. No extra care was taken, it looks more beautiful in real life).

It’s gorgeous right? I mean, more gorgeous than usual. Yet somehow my reaction to it was meh-ish. Vick thinks this might be the most stunning place we have been so far, but I am more interested in a nap and maybe a few days of book reading than going for a hike or zip line.

FAQ: Cashing Out

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:00:47 +0000

Tonight I received an awesome email from a reader. She was wondering how we came to the decision to cash out a portion of our retirement to make this dream possible, and what struggles we had to overcome before feeling comfortable with the choice. I responded to her privately but then realized that I have been dancing around this in other posts. Rather than try to rephrase what I said, I’m going to post my reply in full, right here; with one caveat that I repeat in the body. This is a serious decision with serious consequences. In this email I was preaching to the converted, but our path is not the best for everyone. Also, to protect my dad’s honor and reputation I should add that while he is incredibly supportive of us and our dream, I don’t believe he would recommend this course of action if I asked him directly. This blog post is for entertainment purposes only.

Yelapa Yeah

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:55 +0000

I am playing catch up now. After so many “best ever” posts I had to think of something original or risk sounding like a broken record. Thankfully I found some free space on my hard drive tonight so I can grace you with some visual evidence of one particularly breathtaking harbor.

Yelapa is a jewel of a pueblo. Tucked in among the mountains, it is only accessible by boat, or trail. There are no roads and the biggest powered vehicle is an ATV. If that isn’t enough to recommend the place, it is also community owned. Nobody in town owns any property, and you can feel it in the vibe.

101 Days of Cruising

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:00:23 +0000

We just sailed through our one hundred and first day. In this time we have begun to set the routines, behaviors, and mentalities that will be the foundations of our cruising lifestyle. After 101 days I can say with confidence that, while I haven’t experienced everything (who has) I am most definitely a cruiser, and I know that this life choice was the right one.

As with any milestone (and this one is arguably more arbitrary than most), I thought I would take a moment to publicly reflect on what life looks like at 101. So here, in no particular order, are some thoughts:

Anatomy of a Passage

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 06:00:52 +0000

We just sailed from Yelapa, which must be blogged with photos, to Bahia Chamela, about 90 miles south. Ninety miles requires an overnight passage for us, which it turns out, we all love. The winds and seas in Mexico have made for very easy and comfortable sailing (and unfortunately a bit of motoring when the winds die completely). We left our anchorage at noon so that our arrival would be during daylight. The boat was ship shape, the heads cleaned, the floors swept, every last thing put away, and even fresh baked bread before we left. Maybe passage making is so wonderful for me because all the chores are done first!

10 Reasons It Will Be Hard to Leave La Cruz

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:00:43 +0000

We have now visited and reported on so many beautiful anchorages and towns that I’m feeling a little sheepish about declaring the new best place. So rather than declare La Cruz “the most awesomest pueblo en Mexico,” I’m going to provide some qualifications. Since we are planing to leave here tomorrow I have taken a moment to reflect on some of the things I’ll miss until we return. In no particular order:

The things we do now that surprise me

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:03:00 +0000

put our kids in cars without five point harness carseats

heck, we put our kids in cars without seatbelts

um, we even put our kids in cars without carseats, or seatbelts, or doors

(usually we ride the bus)

feed our kids foods without heavily scrutinized ingredient lists

did we really let them eat peppermint candy with red food color?

This is a picture of all of the refrigerated food in the biggest natural foods market we have found:

Cha-cha-Chacala

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:55:34 +0000

Oh man. We had such an awesome time in Chacala. We sailed straight from Mantanchen Bay in pretty light and variable winds but the day was beautiful and we were all excited to see what was next. Chacala had been recommended by more cruisers and friends than pretty much any other harbor, so the bar was set pretty high. Truth be told, I was expecting a let down but that never materialized. From the moment we sailed around the point I was smitten.

San Blas

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:48 +0000

We were hesitant to go to San Blas. We’ve been warned about crazy Norm Goldie on s/v Jama. We’ve heard about dingy and surfboard thefts. We’ve heard about the terrible Jejenes (no see ums). Ultimately our decision to visit San Blas was made when we discovered that we needed a boat part and it was the closest port. We had an easy daysail from Isla Isabella and anchored before nightfall in Ensenada de Mantenchen (sometimes written as Matenchen). Our Mexico travel has been on the Baja and then in the city of Mazatlan, then a short trip out to a remote island, and this was the first place that really felt tropical. The bay is large and the land around it is low and surrounded by palm trees, the hills behind are amazingly green with a few obvious plantations, perhaps coffee, coconut and banana.

Mas de Mazatlan

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 06:00:08 +0000

When you ask a dozen cruisers about Mazatlan (as a potential stop) the resounding sentiment is “skip it.” I wanted to write a quick post to add some weight to the countervailing position. Mazatlan is a great city to visit, especially if you are following the common pattern of Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Mainland.

After a solid month of desert landscape and beach towns, the bustle and unique character of Mazatlan was a welcome change. If I were to equate my two favorite Mexican cities (so far) with their familiar counterparts, I would say that La Paz reminded me of Santa Cruz and Mazatlan reminded me of Barcelona. For sure it has it’s grime, and apparently it has it’s crime (though we didn’t see or hear of any directly) but it also has character, a proud congenial populace, and some really great sights.

FAQ #4: Packed In Like Sardines

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:00:44 +0000

Q: What are some of the best things about traveling in close quarters with your family?

A: I get this question phrased in many ways. The most generous and upbeat of which is reflected above in a question from my friend Penny. Other, less positive variations include “Don’t you ever just want to get away.” or “You are so brave” or “I bet you want to throw them overboard sometimes.”

FAQ #3: Night Watches

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:00:24 +0000

Q: How about pulling watch all alone with the family below… How is Victoria handling the watches… how long are you on deck for at night? Are you clipping in? How are you staying awake? What was the sea state like?

A: My first overnight passage was from Monterrey to Morro Bay California, early on in our trip. By morning I [Victoria] was so entirely exhausted that after dropping the anchor over the bow I just lay down to take a nap right there on the foredeck. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open enough to get back to the cockpit to sleep never mind peeling off my 14 layers of warm clothes to crawl into bed.

FAQ #2: Stuff We Don't Need

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 06:00:01 +0000

Q: Name something you packed and so far you find you really just don’t need.

A: Thankfully, we really don’t have much of this category. We have gone through some clothes, worn through some shoes, and jettisoned a down comforter, but there was a time when they were needed on this trip.

There are several things that I don’t need yet (spares galore, Christmas cookie cutters, secret chocolate stash) but their time will come. Then there are things that I hope to never need, 153% genoa, the life raft, and EPIRB. And then there’s that blow up shark Olive won for being the youngest kid on the HaHa. Technically we didn’t bring that, but we didn’t ditch it either. Vive El Tiburon!

La Paz to Mazatlan in Photos

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 20:41:20 +0000

100ish Reasons I Love Mexico

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 08:49:55 +0000

I love this country. I love the chaotic efficiency that I’ve observed in everything from a marina checkins to hopping off a bus (they don’t quite stop to let you off). Speaking of busses, I love that they are all different. Today I saw one with a spoiler (after market on this model of Mercedes bus, I’m fairly certain) and a Hot Wheels® decal. Tonight’s bus was blaring tradtional mexican music alternating with hip hop.

Giving Thanks

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:11:31 +0000

The Crew of Convivia has so much to be thankful for. Amongst those:

Our health
Enough wealth that we can afford to be together all the time
Enough love, patience, wisdom that we would want to be together all the time
The realization of a lifelong dream
This wonderful floating home
The support and love of our families and friends
A wonderful, diverse, and supportive cruising community (both near and far)
Thanksgiving in a climate that demands we wear swimwear to dinner

Reflecting on the overwhelming bounty of our life is a daily, or at least weekly occurrence lately, but on this day I observe our good fortune in the context of 36 previous days of Thanksgiving. I have never, on this day, felt anything less than a heart full of gratitude. If a heart full is the yardstick by which such things are measured though, I must surely have grown another heart this year.

Los Fralies to La Paz… in Photos

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:56:44 +0000

Okay here is another installment of …in Photos. I may have to add some to this gallery, so feel free to check back in a few days.

Convivia Coffee is Born!

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:44:23 +0000

For the last year or so Victoria and I have been harboring a secret desire. We hoped to combine our love of coffee and our new nomadic lifestyle and create from the union a more perfect coffee. Over the last week that dream has slowly become a reality, but it has been a long and trouble fraught journey.

The project really took form when I discovered that there was a guy, in Georgia, making a small (4 lb) coffee roasting drum out of 304 stainless steel that was designed to fit into a backyard bbq. I started fantasizing about custom ordering one for my little SeaBQ, but got a little overwhelmed by the details.

La Paused

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 15:05:36 +0000

A few days ago I wrote the following on my Facebook wall:

I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out why people get “stuck” in La Paz for decades. They come here to get a few small boat projects done. Then they decide to stop into Club Crucero for morning coffee. 10 years later they get their first errand done. Not that I’m complaining, I’ve just never EVER seen a social scene so vibrant… EVER.

¡OMG That's a Lot of Photos!

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:30:39 +0000

Okay, it’s been a long time since I had enough bandwidth to upload photos. Now I have this Telcel data plan and I’m going to put it through it’s paces. So here it is folks, all of the pictures from San Diego through Puerto Los Cabos… after the break

Sorry for all of the duplicate subject matter. I got a little lazy towards the end.

Ensenada de Los Muertos

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:34:00 +0000

..is poorly named. We arrived here last night in a near gale. The wind and waves were all coming from the one direction in which this precious little harbor is unprotected. We set to making the most basic dinner (tater tots and bowls o’ soup) in gut churning swell, Vick and I alternating in and out of the galley as the other got too nauseous to continue.

By the time dinner was ready I had put together our exit strategy. We would nap for a few hours and then run before the weather all the way up to La Paz. We hoped to arrive at the Canal San Lorenzo in time for the flood tide to carry us through. We ate dinner and hastily got the kids into their berths for bed. We ship shaped and got ready to nap and just as I was dozing off, the swell abated and wind died. As my eyelids finally collapsed under the weight of the day’s exertions I said “We’ll stay tonight.”

Tropical Night Watches

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:24:16 +0000

this post was written on our passage to Cabo San Lucas

Night watches are a fact of life for passage makers. It is the subject of many forum posts, articles, and dockside conversations.

I have loved every night watch that I have stood, be they starry and clear or foggy and tense. On one hairy night I had my spinnaker wrap around my forestay like a giant hourglass. There was one night (coming into Isla San Miguel) where visibility wss reduced to 1/4 mile or less and I had a white knuckle grip on the dodger for 3 hours. But there have also been countless nights where the stars fill the sky so impossibly full that I feel like a child again, looking at a universe full or wonder and possibilities. I have had nocturnal visitations from unidentified marine mammals, seen my wake lit up by bioluminescence, and seen a dozen breathtaking moonsets.

Losing Track

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:07:39 +0000

A month ago my life was punctuated by weekends, days, hours, minutes, seconds. I vaguely recall leaving my office at 2 minutes to the hour to be on time for a meeting at 10am. I certainly remember wishing for the weekend or for 5:00.

Lately I have been unable to site the day of the week. Weekends are entirely irrelevant and if I am a day late to a meeting (yes I still have them) I figure I’m close enough.

We Made It to "South"

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:14:00 +0000

Our trip so far has been lived under a slight but constant disappointment. We have eagerly been anticipating something that felt southish. This feeling isn’t just about temperature, nor is it about turquoise water. There is a certain something that makes a locale feel southish, and we just hadn’t gotten there yet… until today.

Today we arrived in Bahia de Santa Maria. This subtropical harbor is located at latitude 24 46’. It’s 80 in the cabin and the water is 77. When we arrived and checked that statistic we all simultaneously decided to go for a swim. Mine was particularly satisfying after a night in full foul weather gear and a day sweating at winches and halyards. While I was in I decided to dive the keel and was pleased to find that I a) could do it, and b) that my little grounding in Morro bay hadn’t caused any real damage (just a little paint scratch).

A Mexico-Addendum

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:12:00 +0000

I forgot to mention the amazing things we have seen so far. On our way across the Mexican border we were greeted by the largest pod of dolphins I have ever heard of. There must have been 100 of them, all leaping and playing around the HaHa boats. It seemed as though they must have organized a rally of their own, as if to prove that the ocean was still theirs.

¡A Mexico!

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:04:00 +0000

The Baja HaHa is officially underway and so, once again, are we. It felt so good to leave the dock at Cabrillio Isle Marina. The marina was fine and San Diego’s services were welcomed, but I seem to have a deeply ingrained need to sail and every day at the dock was chafing against that directive.

Now we are South of the border (30°44.41’N 116°36.75’W) sailing at 7 knots with the wind behind us. The sun is out and it’s finally feeling like “south.” The kids, as always with passages, have settled into their routines and have been mostly joyful. They are looking forward to catching fish and reaching the beach party in Bahia de Tortugas. If conditions maintain we should be there in about 30 hours.

Catalina Harbor to San Diego: Photos

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:59:44 +0000

Where I Need to Be

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:19:32 +0000

Other than Tucker not going to work it seems like our day to day routines are really normal. Tucker wakes up early with the kids and makes me coffee before he gives me my wake up call. We make a breakfast or two and get dressed for the day. We go about our day doing boat projects or walk to a grocery store, or look for a place to do laundry. The kids play, read, do workbooks, make crafty projects, make messes, play games and video games, go for walks, find parks, climb trees, go to the beach, and visit with friends. All of our meals are at home or packed up as picnics. The pace is really perfect. Ruby has time to sew with my help; to concentrate on her cursive handwriting; or to sit in between Olive and I and give us very specific and serious lessons so that we can become competent Angry Birds players. Olive looks for jobs and fixing projects whenever he can. Today he very seriously threaded buttons onto embroidery thread (really a distraction so I could work with Ruby on her project) and made several strands as gifts for all of us.

Culyer's Bay to Ventura in Photos

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 18:13:03 +0000

Cuyler's Bay

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:49:00 +0000

Wow, what a day, woke to a beautiful island vista (San Miguel). Winds finally died enough to put the dingy together and head ashore. Had a nice play on the dunes and then decided to head back. Dingy nearly flipped trying to get over the breakers, then I got soaked taxing to pick up the kids. Later, on Convivia, gusts reached 35 knots and the swell picked up. We are now pretty sure that we’ll ditch our Channel Island plans and head for Ventura, just in case the local wisdom (High winds on I5 = Santa Anna winds on the water) is true. We should be able to post more from there (with pictures too)!

Rounding Point Conception

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:18:00 +0000

As I sped down the front of another steep swell, propelled by near gale force winds, in a fog so thick it dripped, I was visited by an old fear. It was not a fear of death, though some may have felt that. My fear was one of smallness, of cosmic insignificance.

On a boat that is arguably ballasted with technology, I found myself dwarfed, humbled, by the milk water fog. With less than a quarter mile visibility at times, I was on constant vigil. All of our technology was not enough to see through the wall of white to the possible hazards beyond. For a moment I wished that we had radar (the one category of tech that we don’t have) and then a timid voice inside suggested that maybe my desire to conquer my fear through technology might not be all that dissimilar from, say, our culture’s desire to buy happiness. Perhaps, the voice pressed, there is no end to this compulsion to dominate nature, and perhaps there is also no end to nature’s dominion over us. Perhaps, and I’m going out on a limb here, we are insignificant in the cosmic scheme of things, and even our grandest achievements will only be noticed by us humans, and only for a small flash of time.

