“There is, one knows not what sweet mystery about the sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath.” Herman Melville There is only one certainty when completing an ocean passage. Nothing will go as expected. From the first day you set out, you can pretty much throw all expectations out…
Sailing to the Azores has been one of the highlights of our sailing adventure thus far. We have experienced the beauty of the American and British Virgin Islands, and while the Bahamas, Cuba, Bermuda, New England, were all spectacular in their own way, the Azores brought us to a new level of awe. The Azores…
“And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who sailed into it.” Haruki Murakami To…
“It seems that all tropical islands are beautiful. Each is equipped with picturesque beaches, swaying palm trees, quaint towns, and intriguing cultures. Then, you stumble onto that one particular island that captures your heart and takes your breath away. For us, that island was Dominica.” ~ Alison Gieschen Our voyage thus far has had more…
“Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you’re alive, it isn’t.” Richard Bach Getting to the Virgin Islands was supposed to be the hard part. Once safely situated in the midst of these gorgeous, green, mountainous islands, surrounded by cerulean blue waters, vibrant sea life, luxuriously soft…
“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt After spending an unplanned month on the island of Bermuda, the stars aligned, everything we were waiting for came together. It was time to continue our journey….
“When something goes wrong in your life, just yell ‘Plot Twist’ and move on…” Anonymous After 5 days at sea in challenging weather, the sight of land peering at us across a misty, wave strewn horizon, was a welcome sight. The stormy entrance to this island perched in the middle of the sea was…
“There is a point when facing the unknown stops becoming an adventure and becomes a frightening reality. It’s then that you make a decision about your personal strength. Being strong doesn’t mean you won’t be afraid, you just have to decide if you will succumb to that fear, or you will rise above it and…
“Absolute calm is not the law of the ocean and its the same with every department of life.” Gandhi One year ago this month, we were eagerly preparing for our first crossing in our Taswell 43. With a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and a little anxiety, we did our best to prepare for…
“The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” Epictetus Our southern track took us down the coast of New England, our destination Charleston, SC. We hopped each night into harbors and anchored overnight until the last leg of the passage where we headed offshore…