Every year, a flurry of excitement engulfs the Canary Islands as sailors from around the globe converge in this Atlantic archipelago, gearing up for the epic sailing rite of passage, crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean. The Canaries, famous for their expansive harbors and comprehensive marine facilities, serve as the perfect staging area for sailors…
“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” ― Roy T. Bennett Today, I chose happiness. I may rant about the trouble we’ve had leaving the country of Spain, and their…
“May the winds of adventure carry you to the Canary Islands, where each island is a chapter, and every wave whispers tales of timeless exploration.” Alison Gieschen We spent two seasons sailing Portugal, Spain, and the Mediterranean. When it came to time to take the pilgrimage to the Canary Islands to prep for crossing…
Winston Churchill: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” When you decide to move aboard a sailboat and make it your permanent residence, you must make many important preparations: boat equipment, cooking utensils, clothing, food storage, safety equipment, etc. What many couples don’t realize is…
“Our plans are often a loose interpretation of our intended route. As always, my motto is, as long as we are still alive, still in love, and still afloat, it’s all good. We get wherever we are going when we get there.” Alison Gieschen Once again. This played true. Dan finally found a five-day…
Ah, the pitfalls of boat parts. When you’ve been sailing long enough, you know the motto, “It’s not if, it’s when” an essential part on your boat will break. Even though you may have a spare part for just about every system on your boat, there will always be something that breaks that you didn’t…
“Patience Is Not the Ability to Wait: Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly take action to turn it into positive growth, and opportunities, and have faith to believe that it will all work out in the end while you are waiting.” ― Roy T. Bennett It’s been quite a while since…
We began our blue water cruising adventures in 2017. Bright-eyed, optimistic, and confident in our knowledge of the resources and equipment we needed to set off on our circumnavigation, we cast off the dock lines owning only what fit aboard our 43-foot Taswell cutter rig. Our research on cruising was extensive. We took a 1,000-mile…
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ernest Hemingway Our journey in the Med ended as we prepared for our: Sailing Adventures to Morocco: Exploring the Vibrant Mediterranean Coast. We had worked our way east after leaving the safe harbor…
Actually, orcas aren’t quite as complex as scientists imagine. Most killer whales are just four tons of doofus dressed up like a police car. Christopher Moore If you are planning on sailing along the Atlantic coast of Spain or Portugal, you might want to keep an eye out for some unexpected visitors: orcas, also…