Ship's Log: First Overnight; Monterey to Morro Bay

Sat, 08 Oct 2011 18:05:38 +0000

Standing here, at the refrigerator/nav station/electronics table, and reflecting on our first overnight passage, what strikes me most was how noisy it was. Not up top (in the cockpit) but down below. We started the day with a strong WNW breeze which soon turned into 15-20 knts of NW. This was perfect for our southbound passage and if it had not been for that square swell, we would have been in total heaven. As it was the boat handled admirably and we sailed most of the late afternoon and evening on just the genoa. By 1 am the wind had completely died and we had to turn on the engine.

Thank You!

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:57:59 +0000

They say no man is an island and as we embark on this adventure—replete with our water maker, mini solar farm, new high tech rigging, etc—I feel it is appropriate to acknowledge and give thanks to all the people who helped us get here.

As a knowledge worker, my ability to fund this trip came from an excellent education. The formal education I received was one of the best in the world, but my parents, aunts and uncles, and grandparents all contributed to developing my intense curiosity, troubleshooting skills, and general competencies. Without these skills, and the reassurance that I could do anything that I set my mind to, I would never have been able to contemplate such an outrageous undertaking.

Days -1 through 1

Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:51:31 +0000

In lieu of a real post I present this photo montage of our last 3 days.

Day 0

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:19:38 +0000

We did it! I can’t describe the ellation I feel right now as we bob around at anchor in Horseshoe Cove. We set the anchor around 4pm. With the sails already tended to, the only thing to do was flip up the solar panels and tidy up the lines. Then we all retreated to the cabin for coffee and UNO.

We expect to get an early start to Half Moon Bay tomorrow, and then (weather permitting) continue on to Monterrey Bay on Sunday. Our original plan to go to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass this weekend was scrapped in favor of making some southbound miles before bad weather fills in early next week.

Boys Don't Cry

Sun, 25 Sep 2011 23:02:36 +0000

They came—finally—on the approach to the Bay Bridge. The saline evidence of a soul deep sadness that I have suppressed and longed for all week. This has been a week of goodbyes. A week of goodbyes, following another week of goodbyes on the East Coast.

As my colleague and compadre of 12 years bade me an emotional goodbye on Friday, I felt my tears well up and then, mysteriously, they were squelched. I felt robbed. This week has been filled with replayings of that vignette; with a friend I’ve known almost as long as I’ve lived in California, to those who’s child I’ve seen birthed. Each time the tragedy of having to move away from these relationships that we have nurtured in order to pursue a life long dream, filled me to bursting. And yet, tears eluded me.

Final Countdown: 4 Days

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 22:32:15 +0000

With just 4 work days between me and the life I have dreamed about, things are getting a bit hectic. We’ve been frantically dealing with last minute details like: shredding 25 hard drives and 26 backup tapes; buying a watermaker, swim ladder, coffee roasting drum; fleshing out the amazing first aid kit that Vick’s mom made with prescriptions etc; trying to cram in as much time with friends as we possibly can; etc. We are in a strange state of limbo that leaves us feeling neither excited nor particularly stressed. It’s hard to be too stressed when you are counting down to a dream life, and it’s hard to be excited when you have so much to do. Instead I find myself looking ahead and feeling brief moments of exhilaration which I quickly squelch so that I can stay focused. It’s like dreaming about someone else’s life.

Maine Vacation 2011 in Photos

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:50:41 +0000

This photo roundup covers the going away party and a few other highlights. Enjoy

…Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 11:22:42 +0000

There is just nothing like a small New England Town. I am sitting in a coffee shop in Damariscotta Maine. This particular coffee shop is attached to a book store. The book store, though relocated, is the same one that got me hooked on reading as a kid. The first memory I have of reading is a summer memory. It was June or July and we were staying at my grandparents’ cottage. I tore through the ancient Hardy Boys anthology that seemed to have been read by generations of Bradford boys. When I got through with the last one a peculiar melancholy overtook me. My mother, wise parent that she is, took me into town to the Maine Coast Bookstore and introduced me to Ewan Walker, the owner. He asked me a few questions and started to recommend books.

Messing About In Boats

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 06:53:19 +0000

There is a distinct playful, childlike pleasure to be found in sailing a small boat. Sailing a bigger boat is blissful, calming, empowering, but it requires serious prep, planning, and attention too.

When Olive woke up on Monday morning and exclaimed “Today looks like a GREAT day for sailing,” I immediately petitioned the Interwebs for local friends with boats. You can imagine my elation when, a few hours later, a Facebook friend (Diana Roberts) offered up Liliana, a Herreshoff 12.5 (aka, Buzzard’s Bay Girls Boat) for our pleasure.

Family Time in Maine

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:11:21 +0000

Our summer visits home to Midcoast Maine have always been transformative and inspiring. Slowing our pace and enjoying time together as a family reminds us how life is meant to be and helps us to refocus our energy on things that matter most to us. This trip, as short as it is, has been no different. Already we have been talking about possible change of itinerary, and certainly thinking of as many ways to return to this idyllic spot as we can. The future is as uncertain as ever, but being here reminds us to be mindful of the present.

Countdown: 35 Days

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:35:38 +0000

Vick and the kids are heading to New England this weekend to start saying goodbye to all of our East Coast friends and family. I’ll follow a week later and spend a week and a half there before we all return to Convivia to start the 3 week countdown to casting off. At this point I’m suspended in this twilight zone between the elation that this new life brings, and the stress of leaving behind so much that we’ve built (in our communities, in our relationships, and at work) and the stress of what we still must do to get off the dock.

~this moment~

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:41:28 +0000

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - via soulemama.

Goodnight ManVan (in memoriam)

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 21:50:12 +0000

ManVan, I salute you. You drove a ton of boat stuff down from Washington, saving us hundreds on U-Haul. Then you helped us move from Mountain View to Emery Cove. You were there for shuttling stuff back and forth to the marina, and you’ve served us faithfully all these months as our nearby no-cost storage unit. When you wouldn’t start for me last weekend, I understood. You’ve been neglected, your fuel had been left too long, your headlights were probably left on by young, curious fingers.

Where are you going?

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 21:50:02 +0000

There is a time for departure even when there’s no certain place to go. Tennessee Williams

It’s getting pretty obvious that Convivia is going somewhere. We’ve added a big anchor, a new Quickcover for our main, a life raft, a Monitor Windvane, and most recently four solar panels. People are now asking us where we’re going. The funny thing is we’ve had this plan to “go out the Gate and turn left” for a decade. We’ve been pretty sure for nearly as many years that we’d head south for the Baja Ha-Ha whenever it was that we went. And that’s all we have actually planned.

Convivia: Powered by the Sun

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:56:26 +0000

Self sufficiency is one of the most glamorous (to us) features of boat life. We look forward to the day that we can travel the world under wind power, take our food and water from the abundance of the ocean (well the water anyway, the fish will be a bonus) and draw our electrical power from the sun. As we prepare for our trip each thing that we have purchased and installed that helps the boat to sail better and safer has received a little emotional boost from the incidental fulfillment of the self-sufficiency goal.

Victoria's 35th Birthday: Day Date

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 22:35:38 +0000

Our friend Merileigh gave me a “day date” last month for my birthday. We had a little trouble finding a weekend that was open, but it turned out that Victoria’s birthday worked for everyone. We dropped Merileigh and the kids off at the California Academy of Science around noon and then drove to the Ferry Building to kick off our date. We ate a wonderful lunch at the Slanted Door and then grabbed coffee at Blue Bottle before heading around to our favorite shops for treats.

Ten Years Ago Today—Launching The Dream

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 23:27:10 +0000

Ten years ago, with just my passport and a carry on, I hopped on a plane from San Francisco to St. Thomas, USVI. Tucker had arranged a flight and a ten day bareboat charter in the Caribbean. What an amazing way to spend my 25th birthday! We sailed out of Red Hook Bay, St. Thomas over to St. John, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, back to St. John, and returned to St. Thomas at the end of our ten days.

Manually Adding GRIBs to iNavX

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:36:53 +0000

iNavX is (as I’ve previously mentioned) a terrific product. It’s one greatest shortcoming is it’s inability to import grib files when the iPad is not directly connected to the internet. Since this is going to be our primary electronic navigation device, I needed to remedy that before we left. Luckily, the solution is neither painful, nor overly technical (one in the same?). It does require jailbreaking your iPad though, so if you have trouble breaking the rules, you had better stop reading here.

Parents Have HOT SEX Too

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:41:36 +0000

Mom, you might want to give this one a skip…

Erica Jong does not speak for us. She doesn’t speak for many of the families I know, and those parents that she does speak of may want to distance themselves from her vitriolic rhetoric. That said, this post is not a critique (per se) of her “Is Sex Passé” article. What I hope it will be is a wake-up call to our generation. Erica Jong was reflecting a secretly but widely held belief that many of my peers either struggle against, or become oppressed by; that sex after marriage, and more specifically sex after kids, is bound to be less steamy, less intense, less fulfilling, and less adventurous.

DIY Navigation System of the Gods!

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:42:19 +0000

Convivia is one heck of a sailing boat. I love her dearly, but she is sadly lacking in two areas (no binnacle, no nav station) that made my navigation/chart plotter system decision somewhat harder than the typical, 1. Buy Raymarine, 2. Install Raymarine, 3. Enjoy Raymarine, process. Add to that the fact that I am a dyed in the wool hacker with a natural distrust of the closed and proprietary, and you have a recipe for innovation.

A Night At the Sharks Bight

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 21:43:44 +0000

This weekend was the official opening of the Sharks Bight Yacht Club, a hyper-exclusive yacht club in Brickyard Cove. Chris & Kim (the Commodores) invited the crew of Convivia to be the inaugural guests. Chris met us in Emeryville at the appointed time (1430) but due to a project that was running long (a new alternator), we didn’t quite keep our schedule. Chris was totally laid back and even called in the big guns (Chuck of s/v Chester P) when it looked like we might need a second opinion. Luckily it turned out to be a small misunderstanding regarding a three position switch, and we were off the dock by 1600.

Nautical Craftiness aboard Convivia

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 19:50:13 +0000

Years ago I stenciled a sailboat and an anchor onto shirts for Ruby and Olive. I wanted to make updated shirts for them one day so I ended up moving onto the boat with a stamp carving kit and some fabric paint. I planned to carve an anchor onto my stamp so that I could print onto fabric and notecards over and over again. A sailor friend of mine was expecting a little girl and so the inspiration and count down began.

Ship's Log: 4th of July Weekend, 2011

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 22:50:27 +0000

I’ve found, time and again, that no plan is the best plan. This weekend was a perfect proof of that theory. On Friday night we still didn’t know where we were going. Would we go back to our old tried and true anchorage (Horseshoe Cove) or brave the sail-in-sail-out anchorage at Aquatic Park? Would we prioritize getting a good view of the fireworks, shoreside activities, or visiting with friends? As it turns out, we managed all three.

Aeropress Disk: Improving An Already Great Tool

Sat, 02 Jul 2011 08:56:20 +0000

I love my Aeropress. If I could work two at once I would buy a second one. It makes great coffee, and it cleans up easily (read: less water). Consequentially, I had already elected to bring it along on our trip as our primary brewing device. I had resigned myself to it’s one shortcoming, the consumable filters, and had decided to get dozens of packs (300 filters/pack) as soon as I used up my first one.

Countdown: 90 Days

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:55:29 +0000

Today marks three months until departure. Or at least until the earliest possible departure. We’ve got 97 items on the list, so while we are still fighting a deficit (if one item = one day), at least we aren’t loosing much ground. This is a work weekend, so I hope to cross off a few big items. Wish me luck!

It Is In All Of Us

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:46:20 +0000

More than a year ago, when we had bought the boat but hadn’t moved aboard yet I found this print while reading Kind Over Matter.

It says, “it is in all of us to defy expectations to go into the world and to be brave; and to want, to need, to hunger for adventures; to embrace change and chance and risk so that we may breathe and know what it is to be free.” I knew with certainty that we were on the right life path—about to live on our boat while we got ready to travel the world—but I took her message as a huge encouragement. Her prints and her original works are listed on her etsy store and I’ve gone back many times to look and wished that I had a wall for a print. Last week I decided to order an 8x10 print even if I was only going to tape it up on the hanging locker door.

My not-so-little girl

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:21:31 +0000

I remember when I was young my mother would say things like, “you’ll always be my baby boy,” and, “I wish I could put a brick on your head so you would stay little forever.” Now I’m a parent and my little baby has grown into a big girl. I feel my mother’s words coming to my lips and they almost spill out. Then I look at Ruby and realize that I wouldn’t hold on if I could. She’s growing, and I often feel like I’m not paying close enough attention; feel like I’m missing too many of the precious moments of her life, too many of the new facial expressions, thoughts, worries; feel like too soon she’ll be 14 then 21 and off on her own adventures.

Shine Bright!

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 22:46:49 +0000

New parents, new lovers, newly converted, people discovering a great new ashram, sport, hobby, or any other infatuation. We all share a common stigma. Most people want us to just shut up already. There is something about falling in love that puts a shine so bright on us that makes some people just want to turn us off.

What kind of trips me out about this phenomenon is that it is socially accepted that shining too brightly is annoying (at best). Like new parents who just can’t stop talking about their beautiful perfect babies are somehow rubbing the rest of our noses in it. I was that guy (okay, I’m always that guy). I couldn’t stop talking about my kids. Even now, I have to remind myself mid-emote, that the general contractor of our new headquarters really doesn’t care, he was just being polite.

Ship's Log: June 13th—Monitor®/QuickCover® Test Sail

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:07:45 +0000

Convivia was ship shape and ready to sail by the time my work day ended. We decided in the morning that today would be the day that we tested out the North Sails QuickCover (similar to a StackPack) and Monitor windvane. I was a little worried about the monitor because I had to guess on where to attach the control sheets and I hadn’t had time to read the instructions on how one actually sails with the thing. I was worried about the QuickCover because I have heard all sorts of complaints about the sail getting caught and other related issues.

Countdown: 99 Days To Go

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 08:47:03 +0000

We just passed the 100 day mark. On the upside, the anticipation of this 90º course change in our life has all of us sparkling. The recent addition of two Blue Latitudes cruiser’s guides to our library has us ooohing and ahhing over lovely color photos of turquoise bays and vibrant seaside towns. I’ve also become enamored with the laid back, islandy sound of my ukulele, often playing it all evening instead of knocking items off my todo list.

Countdown: Week 15 Dyneema®

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:02:45 +0000

This was a pretty productive weekend. I had hoped to get started on the Monitor install but instead got all of the New England Ropes (Dyneema) halyards run as well as one of the genoa sheets. I had a very simple method planned for swapping out the old halyards. I was going to tape the old halyard to the 5mm Dyneema®, run it back up the mast, over the sheave and down. Then I thought I would just tape the new halyard on and run it back up. I tried it Friday night and it worked great until the new halyard got back up to the sheave. Apparently the tight turn was too much for the tape and the halyard and 5mm fell back down.

