The Night Watch
Day: 14, Time: 23:32, 501 nm to destination Nuku Hiva TWS 19, AWS 11, COG 256D, SOG 9.4kt, Position S 7D 53 W 131D 46 It is a moonless night. I sit at the helm station, staring into a void…
Humans are Guests Here
Too anxious and tearful to look into the camera lens for our pre-departure photo, I suggested Michael and I look at each other; his face was what I needed to feel ready. At 11:30, we departed Isabela, Galapagos, 0° 58S…
Panama to Galapagos
Tonight, the ocean is the most peaceful place on earth, and I am alone but not lonely. Michael has gone to sleep, and the moon is not yet awake, so it’s just me and the stars. We’re en route to…
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal Transit in two paragraphs Sailboats like Gerty begin the Panama Canal transit behind a ship. The forward view is completely obstructed. So at first, mariners tend to look behind at the closing iron doors and watch the…
Skeg Replacement
Some boatyards are better than others for living aboard. Our experience in Spain was better than Tunisia's, and our Panama situation has been the most comfortable so far. It’s like this: Gerty is hauled out of the water to repair…
Guna Yala
Since we were in The Gambia, I have not needed to whittle my thoughts down to mere chapters. Moments in time are all I can share with you because, in Guna Yala, there is too much wonderful to put into…
To Panama
When the sun sets, if we're not in a harbor, we're on a mission to get to one. Although the open ocean brings a blue world steeped in natural beauty, it's also wearing. On day four, we ache. Gravity feels…
Building Bridges
Earlier today, an egg escaped from its plastic nest, jumped out of the refrigerator, and landed on the port hull step. It cracked, and its innards oozed into the crevices of the emergency hatch below. It was a classic boat-passage…
Bahamas
The Bahamas to Puerto Rico Ships log: January 28, 2024, 01:22 N 23° 35.60' W 75° 30.65' TWS 9.9 TWD 188 AWS 8.5 SOG 8.2 It’s sunny, we’re flying over smooth seas, and the captain is happy. It’s hard to…
Scorpion Stings
This morning is a Bahama best. A full moon hangs high in the northwest sky while a blazing sun wakes low in the east. The air is pinkurple. I hear nothing but Gerty's clean hulls slipping through the rippling water…
Leslie and Jeremy
Ships Log: 11/12/2023 14:45 Jekyll Island, Georgia to St. Augustine, Florida. N 30 11’ W 81 18’ TWS 17.8 AWS 8.0 AWA 175 SOG 8.0. Downwind sailing with jibes. 50 years of friendship + 2 husbands + 4 kids =…
Jenny & Domingo
Ships Log 11/03/202 13:30 N 33 09' W77 54' Hampton, Virginia to St. Simon's, Georgia. Jibed to port tack. Still wing-on-wing to avoid Cape Fear. There is no doubt that since we met thirty-four years ago at PENN, Jenny and…