Close to nature and at her whim
A list of practical things onboard for the galley Stainless Steel Non-Stick Nesting Pots – 4 pots and one pan, high quality, with ceramic interior is better than stainless, because it’s easier to clean (less water) all need just a wipe down and quick …
A list of practical things onboard all about water & water proofing Aquaboot Sprayer – large vacuum pump button on the bottle, long spray time saves water on washing dishes to cooling mist showers. link here LifeProof Cases – for phones, iPads are a lifesaver, …
A list of practical things for boat keeping Vinegar – disinfectant and cleaner for galley and head. Spray the outside of a loaf of bread to prevent fast molding. Dr. Bronner’s Soap – best biodegradable soap for body and boat diluted with water. link here …
A list of practical things onboard for the cabin Carbon Monoxide Detector – detects the non-smelling fatal gas. Must Have Safety Item! link here Fleece Blankets – can’t have enough: for night watches, warms even when moist, absorb moisture. We cover all our bunks and …
It is not easy to care about others when all you’re doing is fight for your own survival. This is how capitalism can make people heartless and even stupid. I am still shaken up after a discussion I had today with a local urban camper. …
The hardest thing to do is letting others be, to be themselves or versions thereof. We are all trying. Trying for something. To live as we best can, we give our best at any given moment. For others, especially family and friends, this is sometimes …
On overnight passages we keep watch in shifts. After dinner one of us says goodnight. The other keeps us safe and stays up with a multitude of entertainment be it listening to the waves splashing off the bow and curling along the boat, trimming sails, …
Ísla Partida has a thriving bat population. Uniquely adapted, these bats catch and eat fish with long clawed feet and carry their catch in a pouch between their legs and wings. An ocean upwelling nearby provides constant supply of the little fish these bats feed on. The …
Puerto Escondido’s natural harbor was beautiful as ever. Sunrises are especially serene there; the morning sky rises framed by two windows formed by hills enclosing the bay. The marina changed owners; a private company bought the land and harbor from Fonatur, a state-run network of marinas. …
I cannot help but wonder if everything we have been taught about a successful life is nothing but a big scheme. It seems that only a few and, most often, other people profit from it not us. The perfect life, money and success is dangled in …
We had a nice long stay in La Paz this time, we even afforded ourselves the luxury of staying in a marina for a month. From our slip we had a view of Bahia La Paz, the malecon and the town. At night the town …
My dad was born on the Baltic Sea in the Prussian town of Elbing, the Polish Elbląg, and grew up in the nearby port town of Königsberg, now Kaliningrad in Russia. His father was a sailor and captain from whom my father learned to love …
Bamboo is one of the most sustainable source of fiber made into fabrics to date. This is the one product you want to buy from China, as bamboo originates there. It grows very fast, vertically, is easy to harvest and has a immense crop yield …
A place of peaceful beauty, Mazatlán lies at the Southern Sea of Cortez on mainland Mexico. Mazatlán means ‘place of the deer’ in Nahuatl, spoken by the native Indian tribe. Later the French coined it the ‘Pearl of the Sea of Cortez’. The perfect place …
Thousands of birds, circling in the sky, nesting, fishing. Day and night, Ísla Ísabel is teaming with life. We have seen some nature along the way, but this island topped it all. Ísla Ísabel lies twenty miles off the mainland of Pacific Mexico and because …
La Paz lies behind an inlet and a large sandbank. Boats anchored in the bay are protected from swell unless it travels exactly the direction of the channel. The channel also funnels the tides and current, which makes the boats swing at anchor and not, …
Playa La Bonanza/ Ísla Espirito Santo Very large scenic bay with long white sand beach and turquoise water. Snorkeling reefs on both ends of the bay. Good protection of N winds and swell at N side of bay. We came in against 16 knots of …
They say, when sailing, you will get to know your limits. I have last night! Feels like shit, when you hit it, and everything around you comes crashing down. That is what rock bottom is. On rocky bottom no anchor holds, so you put down …
We entered the Sea of Cortez at Cabo San Lucas in April 2016 after sailing down the Pacific side of Baja California. Leaving the big ocean behind, it got instantly warm. We spent the next two summers in the Sea and were loving it! Called ‘aquarium …
Santa Rosalia Fuel dock. There is space to anchor in the port at the far side. We heard that there is a lot of debris on the harbor bottom and anchor retrieval might be difficult. There is also a protected bay outside the port. We …
We left Santa Rosalia early after a short night sleep, because I was editing, formatting and uploading pictures and finally posting the last posts around midnight. Radu was preparing the boat, checking systems. On any passage we have a berth prepared for sleeping including a …
Yesterday, we hung out with Lupe. Lupe opened the one and only restaurant in Bahía San Evaristo two years ago. Cruisers, who anchor in this bay every year, encouraged this small fishing village of around a hundred souls to cater to the passing boats and …
You think you can sail off into the sunset. Some can, some can’t. Most are too happy with life on land. They might complain a lot about it, might dream of freedom and sailing, but in the end on land is where they belong. On …
Tiny living come in all forms, can be on land or on water, mobile or permanent. Tiny is making an impact. It’s a game changer. Tiny houses are now trendy in the US. So trendy that there is a program on the American Home&Garden cable …
Since this night I can attest to, that the most important crew on board is the bilge pump. We are motoring, because there is absolutely no wind, unfortunately, because a little while back a seam in our engines muffler box gave out and seawater is …
We left Puerto Penasco for Puerto Refugio, a passage of 106 nmiles, an overnighter, big sea with about 6-8 foot waves in 10-15 kn of NW winds for the first 8 hours. Puerto Refugio We were here before in south west wind and had anchored …
It was a short sail over to Bahía Kino, past a rock formation the Seri call Ak Akeem and another, which looks like a sphinx from one side and like a turtle coming the other way. No wonder that both have a special place in …