New England Ropes/Dyneema Line Has Arrived

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:34:56 +0000

Today I got home to find several large boxes waiting for me. Okay, true, I did have to walk 1/4 mile up to the marina office to pick them up, and I did have to call Ed (the security guard/awesome guy) to let me into said office and then wheel those large boxes back to the boat; artistic license.

In said boxes were:

a) A Ukulele. Which I have been wanting for a long time but didn’t quite get over the hump until Merileigh (our boat neighbor) got one.

Ship's Log: Memorial Day Weekend @ Horseshoe Cove

Mon, 30 May 2011 21:39:45 +0000

Convivia and crew spent the long weekend spinning around our anchor (very slowly) in Horseshoe Cove (a.k.a Sausalito’s Presidio, a.k.a Fort Baker). The anchorage was every bit as enjoyable as our last visit, and more so since they removed the flotsam collection from the mooring ball.

When we arrived (around 1400 on Saturday) there were two other boats on anchor. Both the ~35’ trimaran and the ~48’ trawler had a lot less draft, and were closer into shore than I would have been comfortable with. The upshot was that Convivia dropped anchor almost exactly where she did last time (if the GPS waypoint can be trusted). We didn’t get off the boat at all on Saturday. Once we had settled the boat, covered the sails, and tidied up, we settled in for afternoon coffee (and lemonade). A few hours later (and in the pouring down rain) I turned on the grill for some awesome BBQ chicken. The kids fell to sleep quickly and early and Vick and made tea and read until the damp cold drove us into our berth.

Dyneema® Experience — Line Shipping Today

Tue, 24 May 2011 07:57:31 +0000

I just got a note from Kevin at New England Ropes. Our Dyneema® line will ship from the West Marine rig shop today. With any luck they will arrive before the end of the week. I should be able to get at least the sheets installed before the long weekend. If so we’ll be able to test our new vang and some beautiful new line on our long weekend cruise. That will take some of the sting out of not getting the Monitor installed.

Farewell to NBOG

Mon, 23 May 2011 15:26:57 +0000

This weekend we attended our last NBOG event. NBOG or Nature Based Ongoing Group, is a small community of home-schoolers and their families who strive to teach their children awareness and respect for the interdependence and interconnection of all life. In addition to being a wonderful community for Ruby NBOG has provided us with an amazing group of likeminded parents. Saying goodbye was much harder than any of us expected.

Installation Blitz Begins

Sat, 14 May 2011 21:48:45 +0000

The Garhauer Rigid Boom Vang arrived today. This is the first major system install since the windlass and it marks the beginning of a series of complex installs that will last until we shove off. I didn’t really think it would be all that difficult when I ordered it at the boat show. “Just drill a few holes, tap them, and bolt it on,” I thought. But when I started lining it up I realized I would need to dust off some of that trig that I had forgotten 15+ years ago. A few well written blog posts later I’m feeling much better about the install. I’ll try round two tomorrow (and document it if you’re lucky).

Who Wants My Sh…tuff?

Mon, 09 May 2011 22:59:11 +0000

For the last week or so I’ve been in a terminal velocity free fall of stress. Yes it’s cruising related but probably not what you would think. The stress derives from the notion that I don’t want to own anything (after we drop the dock lines) that we can’t fit in the ManVan or on our boat. I don’t want a storage unit, or a bunch of stuff squirreled away in friends/family’s houses and I don’t want to save anything that I don’t love and expect to dream about regularly while we’re cruising. In fact I want the few possessions that we hold on to to be so significant that I actually consider swallowing the hook in order to be able to use them again. I don’t want to hold on to any sh…tuff.

Heading Home

Sat, 07 May 2011 07:57:46 +0000

Last week we had an unpleasant situation with a guy moving in next door to us. He claimed that he was going to be our new liveaboard neighbor. We would have been distressed if that had been the extent of it, but by the end of the day he had become quite unstable and we were forced to move as far away as possible. (If you are FB friends with me you can read the whole freaky story here.)

Easter Sunday in Photos

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 22:19:51 +0000

This low grade cold is demanding I go to bed, but I wanted to get at least some account of our Easter experience up before the day was over.

Ship's Log: Angel Island with the Richardson/Shamels

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 21:48:41 +0000

My best friend from elementary school (Ransom) and his family came out this Saturday for a sail. We planned this months ago, and as we seem to hold little sway with the weather gods, had to take what was offered on that front. When they arrived it was slightly overcast and the tide was negative. We wasted no time getting the boat ready to leave though, and made it off the dock in what seemed like record time.

~this moment~

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 07:36:25 +0000

A Friday ritual. A single photo capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - via soulemama

Dyneema® Update

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 11:21:40 +0000

I met Kevin Coughlin of New England Ropes (NER) this weekend. New England Ropes is the vendor that will be providing the finished Dyneema® product, and Kevin has been awesome so far at liaising between us and the contest organizers.

I finalized our inventory (who would have guessed what a project that would be) and sent it off with some additional questions. From NER the Dyneema® spools will be sent to West Marine in ~~Connecticut~~ Newport, RI for splicing and then out to us to install on Convivia. He expects it to be here in 3ish weeks.

Boat Show — Day 2

Sun, 17 Apr 2011 21:55:17 +0000

What an exhausting, fulfilling, and significant weekend. We purchased all of our major safety systems this weekend, and deferred the water maker for another day. We got the kids to sit for at least 20 minutes of Zac Sunderland’s talk and Ruby even admitted that she wanted to hear more (but just couldn’t sit still). We saw 2 boats (a Lagoon 400, and a Morris 36) and completely lucked into getting a free, two hour ride (with marine biology mini-class) sail on the 82’ steel schooner Seaward.

Boat Show — Day One

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:51:09 +0000

So much fun at the show today. Merileigh took care of the kids (awesome!) while we went on our annual date. We picked up our life raft, wind vane, epirb, foulies, keel cooler, and met our New England Ropes contact. Friends are coming over in 10 for margaritas so I’ll leave you with the photos. We’re headed back tomorrow with the kids in tow.

Backpacking with Ruby

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:09:46 +0000

Way back in 2009 I promised Ruby that I would take her backpacking. She had forgotten for a while and I will admit that in the flurry of buying our dreamboat, selling all of our stuff, and moving aboard, I was happy for the furlough. Recently the topic came up again. First it was just “Daddy, do you remember that camping trip we were supposed to go on?” Before too long it turned into crying tantrums with doozies such as “You promised me you would take me hiking when I was just TWO (or three) and you’re never going to do it.” With our family adventure deadline looming, I feared she might be right.

Ship's Log: April 2-3 — Horseshoe Cove

Sun, 03 Apr 2011 22:24:39 +0000

“Olive, what was your favorite part of today?”

“Anchoring out. Don’t you think it’s everyone’s favorite part? I bet everyone in the world loves anchoring out.”

We almost didn’t anchor here. The Cruising Guide to San Francisco Bay, had more caveats than usual for this anchorage— Don’t even attempt if it’s foggy; you might get sucked right out the gate as you approach; the Coast Guard won’t take nicely to your presence on their side of the anchorage; etc.. After calling ahead (another recommendation from the guide) we were told that we were more than welcome to anchor, but there was a lot of surge, a few other people had called that day, and there was a pile of flotsam tied to a mooring out in the middle of the harbor that they were worried might work itself loose. But sure, come on down.

Cabin Fever Relieved

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:10:52 +0000

Sunday’s plan was to take the kids on a hike while Vick got some stuff done around the boat. Around 10:30 I got the kids dressed for the day and up to the car. Sitting in the parking lot looking out at the storm clouds moving over the Bay, I suggested to the kids that maybe today wasn’t the best day for a hike. We decided the the California Academy of Science was a safer bet and drove in to San Francisco for a day of museuming fun.

Sails for Sale

Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:03:00 +0000

Our boat came to us with 11 sails. Since we need to keep people on this boat some sails need to go. We’re keeping our main, our 153 genoa, our new 110 genoa, our #3 jib, a 3/4 oz drifter, a nice striped spinnaker, and a heavier excellent spinnaker. I can’t figure out how we’ll keep all of these sails of course. We’ll work on that later.

North Sails Spinnaker

Sailing Other Boats

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:47:15 +0000

“Ya think we should go out sailing tonight?” This kind of question only has one right answer. I checked with Vick quickly and when I got the okay I popped back up the companion way to give that right answer.

Thirty minutes or so later Ruby, Olive, Victoria, and I joined Chris on her Ranger 26 for an early evening sail. The wind was howling in the harbor so we donned our foulies and embarked with a week’s worth of snacks and things to distract the kids. We motored out the channel and set the sail in about 2 seconds flat. Chris had her all set up for a reef, and within another minute we had the genny out and the main tied down. I love smaller keel boats. We had an exhilarating beat upwind towards the Berkeley Pier and then tacked and fell off to a reach that tucked us in the lee of Treasure Island. Once we got on a starboard tack everything settled down and we took hoods off and loosened our coat collars.

HAM HAM HAM HAM HAMMITY HAM

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:33:24 +0000

…I’ll have your HAM darling, I LOVE it.

I passed my HAM Technician license exam on Saturday. I finished it in something like 10 minutes and aced it. They practically forced me to try for the General as well, which I did… and bombed (50%). I didn’t even think I would bother with the General, but now I’ve got to pass it so I started studying today.

After the test I took the kids for a walk in Muir Woods (the test was in Mill Valley). It was pouring rain, but we had a ball splashing in the puddles and doing the treasure hunt. After the kids got worn out we loaded back into the car and headed over to the Ham Radio Outlet in Oakland (by way of Blue Bottle) to pick up my new set. We got an iCom IC-7000 with an AH-4 antenna tuner and a Signalink sound card modem (for email).

Convivia To Be Powered By Dyneema®

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:15:29 +0000

We just got the word from the contest organizers. s/v Convivia will begin her circumnavigation with all new running rigging provided by Dyneema and their partners. This prize is doubly sweet for our crew. First it provides us with an outstanding spring board of safety and performance for our round the world trip. Second our old lines, which still have some life left, will be outstanding backups. Extreme disasters notwithstanding, we shouldn’t need to buy new lines before we cross our path.

Ship's Log: Golden Gate With Deneb & Seren

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:50:05 +0000

We had the boat ship shape and ready to rock by the time Deneb and Seren showed up at 10:30. The kids were overflowing with excitement to have little Seren aboard, and just couldn’t wait to show him everything. Seren, warmed up to the chaos and excitement much more quickly than I would have expected (being his second time aboard a boat).

After a quick detour at the pump out we made our way, ever so carefully, out the channel. We were worried about the latent tsunami effects and the low tide, but between the chart plotter and the crew’s watchful eyes, we made it out at dead low tide without a snag. Once safely out of the harbor we were greeted with the sight of several races, replete with their golden and graphite sails, underway all around us. I engaged the tiller pilot (or Otto, as Deneb dubbed it) and headed up to the mast to raise sail. We quickly killed the diesel and everyone exhaled and inhaled the warm(ish) salty spring air.

Tsunami Report

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:40:35 +0000

It’s 2:30 PST and the majority of the tsunami seems to have come and gone. Reports from around the Bay seem to be marginally more severe than what we experienced but still nothing serious. We observed 2’ walls of water moving at several knots parallel to the Golden Gate Bridge. Just before the tsunami surge hit our breakwater the standing water receded and left the muddy bottom bare. Then the wave(s) hit and created a ton of turbulence, kicking up mud and causing an impressive flotilla of water foul to stream by in parade.

Book Review: Poke the Box

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:56:05 +0000

I just finished Poke the Box by Seth Godin. One thing I have always liked about Seth’s work is that he asks very little for the knowledge he gives. This book cost me $5 (Kindle version) and I finished it during my lunch break (alright I read for about 2 hours last night too). His blog posts can be read on the way to the break room.

Poke the Box is Seth’s rant on the importance of starting and shipping. In 83 pages he makes a compelling case for why we should not let the fear of failure prevent us from starting something that could pe potentially amazing.

Childhood Experiences… Missing

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:00:11 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how the kids’ childhoods will differ from their contemporaries as a result of this wild adventure we’re about to embark upon. Ruby understands that there are many things we will be giving up to go sailing around the world but I don’t think she’s got the context to understand it fully yet. The following are some of the experiences that Ruby and Olive might never share with their peers.

Conserving Water Aboard Convivia

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:20:29 +0000

Conserving water has been one of our biggest worries lately. With only 110 gallons of water tankage (plus whatever we can fit in cans on deck), we have a good reason to be concerned.

The average Pacific crossing for a boat of our size is ~21 days. Conservative water consumption for 4 people (adults) is 2 gallons per day per person (or 8 gal/day total). We have been using about 17.5 gallons/day since we moved aboard. At that rate we would have just a little more than 6 days worth of water (sans Jerry Cans).

s/v Convivia and Forgeover Merge

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:15:32 +0000

Writing two blogs is stressful. Trying to balance content, cross linking, updating those plugins on both sites, it sure takes a lot out of a guy. So when Cindy of Zach Aboard suggested merging the two sites, I didn’t have much of an argument. So it is with great pleasure that I announce Forgeivia. Just joking. I’m going to keep the Forgeover “brand” as the primary because it’s more established and more general. I’ve split all of the s/v Convivia content out by Category and you can filter out the Forgeover stuff (and see just the sailing content) by clicking on the s/v Convivia link in the Navigation bar.

Dyneema® Experience: The Top 40

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:45:33 +0000

Just got the email, the contest is closed!

First, thank you so much to everyone that helped Team Convivia to reach the Top 10. It was so amazing to see our tribe come together in support of our dream like this. Truthfully, that was worth more than the re-rig. But since we’re in the top 10, I don’t have to choose. So without further ado here is the final scores for the Top 40 contestants (numbers may change slightly if they still allow activations).

About our boat

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:50:58 +0000

Warning: the following treatise is a rather dry and detailed accounting of Convivia’s specs and equipment. If you’re not interested in this type of thing, may I suggest one of the following: Why I love boat life, But Planes are Faster, or maybe even hellO 2011.

Convivia is a 1970 CAL 43, hull number two. The hull is round bilged, has a raked stem with anchor roller, an internal lead ballast fin keel, a spade rudder, and a transom stern with swim ladder. There are (natural) teak toerails, stainless steel bow and stern rails, and double coated lifelines. The deck layout is a typical cabin trunk with an aft cockpit. There is a forward skylight hatch, and opening companionway hatch over the galley, and a primary companionway hatch on the starboard side of the cockpit. There are two windows and four ports on each side. The cockpit has coaming seat backs and tiller steering.

Ship's Log: China Camp — Take One

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 22:05:54 +0000

I am super King Kamehameha bushed; just completely wiped out from an overflowing fun (as Ruby would say) weekend. So I’m going to cheat and give you a little photo essay. Hopefully, one of the family or I will come back and fill in the details.

In the meantime, check out these beautiful photos.

Courage & Sparkle

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 22:55:51 +0000

“Mom, can we read a story about someone who knows something is scary or hard and does it anyway?” Ruby and I have been reading from “Bringing Out Their Best: Values Education and Character Development through Traditional Tales,” by Norma J. Livo. The book is organized in groups of stories about love, responsibility, compassion, cooperation and more. In it are traditional stories from around the world written in the most basic way with no embellishment and no pictures or illustrations. I know that Ruby can’t be told what to do or how to act but I’m pretty sure that she can learn these values through story telling. Tonight we read about perseverance.

