Wrapping Up in Panama: Final Projects Before the Big Leap Panama has been a whirlwind, but we’re down to our final two major projects before setting sail across the Pacific. First, we’re replacing the standing rigging—a critical upgrade for safety on such a long passage. Second, we’re installing a new solar panel arch and adding…
Tag: blue water sailing
Stranded in Panama: The Unexpected Challenges of Preparing for a Pacific Crossing
The Reality of Boat Repairs in Foreign Countries Sailing around the world is an adventure of a lifetime, but preparing a boat for a Pacific crossing comes with its fair share of challenges—especially when you’re stuck in a foreign country waiting on repairs and parts. We’ve been in Panama since December, dealing with unexpected delays,…
Welcome to Sailmates Kids!
Chapter 1: Meet Captain Dan – The Sailing Expert 🧭 Dan is an experienced boat captain who graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy. He knows everything about ships—how to sail them, how to fix them, and how to navigate safely across vast oceans. 🛠️ On a sailboat, things break all the time! That’s why sailors…
5 Must-Have Skills For Living Aboard a Boat with Your Husband – You Might Be Surprised
Living aboard a boat with your spouse can be an adventure in the truest sense—both exhilarating and potentially disastrous. You’re in close quarters, sometimes isolated for weeks, and at sea, things can get a little… tense. It turns out that seemingly trivial, everyday tasks can become huge, relationship-testing battles when your home is 35…
Back to Panama!
An Epic Homecoming and New Horizons: Sailing, Family, and Writing The holidays always hold a special kind of magic, but this year, our journey added an epic twist to the season. After safely tucking our boat into Vista Mar Marina following our unforgettable Panama Canal transit, we traded life afloat for the skies, flying back…
Seven Years Afloat: Gratitude, Adventures, and What’s Next
Seven years. It’s hard to believe that much time has passed since we cast off our dock lines and began this monumental, life-changing circumnavigation. Reflecting on these years, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the unwavering support of our friends, family, and followers. Your encouragement through the highs and lows of this journey has been…
Crossing the Panama Canal: Sailing into the Pacific
Leaving familiar horizons to sail into new oceans is to embrace the thrill of discovery—where forgotten islands whisper stories of a world untouched by time.” BIG Changes Coming for Equus For the past seven years, we’ve been navigating the familiar waters of the Atlantic and Mediterranean, a sailing playground stretching between the USA and…
The 1, 2, 3s of the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao)
Bonaire After our long delay in Cape Verde waiting for our new autopilot, we finally got our weather window to make the 1,800-mile voyage across the Atlantic. We made landfall in Barbados and reacquainted ourselves with the warm, crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean, the steady breezes, and the spectacular sunsets. We had previously sailed the…
Crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean: The Beauty, the Unexpected, and Chaos
“In the vastness of the sea, we find our strength not just in calm waters, but in the storms that test our resolve.” Alison Gieschen It has been a while since my last…
Stranded in Cape Verde
To make a recap my last blog post, Sailing to Cape Verde, the start of the voyage began with intentions of a direct crossing to the Caribbean. We were well provisioned, all systems functioning, and we were eager to get to the next phase of our circumnavigation. We had been forced to wait a month…