Ship's Log: Paradise -> Home

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:44:15 +0000

Sunday morning in Paradise Cove is glorious. The wind and swell from the previous night is gone and even the feeble dawn sun is enough to warm us in our PJs as we lounge in the cockpit. Ruby, Olive, and I eat breakfast and let Vick sleep. The kids dress and ask if they could go in the dingy for a while. Ruby rows (tethered) back and forth to Convivia’s transom while I observe from the cockpit. Within a few minutes she asks to go freely. I hop aboard and let Ruby row me around the anchorage. She rowes Olive and I to shore and we spend a half hour playing on the beach, finding ladybugs, searching for the best sea glass, skipping stones and destroying sandcastles.

Confession and Corrections

Sun, 06 Feb 2011 09:20:45 +0000

First the confession. I didn’t set enough scope yesterday. I can blame that on the fact that our chain isn’t yet marked, but that would be another embarrassing admission ( and there it is). As a result of these two mistakes we drug anchor last night. To make matters worse, the direction of travel was towards the pier, the very pier that had been plaguing Victoria’s restless thoughts all night.
So it was that, at 3am, I found myself firing up the engine and raising the anchor. I did a circuit of the cove to reorient against the other vessels and came back surprisingly close to our original spot. This time I wasn’t shy with the chain. Vick and I sat out in the cockpit in the surprisingly warm early morning air and tried to get comfortable with my mistake and subsequent resolution. We returned to our berth and tossed and turned while the boat did the same. I didn’t fall back to sleep after until Ruby called me.

Anchor of My Dreams

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 21:17:50 +0000

We’re on our new anchor for the first time. When we started telling everyone that we were leaving this year for our cruise the sailors around us came out of the woodwork with offers of help to make things happen. Over the past few weeks we’ve purchased and installed our Rocna 33, our Lewmar V3 Windlass, and 300 feet of G40 HT 5/16" chain. We bought our anchor used, as a return to the store, for about a third of the retail price. The windlass and chain were also purchased at excellent prices. Still, for the cost of all of this ground tackle we could have stayed in a marina for a long long time. But staying in a marina is not our plan.

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me

Tue, 01 Feb 2011 12:55:11 +0000

I was just updating my privacy settings on Facebook and found this Note from a year ago yesterday. I have played exactly two of these “games” on Facebook and this is the one that I took seriously. I decided to repost it here, today, partly because I think it’s neat that I wrote it a year ago (almost exactly) and partly because I think I would write pretty much the same thing today. Also, as I mention in the list, I long to be undersood.

(Playlist) Change is in the Air

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 11:43:49 +0000

I created a playlist (Music to Kick Ass By) for my ride to work that has plenty of ampy music to help me pass all of those foldable bikes and skateboarders on The Embarcadero. A month or so later it’s getting a little repetitive. I’m going to post the current list and implore you all to contribute your favorite Ass Kicking music. Thanks in advance for the suggestions!


Name	Artist
White Knuckles	OK Go
Walking The Dog	fun.
Ventilaor R-80	Ojos De Brujo
This Too Shall Pass	OK Go
Tanguillo De María	Ojos De Brujo
Super Bon Bon	Soul Coughing
Stargate	Keller Williams
Randall	wheatus
Oceans	The Format
The Monkey Versus The Robot	Piebald
Lucy Lawcy	Keller Williams
Kiss With A Fist	Florence + The Machine
The Key	Speech Debelle
Just A Simple Plan	Piebald
It’s a Disaster	OK Go
In A Big Country	Keller Williams
I Got This Feelin'	Mates Of State
Here It Goes Again	OK Go
Ha Ha	Mates Of State
Gotta Get A Problem	Mates Of State
Good To Go	Grand Puba
A Good Idea At the Time	OK Go
Go Hard	Grand Puba
Freak On	wheatus
Fluke	Mates Of State
A Duel Will Settle This	Mates Of State
Doobie in My Pocket	Keller Williams
Dog Days Are Over	Florence + The Machine
Do What You Want	OK Go
Dando vueltas y vueltas	Hechos Contra el Decoro
Crash the Party	OK Go
Circles	Soul Coughing
Calé Barí	Ojos De Brujo
Bulería Del Ay!	Ojos De Brujo
BMX Bandits	wheatus
Blame	Soul Coughing
Benson Hedges	fun.
Barlights	fun.

Aft Cabin Lighting

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:47:45 +0000

I was all excited to start working on the new windlass install when I heard Olive yell, “Daaaaddyy. Can you please turn on the light. I can’t do it.” Within minutes I was tearing the boat apart looking for the source of the problem. A problem that got worse as I went. Before the end of the following day we had no lights in the aft cabin or galley. What’s worse, most of the cable for those lights were the original 40 year old run, so it was built right into one of the few parts of the boat that I have no access to. My only recourse was to rewire the whole system.

But Planes Are Faster…

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:03:24 +0000

A four year old friend of ours wants to know why we live on a boat. Her mom said it was so we could travel around the world. “Planes are faster. In case you maybe didn’t know that,” she replied.

“Is it so nice as all that?” asked the mole, shyly…

“Nice? It’s the only thing,” said the Water Rat Solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Farewell Britannia

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:41:01 +0000

Today we helped cast off the bow lines of Britannia, Amanda and Krister’s Canadian Seacraft 36. They have begun their two year trip around the Pacific.

On November 22 I wrote this, “Last night we had a great time laughing and comparing notes with Amanda and Krister from s/v Britannia. We’re making it a habit of meeting and befriending people that are about to sail to Mexico though. I’ll have to spend some time thinking about friendship among people on the move.” Little did I know then how much fun we were getting into. We snuck our friends though our forward companionway many many times after the kids were all snug in their berths for the night. We’ve shared margaritas, bottles of wine, cups of coffee and lots of long talks, laughter, and smiles so big that our cheeks hurt.

hellO 2011

Sun, 02 Jan 2011 14:43:38 +0000

2010 was an amazing year. Among the many significant milestones were our first family cruise, the purchase of our dreamboat, the jettisoning of most of our worldly possessions to move on to said dreamboat, lost teeth, first bike rides and first ocean passage. Our transition to boat life, despite it’s smells, minimalism, and tight quarters has created a stronger, happier, more cooperative family than we had on land. 2010 looked like a very hard act to follow.

Ship's Log — Logan's Mega Sleepover

Sat, 01 Jan 2011 10:15:31 +0000

The Logans came up on Thursday morning for a sail and “Mega Sleepover.” We left the dock around 12pm and headed straight out. With the wind out of the NNW we took a slightly southerly exit from the channel and then headed up to raise the sails.

I had intended to put a double reef in (the weather called for 20-25 knots) but Vick drew my attention to the complete dearth of wind and I put the whole monstrous sail up. With the main all hoisted and trimmed, and the jib unfurled we made our way West towards the gate at a pretty reliable 1 knot.

Ship's Log — December 26th with Krister & Amanda

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 20:56:42 +0000

Krister & Amanda came over for coffee this morning and we decided to help each other with a bunch of boat chores in order to (hopefully) save some time for a sail in the afternoon. Krister hoisted me up the mast to retrieve the Christmas lights, and then headed back to Britannia while I put the kids down for nap. I followed him about 30 minutes later and helped figure some stuff out with the storm anchor, and life raft. After putting the headsail on I ran back to Convivia, helped Vick with the last of the stowing and preparing, and headed over to the pump out.

Merry Christmas from s/v Convivia

Sat, 25 Dec 2010 21:15:49 +0000

Our family doesn’t have a strong Christmas tradition. A couple of years ago we celebrated Christmas and a birthday with friends. Last year we opened presents, ate breakfast, and jumped into the car for a big drive to Los Angeles for a week long sailing trip. This year we stayed home on our boat and enjoyed spending time with friends and neighbors in our marina.

We decorated Convivia with Waldorf paper stars, white lights, and ornaments on the inside; bought, decorated, and redecorated a tiny tree that fit nicely in the middle of the table; cut dozens of paper snowflakes; lit a peppermint scented candle; and enjoyed the company of our friends in the days leading up to Christmas.

The Relationship Paradox

Thu, 23 Dec 2010 20:18:01 +0000

Amanda (of Britannia) came over last night and we got on the topic of love. Specifically “True Love” and “Soul Mates.” I have a complicated opinion on the topic of soul mates that provided good fodder for our conversation. Too soon we noticed it was midnight and had to say goodnight to our friend. As we were falling asleep I wondered aloud*:

I’m not sure how to reconcile the seemingly antithetical views I have on what makes a relationship work. On the one hand I believe that an awesome relationship demands that both partners periodically choose to remain in the relationship. On the other hand I know that it is essential to believe, with the completeness of your being, that your love is immutable. The latter, I believe, amounts to a sacred commitment to the relationship (spoken or not).

Wanderers and Planters

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 21:46:31 +0000

Life is an Adventure. There are as many ways to experience that adventure as there are (have been, and will be) people. In the interest of creating a readable post I will now slay my own pet peeve and propose this fictional dichotomy.

Imagine for a moment a world so simple that it has only two types of people. Wanderers and Planters. Each of these types are dedicated to spending their lives learning, spreading happiness, building community, making the world more beautiful, and ultimately defining their own meaning for it all. Each of them has their own distinct modality, but is one better suited to achieving the goals than the other?

Perfection vs. Done

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 07:27:59 +0000

They say that “Perfection is the Enemy of Done.” I guess I am my own worst enemy. When it comes to espresso, margaritas, and love I will not accept failure, half measure or even a half stop below perfection. I have spent years on my espresso; working and saving to buy better equipment; laboring over each shot; reading and learning wherever I could. Likewise I have spent my whole life in pursuit of love, and then in its betterment and refinement. I can be nigh obsessive about some topics.

Dreamers and Naysayers

Sun, 19 Dec 2010 22:09:50 +0000

I often hear of people getting hassled over their desire to do something powerful, bold, and intentional. As a result I spend more time than I should thinking about what I would say to these nay-sayers. Tonight my perfect answer gelled and I thought I would share it just in case it might help a dreamer out there.

Either one of us may die tomorrow. I may be swept from the decks and drowned, you may be hit by a bus on your way to work. If I succeed I will snorkel, hike, and live truly, in paradise. If you succeed you will get to work.

Who Am I?

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:51:36 +0000

I just got done reading Ashley Ambrige’s new e-book You Don’t Need a Job, You Need Guts. It’s an inspirational piece in the same vein as Chris Guillebeau’s Unconventional Guides. Both authors encourage their readers to do whatever it is that they are passionate about (though Ashley claims to be weary of the term passion). Every time I read one of these books I think, yeah, I can totally kick ass in that self motivated, self promoting, me against the big bad world way. Really, I’m perfectly wired for it… until.

Web Hosting Review: Host Gator

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:28:52 +0000

It seems like every few weeks someone in my professional or personal life asks me what web hosting provider they should use. My answer has been the same for a dozen years. I have my own servers, want to put your sites there for free? Now, as I set my sights on distant shores, I am preparing for a less tech-immersed life. As a result I had to go through the confusing and chaotic process of finding a web hosting provider.

Best Photos of 2010

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:51:29 +0000

I’m testing using Flickr for my photo management. This is a proof of concept but I’ll keep adding photos to it if it works well.
I moved the photos to after the break due to ridiculous load times (130something photos).

Best of 2010

The Paper Bag Princess: A Play in One Act

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:27:58 +0000

It’s the rainy season and several people have expressed curiosity regarding how we might be surviving the inevitable cabin fever. I’ve been very carefully dodging this questions because I have no experience to base my conjecture upon. This weekend we had our first substantial rainstorm (complete with thunder and lightning). As a result I can now say that we can make it two or three days without completely loosing our minds. You may however opt to disagree after watching the following video (after the break)

Ruby's First Bike Ride

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0000

At the risk of overdoing the videos a bit, I will now share Ruby’s First Bike Ride (without training wheels). Yesterday was just such a huge day for her that I had to document and publicize her accomplishments. This morning I broke the news to her that she was going to have to do her own blogging from now on.
“Ruby, do you remember what blogging is?”
“Yup. But if I’m going to do it, I’ll need my own computer”

Ruby Takes to the Sky

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 08:36:07 +0000

A dozen ways to make good friends

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 21:24:30 +0000

Say hello to a stranger on the street. If they look interesting and willing to chat walk with them up the block. Tucker met Andrea in Vermont many years ago this way and we had such a great time with her.

Make friends with a friend of a friend. You see someone at a friend’s party and then the next one and so on. At some point, have dinner with the friend of the friend and see what happens.

So glad I'm here

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:31:02 +0000

Somehow music and song lyrics have worked their way into my life again after many years. The sleep deprivation of having young children has nearly faded (now that both of them sleep through the night most of the time) and I’m able to pay closer attention to the world around me. Tucker has been playing the song The Gambler by Fun lately.

We were barely eighteen when we crossed collective hearts.

15 Years

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 20:33:16 +0000

Fifteen years ago today Victoria drove a borrowed truck, with her limited possessions into Brattleboro, Vermont to join me on what would be our first, longest, and most significant adventure together. I can still feel the crisp chill of the pre-winter air as I chatted nervously with one of the local crazies and awaited her arrival.

Separated by hundreds of miles, without money or transportation, our relationship had just barely survived what we now know to have been its darkest hour. In the weeks preceding her arrival we had actually split up. Our friends, family, and advisors were in accord that our love was destined for disaster. We knew with unflappable, unassailable conviction that there was something about the other that we needed to explore, to know, and to grow from. This confidence and desire to grow together, it turns out, has been the foundation of our relationship.

Ship's Log: Richardson's Bay

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:33:41 +0000

We ran into Carl early on Sunday morning and confirmed that they would be heading off on their great adventure later that day. We were planning to go sailing too, and agreed to see them off. I had seen Chris and Lisa working on their Ranger 26 earlier in the morning, and we decided to invite them to come along.

The day started wonderfully. There was just a puff of air but the sky was blue, the clouds were high and the conversation was easy and light. Around the end of the Berkeley Pier both boats decided to motor until the wind returned. We got just past Treasure Island when we decided we had enough to sail on. By Alcatraz we had about 20º of heel and Convivia was lively and quick.

Lowered Expectations

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:27:34 +0000

One of my favorite pre-vacation practices is to intentionally lower my expectations. I contend that I am due a single 15-60 minute “moment of bliss” somewhere in a 2+ week vacation, and if I can get that I consider the experience a success. These moments of bliss generally take the form of reading a great book in the sun on a day with light breeze.

On this last vacation I got two moments of bliss. The first (which happened twice) was when the kids were playing happily in the cabin. Vick and I were sitting in the cockpit drinking coffee, and Convivia was sailing herself under nearly perfect conditions. The second was when I took the kids to Shorebird Park to play while Vick went to the store. Both kids were having trouble with relationships. I saw at least a dozen problems at the moment before they flared up. Somehow I managed to use just the right intervention every time and their conflicts effortlessly catalyzed into new friendships and joyful spirit. I was in a zone, writing a symphony of play with them and I couldn’t have been happier or felt more accomplished.

Photo Highlights: Santa Cruz Cruise

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:41:22 +0000

Tons of Free Sailing Kindle Books

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:59:42 +0000

I just went over to Amazon to rate to the new Toshiba drive I purchased and saw to my excitement that a book by Joshua Slocum was free on Kindle. I snapped it up and then noticed that another of his book and, lo a metric ton of other sailing books were also there for the taking. Many of these are in the public domain, and I’ve discussed how to search for and download them in my last post on the subject. Some however are either new to the public domain, or just lucky finds. I’ll post links at the bottom.

Home

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 23:46:45 +0000

I wasn’t at home when we were tied into slip A58 in Monterey Harbor. I was homesick. Surprising yes, since I was on my own boat, tied up with my usual dock lines, cooking in my own galley, and sleeping in my own bed. I spent my time in Monterey constantly checking the three forecast areas on NOAA to find our perfect weather window to head north. Again, I was surprised at myself. The trip north is usually hard, wet, and cold. Our boat is in great shape and we could actually (foolishly) cash in Tucker’s retirement accounts and head south for at least a year. I always want to go south, or anywhere warmer than wherever I am. But I wanted to go north, to go home.

Why I Love Boat Life

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 21:01:40 +0000

There are dozens of reasons to love living on a boat. Some adore the gentle rocking as they fall to sleep; some like the gorgeous view from their cockpit and decks; some the ability to take their home on vacation with them; and others cherish the simplicity of living small. I’m sure the list goes on. For me though the thing I love most is the dockside social scene. At first I thought I had just lucked into the world’s best marina but now that we have spent a week in Santa Cruz harbor, I’m starting to believe that there is a universal chattiness amongst sailors.

High|Low

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 22:43:09 +0000

Last week was hard. I’m not sure what aspect of the work/life package was hardest, but it wasn’t just me. The whole family was under strain. By Friday I knew we needed a reset. “We’re going sailing tomorrow,” I told Vick as we were cleaning up from dinner.

Saturday morning, we all woke up early and got moving. I’m glad we didn’t set the timer because the clean-up may have taken more than one hour. Still by 11ish we were ready to get under way. I was fiddling with something on deck when our friend and fellow cruiser Carl stopped by. “You guys going out today?” she asked. “Yup, probably out to the Gate and back, it looks like a great day for it, want to come along?” “No thanks, we’re going out too. After I pick Christina up, we’re going to drop anchor at Clipper Cove, do you want to go too?” At this point I’m thinking, “Victoria would never go for this.” but when she popped her head out and asked what we were talking about I implored Carl to talk her into it. I was relieved when I noticed the signs of her wheels turning as she figured out what we would need to do to get ready. “I guess we’ll need ice,” she finally said.

September's End in Photos

Sun, 26 Sep 2010 22:17:11 +0000

Olive Takes a Shot

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 20:05:04 +0000

Just you know, he insisted on doing this. It was completely unprompted.

Knock Knock

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:00:13 +0000

Olive: “Knock Knock”

Me: “Who’s there?”

Olive: “Banana”

Me: “Banana Who”

Olive: “Aren’t you glad I didn’t say Orange?”

At this point I’m thinking, at least he got the right fruit in there but Olive scrunches up his forehead as I fake laugh and says “Daddy what’s the real joke?” So I decided to humor him again.

Me: “Knock knock”

Olive: “Who’s there?”

Me: “Banana.”

Olive: “Banana who?”

Me: “Knock knock”

This is Olive

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:11:39 +0000

This is Olive. I feel like I’ve just begun to know her. Recently she’s been relating her observations to us with her own clever interpretations. I find myself constantly amused, inspired, and uplifted as I watch this little girl interact with the world. She’s developing a piercing wit that she casually melds with her uncomplicated but somehow sophisticated (for a 2 year old) understanding of how people and things work.

The first day of the unschool year

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:59:16 +0000

I noticed on facebook today that many of my friend’s kids were dressed in fresh new clothes with hair and teeth brushed. Ruby and Olive weren’t actually all that bad considering they had a shower just yesterday (showering when you don’t have one of your own can be a little more of an adventure). When we went out for the morning I decided to drag along Tucker’s good camera to snap a few shots of our first day, and what a beautiful day it was. We had sun and warmth starting in the morning and lasting until evening. Ruby came home from swimming lessons after 6 without wearing her winter hat. Remarkable! Here’s why I’m glad I didn’t send my daughter to school again today.

Ship's Log: August 20-22

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:55:34 +0000

Victoria, Ruby, Olive, Jacob, Kate, Michael, and I left the dock at Emery Cove around noon on Friday for a 2 night stay at Alaya Cove, Angel Island. We’ve made this trip twice before but never with company. I decided to fill up the third tank (for an alleged total of 110 galons) just in case. We did our shopping the night before and got everything ship shape early on Friday morning for our guest’s 9am arrival. As expected it took a few hours to get Kate and her family moved in, and we took the opportunity to shower and pack a few more last minute maintenance tasks in.

August 15th in Pictures

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:15:58 +0000

We spent a magical afternoon with Kate and Michael and cousin Jacob. Here’s the photo evidence.

Communing with Convivia

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 22:14:53 +0000

Last week I wrote a post on forgeover about the first chapter in my water heater replacement. To summarize, it didn’t go so well. I felt defeated before I even began, and things only went downhill from there.

Today was a completely different story. I woke up with the knowledge that I had to install this beast today, and that I was going to have to squeeze the chore in between long anticipated visits with my sister, brother in law, and nephew. Vick got me started on the right foot: “You’re going to do it, it’s going to be easy, and you’re going to feel GREAT when its done.” That was exactly the pep talk I needed and it probably made the difference between 90% success and utter failure.

Boat Drinks: Perfect Pineapple & Tropical Daydream

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:26:25 +0000

Prior to moving aboard we determined that one of the must have items for life aboard was a VitaMix blender. I surprised Vick by presenting her with said blender on her birthday, and ever since have been monopolizing the thing to make all manner of icy drinks. Today I will share my two favorites.

Perfect Pineapple Banana Smoothie:

1/2 fresh pineapple (sliced in 3 or 4 large slabs)

2 bananas (whole)

Pink Jobs & Blue Jobs

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 09:07:10 +0000

A few weeks ago I was lamenting to Victoria how we seem to have fallen right back into traditional gender roles in our household. It should not have come as a surprise to me, what with Vick being a stay at home mom, but after many years of mixing and matching roles based on personal strengths rather than gender roles, I was somewhat irked by our lapse into traditionalism.

Yin & Yang: Life as a Balancing Act

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 08:36:04 +0000

There has been a rash of theft in our marina lately. It started with a bunch of fishing gear getting stolen off of some power boats, but this Saturday I found my bike had been stolen. This kind of thing can really make you question the quality of the average person… until you come back from your errands to find an annoymous gift in your cockpit.

We think one of our friends down the dock left the toy castle for the kids. They had a ball playing with it but agreed that it wouldn’t fit in our boat. The next morning Ruby and Olive raced down the dock to return it and were perfectly delighted to put it back aboard Gemini.

No Better Life Than This One: Choosing Joy

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 22:21:39 +0000

Today sucked royally. I started the day saddled with the dread of a project (replacing the hot water heater) that I just knew was going to go badly. This project was going to go badly because:

I couldn’t get to all of the fittings to measure what size they were and therefore didn’t know for sure what to buy to replace them.
The old water heater may have or may not have fit out through the available hole… Oh no. It didn’t.
The beginning of the project involved cutting the safety net (all of the hoses, strapping, and electrical) thereby completely committing me to raving success or miserable failure.
The space that I had to work in was miserably small, virtually guarantying several minor concussions, gashes, and bruises (check, check, and check)
The very best that I had hoped for was to get enough done that I could safely turn on the pressure water in the evening (cold only) to do the dishes from the margaritas.

So after a grumpy breakfast, and a grumpy trip to the chandlery and the hardware store, I grumpily made by way back down the dock with not quite enough parts to complete the project, and a pretty bad attitude. I was short tempered all morning, and when I finally remeasured the new hot water heater and found that it was something like 10" too tall for the space it was going into, I was pretty certain that I was going to go stratospheric. When I then remeasured the old heater and found that there was no possible way to get it out without removing the countertop, I thought I would cry.

Guns

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 21:54:12 +0000

Olive: “You know what this is daddy?”

Me: " No Olive, what is that" (she’s holding two paint stirrers)

Olive: “Its a gun for catching gooses and ducks with fire and steam”

Me: “Buddy, do you think you’re old enough for a gun?”

Olive: “Oh yeah, Im a very big girl. Very tall”

Me: “Okay then i guess you’re big enough to go to bed without nursing then?”

Olive: “Aye Aye”

Dad Life

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:07:19 +0000

Thought this was pretty funny.

Thanks to this article by the super funny and entertaining Janna Cawrse Esarey for hooking me up with this video.

No Better Life Than This One: Reevaluating My Primary Relationship

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:51:35 +0000

Can critically evaluating your relationship lead to a happier healthier self while simultaneously improving the relationship?

{this moment}

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 08:56:33 +0000

A Friday ritual, inspired by Soule Mama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

4th of July Weekend in Photos

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:37:41 +0000

Making the Bed

Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:19:42 +0000

Most landlubbers take for granted that making a bed consists of removing linens from the closet (or what-have-you) and spreading them over a rectangular surface. For the salty amongst us, the chore begins the same way but quickly devolves to wrestling rectangular bedding around the odd and unaccommodating shapes that berths tend to come in.

In our case the traditional vee-berth came with the added challenge of the affectionately named Chastity Cable. Because of this lovely piece of below decks rigging, we don’t have a need for the little wedge shaped piece the many vee-berths have and we require either two completely independent sets of sheets and covers, or some clever way to work around the obstacle with one.

{this moment}

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:00:12 +0000

RSS Feed Fixed

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:12:39 +0000

I know that our RSS Feed has been broken for some time, but with the move and all I haven’t had time to fix it. Well today I discovered that the little stats program that was supposed to keep an eye on the popularity of the feed, was in fact preventing it from working at all. That’s all gone now so please, if you were a subscriber before, try again now. If you weren’t, its a great way to get your forgeover fix without having to type all those letters :)

Why We Live Aboard

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 00:03:00 +0000

A four year old friend of ours wants to know why we live on a boat. Her mom said it was so we could travel around the world. “Planes are faster. In case you maybe didn’t know that.”, she replied.

“Is it so nice as all that?” asked the mole, shyly…

“Nice? It’s the only thing,” said the Water Rat Solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Yo Ho Yo Ho, Aboard is the Life For Me

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 23:13:35 +0000

For the past 9 years I’ve had less than 30 minutes of commute a day, total. Today I commuted a total of 3 hours. The two bike segments home were directly into the wind, with killer traffic, in my lowest gear. I got home and met Vick and the kids in the parking lot and spent nearly an hour searching for food and clothing in the ManVan.

Tonight, with winds howling at ~20 knots in the harbor, we finally relented to the worsening head smell in our cabin. It was obvious what needed to be done but with the cold and wind and dark, we were hoping it could wait until morning. Not so. After one aborted attempt for a pump out at the fuel dock (turns out that pump out must have gone away when they relocated the fuel dock) we headed back to our slip to do some reconnaissance on foot. Once I had confirmed that we could get over and back to the Emery Cove pump out we pushed off again and made our way over, did the deed, and got Convivia back into her slip.

Moving Aboard

Fri, 04 Jun 2010 21:24:08 +0000

This is it. As of Monday we are officially live-aboards. To me that means that, starting on Monday, I will come home to the boat, sleep on the boat and wake up on the boat every day for the foreseeable future. This is deeply comforting to me. To Vick it means a week (only a week) of final push to sell everything that we own that doesn’t fit this new life, or doesn’t fit in the boat/manvan/storage unit. Monday is not deeply comforting to Vick.

Becoming A Man

Tue, 18 May 2010 08:23:15 +0000

From time to time I am reminded that my culture has no coming of age tradition. Some of the effects of this deficit are subtle, some more obvious. This weekend, as I near my 35th birthday I experienced another Man Making Moment. Man Making Moments are different for everyone. I suspect many are like me and derive some significant part of their manliness ideal from their fathers. For me, the image of my dad under the hood, fixing, tuning and explaining our car’s inner workings, has left a mark.

Bringing Her Home

Mon, 17 May 2010 20:40:53 +0000

**** The plan was to meet Allison in Richmond at 9:00 and shuttle the ManVan back to Emeryville where we would pick Jon up and drive back to Richmond. Unfortunately the ManVan had other ideas. Somehow, after hauling a ton of gear over 700 miles, the ManVan decided to give up the ghost right in the Bay Marine parking lot.

So, we changed the plan. By 10am everyone was on the boat and by 11 we were pushing off. After a hair raising shove off we headed out the channel and into the Bay. The wind was gentle in the morning and we put up full sails but by the time we were lined up with Racoon Straights it was blowing hard enough to warrant a first reef. By the time we were lining up with the Gut it was howling and a second reef would have been prudent. I was loving the speed (6.5 SOG according to the iPhone) and we were so close to Emeryville that it was nearly time to douse the sails anyway, so we let out a bit and enjoyed the wind.

Mast Prepped and Stepped

Thu, 13 May 2010 20:39:50 +0000

I spent last night on the hard. I’m not sure I can adequately convey how strange it is to be on a boat that isn’t moving. When I’m working on it, its not so noticeable(unless I look up, then I get severe vertigo), but sleeping on it my body demands the gentle rocking. It is very disorienting, and I can’t wait to have her back in the water again. Enough of that, this is a work post, so on to business.

Bay Marine

Thu, 13 May 2010 20:21:35 +0000

If you need to get work done in a yard in the Bay Area, you should definitely check with Kim Dessinger at Bay Marine. Kim has been incredibly attentive to me throughout this process. When I was working on the rig he came out several times to give pointers, and when I was considering work that I would do later (on my own) he was outrageously generous with his time and experience. I’ve found that most yards take a pretty dim view of do-it-yourselfers, and though I am using a good amount of yard time, they have been more accommodating than most when I want to roll up my sleeves. Having the chance to work side by side with guys that have 25+ years of experience is a great way to fast track your education.

A Working Vacation

Sun, 09 May 2010 22:03:33 +0000

This is the first chance I’ve had to sit down at my computer in six days. When in the last 15 years have I been able to say that?

This vacation was certainly unique. Since it was a last minute (we decided at lunch two days before departing) decision, the expectations were low. Regardless, none of us were prepared for the highs and lows of this last week.

On the high side:

Bad Neighbors

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:20:40 +0000

Back in our wild youth we had this neighbor (Douglas Robbins) who was getting into producing documentaries. Before he moved on he made this video staring (amongst others) us. In case you don’t know by watching, its farcical… though Vick can make 16 different muffins without processed flour.

Winning the Lottery

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 20:49:04 +0000

On the way to work this morning Victoria suggested that we play the lottery. “Its $166 million today, seems like a good time.” Now understand, we don’t play the lottery to win, that’s just crazy talk. We play for entertainment value. When we were younger we would go out an drop a cool Washington on a ticket and then spend all night talking about our fantasy future. As we got older, and started to live that fantasy, we did this less often. Still, a couple times a year, the mood strikes us and we splurge.

Pre-K Geography

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:50:05 +0000

Believe it or not this was spontaneous. I have no idea how Olive knew where the pirates are or where Hawaii is. I guess unschooling is working for our family.

Are the Kids ready?

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 23:03:29 +0000

If you’ve been wondering how the kids feel about this transition…

[cue cheesy infomercial voice] …and if you liked “going marina” you’ll love some of these other instant classics.

“I can’t wait to tell Anika about Oakland, there’s so many things to see” — Ruby

“Me going to live on a sailboat… with no bathtub” — Olive

“I’m not sure which of my things I’m going to sell quite yet, but I’ll think about it” — Ruby (spontaneously)

Strictly Sail Pacific 2010

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 21:07:22 +0000

We went to the boat show today, and we’re going again tomorrow. The going today part isn’t particularly big news, after all this is our 11th consecutive show but it does feel different. Part of what is different is that we’ve got our boat all but purchased, and can legitimately talk about it as if its ours. For some reason that small distinction has made today catalytic for me.

I’ll admit, I’ve been tender this week. Okay, perhaps I’ve been raw, and a little hard to be around. I can’t help it. So much of our last 10 years of dreaming, and 5 years of debt reduction, saving, planning and dreaming some more is now coming together in a chaotic maelstrom of activity. I haven’t really got a clue about half (or more) of the things that I am responsible for, and I don’t have enough hours in the day to get a clue.

Haikus

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:32:29 +0000

I just looked back through my Twitter history to see all of my past haikus and realized how much easier it would be if I just kept them on my own blog. I’ll publish the old ones here, and then create individual posts for any new ones. Enjoy, and please comment.

Honeysuckle joy

The purple blossoms welcome

spring’s liberation

#haiku 9:14 AM Mar 22nd

frost bitten ear lobes

deep greens and brown on cool blue

Back in the Flow

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:48:24 +0000

Years ago, back when we lived in Vermont, and even later when we first moved out to California, I always knew just what to do. It was easy. I never stood at the crossroads of a big decision, I just jumped in and let the current take me. I was sensitive to it, and I could tell somehow when it was time to hop out and look around but I never thought to second guess the current of my life. This flow took me from place to place, job to job, adventure to adventure, always at precisely the right moment. As long as I kept my vision clear and my wits about me, things seemed to just work out.

Liveaboard Status… ?

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:10:36 +0000

Today I signed the application that will give us live aboard status at our old marina in the East Bay. We’ve been on the waiting list for 10 years and when I called the other day to find out our status, I learned that we had finally made it to the top. This is a huge step for our family because it means that we can live aboard in a marina that will allow us to sail on the weekends. Everyone we’ve talked to at Pete’s harbor seemed resigned to the fact that they could not sail and live aboard. I’m hopeful that, with the Golden Gate Bridge clearly visible from our marina, we’ll be reminded that we’re in this to sail, not to sit at the dock.

Feeling Inspired

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:12:43 +0000

Despite the boat related disappointment this weekend I’ve found myself unexpectedly inspired, motivated, and empowered these last two days. Vick linked me up to the blog of a nomadic family (Happy Janssens) last night, and I kinda went link crazy, hopping around to a bunch of similar blogs. These families’ stories have been a balm on my chapped spirit. This morning the kids and I sat around watching videos from various blogs showing their kids living happy, nomadic, unschooling lives. True our adventure is just where we left it on Friday, but somehow we all feel closer to it.

Buying a Boat

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:35:39 +0000

I wish I could think up a clever analogy for buying a boat. It would be gratifying to package this whole experience up in a tidy little cliche and dispense that wisdom to people who, like us, are suffering the tumultuous ups and downs of buying a circumnavigating sailing vessel on a small budget. Maybe, “Buying a boat is like high school girlfriends… but without the kissing.”

I have fallen in love 3 times in 3 weeks. So far, no kisses. Maybe its a little melodramatic to say that these inanimate objects have “dumped me.” After all, my sentience should give me the upper hand in these relationships, but if you ask my wife, she’ll corroborate. I am reduced to a sappy, romantic, drooling boy when presented with high combings, a butterfly hatch, or a fancy cabin. I even tell myself not to let my emotions cloud my judgment, but its no use.

Puddle Party

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:00:34 +0000

Welcome El Niño.

QUIET FEET: Harmony Restored

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:13:35 +0000

Yesterday we woke up before 5am for the 14th consecutive day. Our parenting style dictates that we just roll with this, as unnatural and seemingly untenable as it is. Vick and I believe that its our responsibility to call it a night so that we can rise with the kids (see my earlier article for more on this). So we’ve been dutifully rising and shining at 4-5am and using lattes to get us through the week.

Catalina in Retrospect

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 08:14:23 +0000

We are back home now and the verdict is in. This vacation was a resounding success. Its likely that this was our best and favorite family vacation ever. We had some logistical issues, and some moments of frayed nerves, but that is to be expected. What really impresses me is how we all worked together to make sure that everyone could enjoy the trip.

Ruby was a total champ. When Vick and I were busy, she would entertain her sister down below. She devised a multitude of games, and when we finally bought a couple containers of Play-dough she would spend hours with her making pretend food and serving it up.

Catalina: New Year's Eve

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:05:26 +0000

Yesterday we went out for a pleasure sail. We sailed out of Catalina Harbor in the morning and puttered around the Outer Santa Barbara Channel. The wind was promising when we left the harbor. It had been assaulting our transom all night, smacking the harbor against the hull loudly enough that we almost turned the boat on our mooring.

By the time we got under sail the wind died. This has been the great frustration of sailing here. We can see wind on the ocean all around but wherever we are seems to be becalmed. Since we didn’t have any destination I wasn’t inclined to turn on the engine. We just wallowed, boom creaking in the light puffs of wind that would occasionally grace us. Our speed over water was 0 knots for at least an hour.

Catalina: Avalon to Catalina Harbor

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:51:07 +0000

My face and belly are radiating that kind of inside out warmth that comes from a day of doing all ones favorite things. I don’t mean to lead my readers to believe that today was easy. The children were on again off again unmanageable and Victoria was regularly overwrought by her prognostication that, due to said children, and an unfortunately poor choice of words on my part the night before, she didn’t know if “this was going to work.” (She was of course referring to the Big Trip.) Normally when my family is assaulted by this severe a maelstrom I am emotionally and pragmatically debilitated for the duration. The whole of my attention is consumed trying to determine what I am going to do about it.

Catalina: First Impressions

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:52:26 +0000

When we left off our family had just arrived in Isthmus Harbor (one of the Two Harbors). As soon as the sun set we were treated to the oddly festive spectacle of an entire harbor lit up with Christmas lights. All of the waterfront buildings and many of the boats were sporting multicolored lights. It reminded me (for whatever reason) of Jimmy Buffet’s song “Christmas in the Caribbean,” thereby putting a huge smile on my face. We ate a mediocre yet unbelievably expensive dinner at the only restaurant in Two Harbors—from which I had to hastily extricate my kids when they simultaneously decided to be the loudest kids in the harbor(s). We enjoyed a brief moonlit motor back to the boat and everyone fell asleep quickly.

Catalina: The Passage.

Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:40:10 +0000

We arrived in Two Harbors last night, just after the sun went down. We left Marina Del Rey around noon and motored out of the immense harbor. When we got to Santa Monica Bay, I briefly doused the engine to get a sense of the wind. We headed up and set the main. The wind sustained us for all of 15 minutes (at a measly 4 knots) before it died out completely. I reluctantly conceded that there was no chance of making it to Catalina on wind power alone and powered up the diesel.

Off to Catalina

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:23:05 +0000

Its Christmas Eve and as exciting as tomorrow promises to be the thing that Ruby and Olive claim to be most excited about is the sailing trip. That’s right, when given the choice between presents or sailing Ruby said she was more excited about sailing.

In preparation, Victoria and I are frantically working down the todo list. Here’s what the next few days look like

Our good friends Sarah and Ricky are stopping by for a lightning visit this afternoon.
Tonight we make our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. This year we’re adding Peppermint Molten Chocolate Cakes to the feast.
After dinner we’ll do a video chat with Papa Verne and Gramora where Papa V. will read “The Night Before Christmas” (another family tradition.)
After the kids fall asleep we’ll pack everything up for the trip, put out the presents, and hopefully get to bed early.
In addition to the expected Christmas morning hullabaloo we will be preparing to leave (at noon? really?), and video chatting with the Logans.

We’ll drive down to LA and spend the night there. Early on the 26th we will drive over to the marina where Vick will drop me off to do the check-in. She’ll head over to WF in Santa Monica to provision and we’ll hopefully be on the water by 11am. I’ve been told that the sail is ~7hrs to Two Harbors so we’ll be racing against the clock to get to the mooring before dark.

Book Review: Confessions of a Public Speaker

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:21:13 +0000

I just devoured this book. I started it last night (after completing the riveting final book of the Liveship Traders Trilogy) and finished it a few minutes ago. I bought this book (somewhat impulsively) after watching Scott give a webcast on the topic a week or so ago. I have always yearned to do more public speaking and trusted Scott to teach me at least one worthwhile thing for my $9 (Kindle Book).

Buying a SIM card in India

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:04:01 +0000

I had a heck of a time purchasing and subsequently using my Indian Airtel SIM card. I learned a lot in the process that might be useful to other travelers visiting India. The following are some of my experiences as well as a few suggestions.

Obtaining a SIM card from abroad:

This is perhaps the most confusing step in an entirely confusing process. I started by trying to purchase a card online. This is a complete non-starter. All of the links that I found point to sites that seem to have been set up prior to 26/11 (Mumbai’s Terrorist attacks). Subsequent to the attacks, India’s government set up a serious bureaucracy that seems to do little more than inconvenience legitimate customers.

The Blue Bunny — Olive' First (collaborative) Story

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:58:50 +0000

We had a really first rate dinner at Amber tonight. When we arrived (at 5:15), there was one other family there and we were seated in the very back corner of the room reserved for families with little kids that look like trouble. Ruby was wearing her pink flower rain boots, mini-skirt, and a blue tee-shirt. Olive was sporting the ripped play pants and a dinosaur shirt. I really can’t blame them for seating us in the back corner, and it did nothing to dampen our enjoyment of the meal. The waitstaff positively doted over Olive. She played it cool, not answering their questions, but turning around to gawk at them when they walked away.

Yo Ho Ho Ho

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:25:39 +0000

We’ve really needed a relaxing family vacation for a while, and with time counting down to the big trip, we also need to make sure that the family is up for extended sailing. Last night, after weeks of thinking about these two items individually a plan popped into my head that married both of these concerns into a harmonic union.

This morning I asked Ruby if she would like to go sailing for the week after Christmas. She asked a bunch of probing questions – “Can I bring my dolls?” and “What will we do about pirates” – and when she was satisfied with the answers, wholeheartedly supported the plan.

Ruby Sings About Respect

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:34:34 +0000

This is a slightly old video of Ruby singing a song she invented about respect. I love that as she’s singing it she grabs her brother and won’t let go of him when he yelps. Luckily she does let go when I ask her, so it seems as though she respects me, but not Mr. M.. Enjoy…

… “This land was made for you and me.”

Hong Kong and India Pictures

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:40:25 +0000

I’ve just posted the best (331) pictures from our trip. I will be adding Titles and Summaries over the next few days but if there is one that you would like to know more about in the meantime, just add a comment here with the picture’s URL and I’ll jump ahead. The “En Trip” sub-album contains photos I uploaded while we were traveling. For the most part they are duplicates (at lower resolution) of what is in the main album, but there are a few gems from my Dad’s phone.

The Victory of Providence Over Planning

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 05:12:42 +0000

“It looks like the rain has let up a bit, should we make a run for it?” I asked, equivocating. “Its probably as good as any time,” Dad replied.

We had been enduring monsoon rains for hours, holed up first at the Cafe del Mar and later at Abba. It was getting late and we still had to pack.

So we made a dash for it and, as if cued by some rueful sadistic god, the rain intensified. Too late to change course, we soldiered into the torrent. Dad helped my pull my bike out of the muddy garbage heap. I was ankle deep in brown water and suddenly grateful that I was: a) wearing my sandals; and b) immunized against Hep A.

RED SHIFT (VII) -- The Circle in the Square

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:38:53 +0000

Varkala, Kerala

November 14, 2009

The muezzin’s chant wakes me at 5 am. It is still dark outside except for the occasional lightning bloom over the Arabian Sea. The early morning rumbles with ominous portents. First a ferocious dogfight down the lane with anguished howls from the injured, then an argument between man and a woman close by, the first public display of such emotion I have witnessed. I lie back on my pillow to read with my nightlight, trying not to disturb T who is sleeping peacefully beside me. But peace is not the order of this morning. An enormous swarm of screaming blackbirds begins wildly swirling the palms in the walled garden just to our south, reminding me of a Hitchcock movie with it’s eerie freneticism.

Living in the Moment or Denial is the Lesser Part of Valor

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:43:16 +0000

Our trip is winding to a close. Tomorrow at 5:30 am we will hop in a taxi and with any luck be taken to a train station where we will be whisked away to Cochin. We’ll check our bags at the airport and then spend the day wandering around Cochin. By 8:30pm we will be on a plane to Mumbai and from there it will be only a few hours before we are on our way to California.

Counter Planning - Gaming the System

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:38:29 +0000

Today’s plan was to make no plans. In completely surrendering the very most basic of control we hoped to avoid the loss of control that seems to be the norm here. It was an ingenious counter-plan if I may be permitted the immodesty, and it worked like a charm.

We started the day by puttering over to Varkala Beach. We asked around in the shops for a wooden printing block, and were told that we would have to go to Trivandrum for that.

Please Welcome Forgeover's First Guest Author

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:44:10 +0000

I’ve finally convinced my dad to share his story with my readers. My dad is a fantastic writer. He was a classics major and then a newspaper editor, and then eventually the Editor in Chief of Law and Policy in International Business, a Georgetown University international law review.

His posts will be published on the dates they were written, so please follow his author slug so you don’t miss any!

In addition to providing great reading for you all, I am pleased as punch to have this record of our shared experience. Please take a moment to greet him in the comment section of his first post!

Varkala to Kovalam - or Close Enough

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:21:08 +0000

We had a tasty breakfast at the local + organic ABBA restaurant (where, I kid you not, they play non-stop Abba), and then headed out for coffee and an Internet fix.

I have to admit that the power surge that blew up my laptop power supply was pretty annoying, but i still managed to get over it after a few minutes. The downside to this is that I will be typing all of my posts on my iPhone from here on out (please forgive the typos), and l will have to be more stingy with photos.

A Royal (Enfield) Adventure

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:31:02 +0000

After getting situated in our hotel room, the first order of business was to get a couple of motorcycles so we might regain a modicum of control over our adventure. Dad had an aesthetic interest in the Royal Enfield. So we asked our host if he could arrange such a thing. After a little back and forth on the details he went off to see what he could do. A few minutes later he came back with the details and within 30 minutes we were staring at two of the most beaten up bikes left in India. The first Royal Enfield bikes were built in India in 1955, and I suspect that ours were from the first batch.

Bangalore to Varkala

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 05:51:46 +0000

We left Bangalore last night on an overnight train. We were joined in our sleeper (2AC) car by two guys who were heading to Cochin for a business meeting. After chatting for a while they started making recommendations for our next few days. “You must go to Varkala” they pressed “You will find nice people there and its not too busy”. We chatted a bit longer and then settled in to read the guide books. Dad and I both picked a few hotels that looked good and then hit the hay.

RED SHIFT (VI) -- Coffee Day

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:49:27 +0000

Kerala Express

November 10, 2009

I am flying on the manic side of our India bi-polar experience today as T and I speed south on the “superfast” Kerala Express through the southern jungle. Our bunkmates on the Bangalore to Cochin train last night convinced us to skip Cochin altogether and head straight for the white sand beaches and palms of Varkala and Kovalam. They suggested we take a bus south, but only a Volvo bus. The other KSRTC buses, they assured us, we would not enjoy. I am silently thanking them for their good advice as I, Varkala bound, peer out our window at the rice paddies, rivers and thick green jungle. I spy a woman dressed in a bright orange sari with a turquoise shawl and a pink parasol walking up a red clay road and feel as if I am watching some PBS documentary, not experiencing this in real life.

Shopping in India

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:31:40 +0000

We knew that we sucked at haggling, and I’ve been fairly warned that Westerners have a harder than average time getting a good price without an Indian to support them, but for some reason I held out hope. After seeing the big smiles on three different wallah’s faces, I knew I had been well and truly bested.

I am totally okay with that though. Shopping in Mysore has been a total joy. “Come in, sit down. I will pour you and your father some tea” sings the merchant in the Silk Museum. “This is your son?”, he asks my father. “Your father has been here 3 times already, we have much respect for him, I will give you special price.” Good Lord, I’m in for it already and I haven’t even looked at the merchandise yet.

TEDIndia Recommendations

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:26:24 +0000

I’m staying in Mysore now, at the lovely Green Hotel. If you happen to be visiting Mysore, I can’t recommend it highly enough. I am still processing the conference and trying to sort out what it all means, and how what I learned there will change me and my course. The one thing I can be sure of is that it has changed me. The speakers, naturally, were (mostly) all amazing, but what really pulled the whole event together were the attendees. From the moment I stepped out of the registration I was greeted by one warm, generous, and engaging person after another. As the conference proceeded, little networks began to form. One new friend would introduce me to another until I felt I knew every like minded person in the thousand person audience.

RED SHIFT(V) -- House Call

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:37:25 +0000

Bangalore

November 8, 2009

Darkness falls abruptly here. At 6 p.m. it is raining hard and the light is abandoning us. Tucker hangs onto the luggage rack of our ancient 100 cc. Hero Honda with a steely grip as I pitch and weave through the crush of Mysore traffic, wiping the fog from my glasses and searching for any clue as to where we might be. Mysore is laid out like a Mandala, with roads radiating outward from the Maharaja’s Palace. An endless web of crooked lanes link the rays, with confusing traffic circles at key intersections. Watchtower Circle, New Statue Circle, Devaraja Urs Swamibatami Circle. Their names are helpfully scribed in Kannada, the predominant second language of Karnataka state. Occasionally a sign in English will give a vague nod in the right direction, but I am forever disappointed in my hope for clear direction. When the sun is out I know my compass points, but in the dark of night in the rain it is dead reckoning only, hopefully in the primary meaning of the phrase. Still, the fact that Sateesh’s motorcycle has no working lights or horn raises the vague possibility of second meanings.

RED SHIFT (III) -- Connection

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:09:17 +0000

The Green Hotel, Mysore

November 6, 2009

Here it is 3 a.m. and I have just awakened. It is as quiet as it gets in India. I know it is likely that I will still be awake when the big birds start crowing at 6 a.m. I still haven’t seen them, and probably couldn’t identify them if I did, but they are reliable whatever they are. And they only seem to crow at 6; I don’t hear them at other times of day. When they coo and warble I know the emptiness of the nighttime will soon end.

Red Shift (II) -- Hope and the Banyan Tree

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:39:03 +0000

I’ll write this while I still have power. It flickers off at irregular intervals, part of the official load relief program, so the Hindi Times says. This makes it sound planned, but it’s not. Sort of like “Quantitative Easing,” the U.S. load relief program. It has the small businesses in Mysore in a tizzy, because they never know when they’ll have consistent power. When you’re running a foundry and everything cools off in the middle of a run, it makes for a sticky mess. The government still happily adds new customers, nevertheless.

Red Shift - Tippu Express

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:26:09 +0000

Tucker and I are planted on platform number 9 waiting where the porter has deposited us for the 3 p.m. Tippu Express to Mysore. It is 1:30 p.m. and Tuck has settled in for the long wait, putting his backpack down on the dirty cement platform and perching atop it with easy adaptability. I am standing at parade rest, one hand gripping my matched luggage.

It is hot, but not oppressive, and the hundred or two other passengers have made themselves as comfortable as possible, chatting, rearranging belongings, trying to position themselves on the platform to be located properly for their car when it arrives, or staring at us. I am trying not to stare back, but with little success. Oddly, there are no flies despite the fecund air and abundant garbage.

India Adventure - Serialized

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:32:02 +0000

If you’re just tuning in now, please skip back to the post on Hong Kong, and read the remaining posts in reverse order. If you don’t I’m not sure they would make too much sense. Please leave comments (especially suggestions) in the comments section.

Food

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:26:37 +0000

I would guess that more than half of the average person’s enjoyment of food is subjective. There are clearly objective thresholds that must be met (and those differ from person to person) in order for a meal to be enjoyable. I would argue though that what sets the exemplary meal apart from the good, for most people has to do with atmosphere, service, and other intangibles.

Gaylord’s nailed the subjectives. Perhaps they didn’t need to even try. So completely overwhelmed, tired, hungry, and hopeful were we, perhaps any place would have brought a contented smile to our faces. I ordered off menu (paneer tikka masala) and my dad ordered the lamb roganjosh. The staff were omnipresent but somehow not imposing. When the food arrived it exceeded all of my expectations and all of my prior experiences. At this moment (it was my last substantial meal) I would believe that it was the best Indian food in the world.

Lodging (Mumbai)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:22:22 +0000

Soon we had our luggage and were clear of customs and the dozen or so passport checks that followed. It was time to discuss the hotel situation. At this point I believe both dad and I were panicked. Tired and overwhelmed we now had to find a place in this sprawling crawling city to rest ourselves. Dad had reviewed our guide book and highlighted a few good candidates. All of them, the guide suggested, “should be booked well in advance.” After dodging scam number one of the evening, we made our way to a “pay phone” and called the first hotel. You can imagine my shock when they told us that they had a vacancy for us.

Arriving in India

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:17:52 +0000

The flight to Mumbai was as sublimely pleasant as the long haul to Hong Kong had been. It wasn’t until we started our descent that the uncertainty started to set in. Looking down on the city from the approach path you see slums everywhere with occasional stands of sky scrapers sprouting up amongst them. We landed and disembarked and things were pretty predictable until we reached the last turn before the elevator that descended to the H1N1 screening area. Blood curdling screams reached up to assault us and I could have sworn that someone was being tortured. Rounding the corner I was relieved to identify the owner of the tormented bellow. She couldn’t have been more than 2 years old. My relief was instantaneous. A universal sympathy connected me to her parents and I alighted the escalator with a small smile. The customs and immigration process was a tremendous press of bodies. The bodies combined with the unfamiliarity of the language to dispossess me of my remaining emotional energy. I was running on empty.

Hong Kong

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:14:24 +0000

The e-mail from Bentley’s Hotel came while we were still in the relative comfort of our Hong Kong hotel. The management let us know that our “Tentative Reservation” could not be filled. We would have to find another place to stay. For some reason this didn’t strike either dad or I as a particularly big deal.

We spent the morning hoofing it around Hong Kong Island. When our feet started to fail us we took a bus until we were ready to walk again. Our journey led us through an amazing outdoor market, a bustling shopping district, and eventually through the Botanical Gardens. By the time we figured out how lost we were, there was nothing for it but to hail a cab and get found, and back to the hotel.

India Photo Gallery

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:18:35 +0000

For those of you following our adventures at home, you might want to keep an eye on the India 2009 Photo Album (located @ </v/India2009>). We fly out today at 1am. With the time change and the date line, I’m thoroughly confused when (exactly) we arrive, but its somewhere around tomorrow at 7:15pm Hong Kong Time. Shortly thereafter I’ll start uploading photos.

Preparing for TED and India

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:37:02 +0000

3 days to go. I can’t remember ever being this excited for a trip. I haven’t packed a thing yet, but I spend every spare second thinking about what to bring (and perhaps more importantly what to leave behind). The anticipation of the people I’m going to meet and the places I’m going to see is nerve wracking and thrilling and overwhelming.

I’m buried at work. TED related activity, on both the TEDIndia and Jill’s Wish front have created a maelstrom of tasks and objectives. Beyond that I’ve got new and old projects coming out my ears. Come Friday, I will have to find a way to let all of those things go so that I can be free to lose myself in this experience.

Why Tweet

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:58:41 +0000

In a recent comment my buddy Dave asked:

“Okay. I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask, even see if you would write a blog post on it. This seems like an opportune time. Why Twitter? I don’t get it. Am I not understanding something fully? It seems like one more digital distraction in my day. I’ve got enough on my plate as it is. But the rate at which people use it makes me think its not going away as fast as I once thought.

140 Characters — A Review

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:17:31 +0000

140 Characters manages to convey a magnificent vision of the capacity of the Short Form to convey all forms of knowledge, to incite, or delight, to challenge and support.

Humans Suck at Estimating Modern Odds

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:19:03 +0000

Bruce Schnier has given a similar talk in years past that I just loved. This one is Dan Gilbert talking at TED Global on the topic of how our ability to estimate risk/odds/value/etc. in our modern context just sucks.

I don’t easily stoop to using other people’s content on my blog, so please do cut me some slack on this one. Its just too important to paraphrase!

Ruby's 9th Kyu Test

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:36:51 +0000

Errata: I initially labeled this “Ruby’s 8th Kyu Test”, having counted backwards from 10. I forgot that she was a AikiExplorer before she was 10th Kyu. So when you see the movie title, you’ll know which to believe.

CupcakeCamp 2009

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:31:33 +0000

Today started off just like any other Sunday. We scrambled around to get dressed and ready for the Coffee Social and then to get Vick out the door to the Farmer’s Market. All of our friends came over for coffee and much fun was had. Then at 11:30 we kicked everyone out so we could hop a train to San Francisco.

We caught the 12:19 train to SF and hoofed it to Automatic @ Pier 38. We arrived just a few minutes before the Camp started and there was already a line out the door. At 2 (on the nose) the line started moving and within a few minutes we were all crowding the tables for the first round of cupcakes. Ruby and I opted for Taro cupcakes and I was quite surprised that I really liked it. Vick stood at table 3 and waited for the Cheesecake cupcakes but they never came.

Trick: E61 Dispersion Screen Replacement

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 07:36:51 +0000

I replace my dispersion screen every couple of months and I’m always disgusted by what I find on the other side of it. The screens and gaskets don’t cost much, but I always drag my heels because getting the darn things back in is just a tremendous pain in the butt.

Yesterday Olive and I decided it was time so we got our parts and tools together and set to work. I used the Flathead screwdriver on my handy Swiss Army knife to remove the old screen and gasket, and gave that to Olive to throw away. Then I put the gasket around the new screen and handed it to Olive to inspect, commenting on how nice and clean it was. I turned around for a moment and when I went back to the task the screen was gone. I asked Olive where it was and she jovially replied “ina dash”. As I was washing the screen I had a minor epiphany, if this thing were wet, I probably wouldn’t have to fight so hard to get it in place. And if wet is good, lubed would be better right.

Competition and the Ride Home

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:08:57 +0000

I have never considered myself to be a competitive person. Perhaps at one point I wasn’t, or perhaps I’ve just been deluding myself all this time. The first indisputable proof that I am indeed a competitive person came when I started riding my bike to work on a regular basis*. I noticed after only a few weeks that I just could not tolerate being passed, and had an unquenchable thirst to pass others.

Foodzie

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:45:41 +0000

This is just too good to simply post to Facebook and retweet on Twitter. I just found out that there is a food centric counterpart to one of our family’s favorite sites, Etsy. If you’re not familiar with Etsy, its an online storefront where artists and craftspeople can sell their wares to a voratious customer base. It seems some enterprising individual has extended the concept to food, and the result looks quite scrumptious. Check out Foodzie. If you decided to buy anything, please comment on your experience.

Single Origin Blend?

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:52:47 +0000

Last night I roasted up three batches of Yemen Mokha Ismaili (highlighted in my last post). The first batch was Full City + and the second and third were roasted all the way to Vienna (all roasts were at full heat). Today when it came time to grind it up for the trip I decided to mix the FC+ and Vienna roasts together. If the smell is anything to judge by I am going to be delighted with the results. Hopefully I’ll get the licorice/cinnamon, clove flavors of the bean ( which FC+ reveals best) and the deep chocolate/caramel/earth flavors of the Vienna roast.

September Roast Report

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 19:53:29 +0000

I posted my first roast report in March, right after I got my new roaster. Since then I’ve been so busy with roasting, entertaining, traveling, and life that I’ve not reported back. Well here it is.

Sometime in July I convinced Vick to let me take over a portion of the laundry room for my roast shop (gotta love the smell of burnt cardboard in your clothes). I moved a bunch of stuff around and finally got the roaster semi-permanently set up next to the microwave. With the scale and barrel stand on top of the microwave everything fits nicely and I don’t have to move a bunch of part in and out of the cupboards every time I want to make a batch. This dance was occurring every 4 or 5 days so it seemed like a worthwhile compromise to our anti-clutter rule. Now the only thing I have to do when its time to roast is pull the ducting up to the hanger and crack the window a bit.

TED India and Beyond

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:47:28 +0000

While I was on vacation, I received word that I had been invited to be a guest at TED India 2009. Tonight I completed the registration and made it official. My tickets are purchased and plans are being laid.

When I mentioned to my dad that I was almost certainly going to India, he told me that he had always wanted to go and got this far away look in his eye. I instantly extended an invitation to him, hoping that he would accept, but aware that it was a big lift for him. I was happily surprised when my Mom started to encourage him and he gradually agreed that this was the chance of a lifetime. Of course my parents have this habit of dreaming about things in a way that looks to outsiders like resolve, so I was optimistically skeptical until last week when we bought our plane tickets.

East Coast Family Vacation 2009

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:33:41 +0000

We just returned from a truly wonderful vacation. I took the family back East (Boston, Portland, Round Pond) for almost the whole month of August. We saw most of our family, got to welcome baby Jacob into the world, and many of our oldest friends.

It was a true vacation in every sense. The children both came into their own. Ruby, discovering her roll in our family (nuclear and extended), found her inner sweetness (best self) and showed an unexpected degree of maturity, self reliance, and empathy. This was best expressed when she was shepherding her sister around, pointing out dangers, explaining tricks and relationships, and helping her get her needs met.

Fixed Login Problem

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:17:37 +0000

I’ve received a few complaints lately regarding the gallery login. If you’ve tried to log in to see the photos, and found yourself redirected to a Profile Page, you will be pleased to hear that this problem has been “fixed”. The default behavior now will be to redirect you back to the home page where you can easily click on the gallery link again. Sorry for all of the confusion.

Trying Out SnapShots

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:18:24 +0000

UPDATE:
Based on feedback from @reese and Victoria, and my general sense that I was just doing this to avoid writing about something more interesting, I have removed the Snap plugin from this site. Phew. Read on if you must…

…I am trying out snap.com’s snapshots. Snapshots add seemingly cool mouseover popups to my links. . I’m interested to hear what my readers think? Is this intrusive, annoying, helpful. Please comment!

I Am A Radiant Being

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 22:16:09 +0000

Okay, I’m going to come right out and say this cheesy thing that sometimes runs through my mind. I am a radiant being. This is not to say that I am radiant and some other people are dull. I suspect that we are all radiant. In any case, that’s not the point of this post. This is the point. I want to believe that what I do for money is just one aspect of who I am, and what makes me valuable in this life.

Admitting Failure

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 10:10:29 +0000

I put this Title in my drafts folder on June 12th. Its been sitting there taunting me ever since. Then on Wednesday I attended a session at OSCON titled “Programmer Insecurity & The Genius Myth”. Ben Collins-Sussman and Brian Fitzpatrick talked to us about how our fear of looking like an idiot or not being taken seriously, or hubris, prevents us from admitting failure.

The following are my thoughts on this topic, which have recently been influenced and enhanced by Ben and Brian.

Amazon's Orwell Debacle: Afterthought

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 16:02:54 +0000

As the flame of this debacle grows dim, I find myself still bothered by the misrepresentation and poor fact checking done by fellow bloggers and reporters. Case in point…

A lot of people are trying to link this unfortunate episode to DRM. While I oppose DRM, and think that Amazon has squandered what little possible benefit DRM offers the consumer, this is quite clearly not at DRM issue. Digital Rights Management is concerned with access control, and specifically with limiting the ability of the consumer to copy and transmit copyrighted materials. Most people dislike DRM (possibly without know much about it) and therefore bloggers and the media have co-opted the term in hopes of raising our hackles. I post this short afterthought in hopes of settling your DRM hackles back down, at least on this count.

Simple Kindle Backup

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:17:31 +0000

This week Amazon pulled a surprisingly ironic move. It removed an unauthorized version of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal farm from all connected Kindles. Its important to note that these books were uploaded to the Kindle Store by a company that did not own the rights. Regardless, the move angered and frighted Kindle many users.

There are countless newspaper articles, blog posts and tweets on the irony, legality and fairness of this move, so I won’t say more about that here. What I will do is provide a solution to this problem. I’m not using (or supporting) Windows anymore, so this solution will only work for you if have a Mac or Linux box.

Forgeover: Now Available in 42 Languages

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:31:48 +0000

Thanks to the fantastic Global Translator Plugin, my site is now available in 42 languages. You can have the site translated to your language by appending your country code to the domain, or clicking one of the flags above. For example /es will give you the homepage in Spanish. The first time a page is translated it takes a while to build, so Global Translator gives you the google translation page while you wait. A Dutch speaking friend verified that that translation looked okay, if you are fluent in one of the 42 languages, I would love some feedback on translation quality (and mistakes).

Being Your Best Self

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:24:22 +0000

I’m a crunchy, touchy feelie, hippie parent. As such its often hard to come up with just the right words to tell your kid that biting her mom and laughing about it makes you wildly, furiously, and deeply unhappy. As a hippie, touchy feelie, AP, parent you are not, for example supposed to say “Do that again and you’re out of the family.” Nor is it encouraged to shout “Are you insane?” It’s just not the thing. Conversely the suggested mantras “Biting is not okay” and “We don’t bite sweetie,” just don’t really satisfy the deep, furious, wild feelings that are floating around the house at such moments.

My Free Kindle Book Recipe

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:59:50 +0000

I love my Kindle. I knew that I would, because I borrowed my friends for a few weeks and read a book on it. I was worried about the lack of a “Kindle Public Library” and the whole loaning and selling Kindle books thing until I rediscovered Project Gutenberg, and Feedbooks.

To be honest, while I knew about Project Gutenberg before, I didn’t really have a use for it until I had a dedicated reader. I mean, who wants to read a book at your computer. Even on a laptop its no fun. But with a svelte, light, non-backlit reader in my hands, the out-of-copyright and CC world are my oyster.

Putting the Kids to Sleep

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:41:17 +0000

Tonight, for the first time ever, I put both kids to sleep without help. Ruby went down first. I read her One Morning in Maine, and held her for a few minutes. Initially she wanted me to go away right after I was done reading, but I gave a disappointed sound and she consented to letting me hold her for “one minute”. I swear she counted seconds, because she kicked me out before I fell asleep (which generally happens around minute 4).

Dancing Balloons

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:13:09 +0000

Throw a Party, Invite the World

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:53:44 +0000

Years ago Victoria and I heard about a long standing Bay Area soup night. The premise is that the host makes a big pot of soup and invites anyone to come eat. Some people bring other food, others just eat. Since there is no controlling who came there are endless possibilities for social and intellectual cross-pollination . This idea settled deep into my consciousness and made a home. I’ve been carrying it with me for years, and talking about it from time to time.

Father's Day @ Hidden Villa

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:38:05 +0000

I started out the day, as I do most every Sunday, with the Coffee Social. Since the kids are finally over the chicken-pox we had a great turnout, and I got to spend most of the morning lounging around with coffee, chocolate crossiants, and friends. Early naps provided a little needed excuse to read more of my latest addiction .

Somewhere around 4 we packed up our things and headed over to Hidden Villa for the Banana Slug String Band’s Annual Father’s Day concert. I don’t know why I love this event so much. Maybe its sitting on the most lucious green organic lawn in the world, embraced by mountains all around. Maybe its the huge jar of margaritas Vick brought. Perhaps its the happy kids (myself included) running around without a care in the world. Whatever it is, I really look forward to this event. Every year I meet a couple of other dads that seem genuinely happy to be fathers.

Apple Color Picker Magic

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:33:27 +0000

I often have trouble coming up with good color palettes for my themes, icons, and applications. I think I have a good enough sense for what looks good together and for finding tones and hues that match the mood of said app, theme, or icon, but it always takes me hours to identify the colors on the color wheel or spectrum.

Last night, quite by accident, I found a solution to this conundrum that may make my life quite a bit easier.

Bacon or Meatballs, What Makes a Better Sundae?

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:15:35 +0000

I haven’t actually read this book, but I found the title intriguing. The title suggests that if you aren’t paying attention to your customers needs, then you may find yourself putting whipped cream and a cherry on a meatball. When I read the title, I had two strong and immediate impressions.

First, “yuck.” I said it out loud. Ruby, of course, asked what I was talking about. I told her the title, and asked if she would like a meatball sundae. “No way,” she replied " I would want a meatball plain and cherries and whipped cream plain too."

New Blog Engine

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:23:50 +0000

Hey there cherished reader, I bet you’re wondering where the photos went. How do I know, because you’ve both called me and asked, that’s how. Well here’s the scoop. I’ve migrated my blog over to wordpress. This is going to have lots of benefits for all of us, not the least of which is that my blog and photos will be much more tightly coupled now. What this means for you is that you’ll have to create a new login. Go on up to the navigation bar and click on login. Then register. You can even sign up to get e-mail notifications when new blog posts go up, how cool is that?

Personal Philanthropy

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 08:57:06 +0000

I was talking with one of my fellow Akidoists last week about how much trouble he has had raising money for the Aids Ride. We speculated that, with the downturn in economy people are giving less. I started to wonder about this (aloud of course), and kept thinking about it afterward.

As Chris Guillebeau points out many times on his website, if you are reading this, you are likely very rich. You are in fact, likely to find yourself in the top 1-10% of the worlds richest people. Regardless of how you feel about economic equity it is more likely than not that you’ll agree that we at the peak of the wealth pyramid are standing atop a wide base. That base supports us in ways that I can scarcely comprehend, but in many ways it needs our support as well.

Ruby Writes a Story

Wed, 06 May 2009 08:43:19 +0000

Once upon a time a bunny was hiding in a bush. It was sunny then started to rain. Butterflies came. A pig came. The pig was pink. She needed something to eat, but she couldn’t find anything so she kept looking. She smelled something good. It was a carrot. The bunny tried to find a carrot too but she found the pig’s carrot. The pig wanted the carrot and they couldn’t work it out so the bunny kept walking and found another carrot. It wasn’t anyone’s so she ate it all up.

Vick-e-Ohs

Fri, 01 May 2009 07:26:19 +0000

Last night after the kids went to bed Vick whipped up a batch of Oreo analogs that are so good that they may simultaneously cure cancer and bring peace to the world. Since words can not describe their splendor, I’m attaching a photo. If you’re in the US, I recommend stopping by.

Pretty Much Sums It Up

Fri, 01 May 2009 07:15:51 +0000

“If a man must be obsessed by something,
I suppose a boat is as good as anything,
perhaps a bit better than most.
A small sailing craft is not only beautiful,
it is seductive and full of strange promise and the hint of trouble.”

E. B. White, The Sea and the Wind that Blows 1077

Parenting: What I've learned so far

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:46:41 +0000

Basically, what I’ve learned so far boils down to this. Parenting is not so much about managing your children, as it is about managing yourself. For example, in our family the kids wake up every morning (in the winter) at 6:30. 6:30 wake up calls make me a bit grumpy, so I could either: a) yell at the kids to leave me alone or; b) go to sleep earlier so that I’m not so tired at 6:30.

Productivity: The One Pen Challenge

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:46:01 +0000

A few weeks ago at our Coffee Social, a friend needed to write something down. Paper is everywhere in our house, so that was easy to come by. He naturally reached over and grabbed my fountain pen, which was sitting on the table beside him. I (too) quickly snatched my pen back and then gently explained that the nib of a fountain pen is a very personal thing, blah blah blah. We then confonded our guests and caused a bit of a stir when we had trouble locating another writing device. Eventually we resolved the problem by borrowing a marker or crayon from Ruby.

Ruby Solved the Global Pirate Problem

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 08:07:40 +0000

After days of contemplation and discussion, I believe that Ruby has finally solved the pirate problem, for everyone.

Ruby: I know, lets make a flag with a cake on it. I’ll make my favorite cake (chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkles and flowers on top) and we’ll put the flag up. Then the pirates will know that we have cake and they can come over and eat it. Then they will like us and won’t eat us or take our boat.

Ruby Dispatches Pirates

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:08:37 +0000

While we were eating dinner tonight (hamburgers… yes its relevant) the subject of pirates came up. Ruby is very concerned about pirates, and how they might steal her or eat her. She asked what we were going to do about pirates, so we (of course) took the opportunity to turn the question around…

Parent: Do you have any ideas Ruby?

Ruby (immediately) : I know, we could make a note that says “Pirates don’t steal our boat”, and we could put it in a bottle and send it to them, and then they wouldn’t steal our boat.

Monte Bello Test Hike

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 23:14:27 +0000

On Sunday Ruby and I headed out for a test hike in Monte Bello Openspace Preserve. The hike starts a few thousand feet up, close to skyline, and heads deep into the mountains above Silicon Valley. I was impressed with Ruby’s ability to hike for several miles (4 to be precise) without a complaint. The hike was a consistently steep upward slog on the way in, and a nice downhill run on the way out. We stopped about every quarter mile for a snack. I’m not sure that Ruby was tired, or hungry. I got the feeling that she just liked making camp for a minute. Some of our snack stops were barely enough time to catch our breath, but it seemed to be enough for the boo. Here’s a picture of us at the “Last Muffin Stop” which was actually the third from last break of the hike.

Victoria's Latest Sewing Project

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 08:17:01 +0000

When we were over at our friends house a few weeks ago ruby fell in love with a nightgown. Last week Ruby and Vick went fabric shopping and by Friday, Ruby had her first nightgown. I think its quite the item.

Secret Garden

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:44:23 +0000

Victoria and I built a secret garden in our back “yard” yesterday. Vick has been talking about this for a few weeks/months now and the weather and my new found productivity finally converged in a favorable way. I can’t wait to see what it looks like in bloom.

Losing Carma

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:11:17 +0000

Tonight I said goodbye to Kristy our hair stylist of 10 years. It was – oddly – the hardest thing I’ve done in quite a while. Carma Hair Company is in San Bruno, a one hour drive during rush hour. We have been commuting between thirty minutes and one hour for about seven years, and it just got to be too much to justify. What we’re saying goodbye to is a salon that treats its customers like extended family, and the easy comfort of a big thanksgiving dinner. I’m going to miss the playful banter, what-ifs and did-you-hears that every trip promised. Goodbye Carma, I hope to be back someday!

Ruby Earns Her Yellow Belt

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:57:22 +0000

I was as surprised as anyone when Ruby was called up to test tonight. She was asked to perform four forms and do some rolls. I was completely floored when she executed two forms that I didn’t even realize she could do. Her Uke (Jonathan) was fantastic, as usual, and really helped her to be her best, but in the end, it was all Ruby. She is now 10th Kyu. Congratulations sweetheart!

Ruby and the Jedi Mind Trick

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:36:25 +0000

It all started last weekend when Ruby and Anika started angling for a sleepover
No Ru, you didn’t have a nap today and it just wouldn’t be a good idea, Vick calmly states.
I will have a sleepover, Ruby corrects.
Ruby, listen to your moma, she said no, says I.
Daddy, Anika and I will have a sleepover tonight, she insists

I don’t know exactly how it happened but the next thing we know Jennifer is trying to figure out how to ride three kids home on her bike, and we were all happily joking about the padawan in our midst. The force is strong with this one. After three or four more successful executions of her new skill, I felt compelled to impress upon her that no sometimes does mean no. You can guess how that went.

Halfy Birthday to Olive

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:29:05 +0000

Olive rang in her 1.5 year birthday like a princess. I arrived home to both kids yelling “ta-da” and showing me their beautifully painted faces. .
We had some wonderful fajitas for dinner and then a 6 minute chocolate cake with home made whipped cream for desert. Olive reveled while Ruby led the group in a round of Halfy Birthday to Olive…

Roast Report

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:48:42 +0000

Last night I roasted my first batch of coffee in 5 years. It was a Sulawesi Enrekang “Mount Alla” (from Sweet Maria’s, of course). I roasted it to Full City, as recommended. The first shot was sweet, earthy and fruited (apparently fruity isn’t good), with a tiny bit of sour. The sour was most likely due to extraction, and not a characteristic of the roast or origin. All in all I was quite pleased.

My Talk

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 14:38:57 +0000

Sunday Morning Coffee Social

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:50:05 +0000

For the longest time after moving to California, Vick and I were convinced that this was a state (or at least a region) that seriously undervalued community. We were more than a little surprised to find, once Victoria got pregnant, that their was this completely amazing virtual community of parents hidden, Hogwarts style, from our view all that time.

Now years after our first child was born, we’re grateful to be surrounded by wonderful and supportive friends (some even without children), and a strong community. So partly as a celebration of that good fortune, and partly to bolster and encourage a stronger sense of community, we’ve started to hold a weekly Coffee Social.

Making the World More Beautiful

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:48:10 +0000

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I’m going to leave this world better than I found it. This is a bugaboo of a thing to spend any time worrying about because the scope is grossly un-bracketed. I could satisfy my sense of social responsibility by creating an organization that brings food or educational resources to third world countries, or by raising two fantastic children who carry forward the same desire to do good.