There comes a time in every cruise, I imagine, where ready or not one needs to head in the direction of home. And so it was for us a few weeks ago. Since we began this winter sabbatical in November, all of my thoughts have been with getting south. Turning north again seemed like an afterthought, something that was really far away. But here we are, back in Cocoa, Florida, closing a circle of sorts from our track through here in mid-January.

We left George Town, in the southern Bahamas, several weeks ago knowing that we needed to be back in the States by roughly the second week in March. Our weather window looked decent for a run back up the chain, and we did it with only a few stops, futilely trying to stay in “cruising” mode instead of “delivery” mode. We knew we needed to stop at Black Point, mostly because our laundry situation was completely out of hand (we’d been losing ground for a few weeks by only doing scant loads in the sink by hand. It was time to bring in the big guns — real washing machines).

From the cruiser mindset, the small settlement of Black Point has lots going for it, namely the gorgeous laundromat with a dinghy dock. But on our way there, passing the southern end of the backside of Great Guana Cay, I suggested that we stop for the night in a more secluded anchorage before heading into busy Black Point the next day. This proved to be a great decision as this was one of the most beautiful nights of our entire trip, hands down. Caitlin and Juliana helped gather driftwood and we built a nice fire on the beach and even cooked our dinner on it. To top it off, the sunset even had the elusive green flash– only the second one I’ve seen in my lifetime.

A gorgeous sail up to Highborne Cay came after laundry day. We dropped anchor close to a reef so we could swim over to it for a last dose of snorkeling. I should mention that I had a small “bucket list” of sorts of things that I still hoped for before leaving the Bahamas – I wanted to spot a sea turtle, preferably while snorkeling, see a tropicbird, and have a Nassau grouper for dinner. Remarkably all these things happened in a 24-hour period. The reef by Highbourne was surprisingly vibrant and seemed healthy. The enormous loggerhead turtle that I saw there was resting on the bottom, and fortunately wasn’t spooked by our presence, so the kids got to check him out too. The next day while sailing to Nassau, we were threading our way around coral heads on the Yellow Bank when Green says that he’s going to jump overboard on one of the heads and try for a grouper as this was likely our last chance. I had my doubts whether he’d be successful (our fishing luck on this journey has been less than stellar). Within minutes of jumping in on the second head, however, I ate my words as I spot Green swimming back to the boat – with a gorgeous Nassau grouper on the end of his spear. Dinner that night was a delicious feast and the perfect ending to our time in the Bahamas.

With time not on our side, we left Nassau for our passage to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Since we are heading back north, we decided to ride the Gulf Stream a little bit instead of heading back to Lauderdale. The crossing was our longest one so far with the kids — two nights, two days. The first night, when we were sailing across the banks was gorgeous — absolutely everything one could want in a night sail: flat water, good breeze from aft of the beam, stars to the horizon, excellent boat speed, minimal traffic. In a word, magic. The Stream crossing was less so, with the seas still lumpy and confused from the strong northerly the day before. But it didn’t last long, and it was daylight, so there’s that. After an uneventful night motorsailing up the coast, we made it to the inlet at Cape Canaveral by mid morning and were done with customs formalities by lunch time. The kids did great on the passage (each overnight has been getting easier), but we parents still ended up incredibly tired.

And there we were, anchored in Cocoa, Florida, roughly 6 weeks after we left. Our time in the Bahamas was even better than I thought it would be (with our time constraints, I’d had my doubts if we’d even make it past the Berry Islands), with better swimming and sailing than I could have hoped for and some great new friends and experiences for the girls (well, all of us really).

With my apologies to Bilbo over the title of this post, while we may not have slain any dragons on our adventure, we certainly are coming home with plenty of treasures.

The post There and Back Again appeared first on Cruising World.

At Home Afloat, birthday

“What are we going to do for Caitlin’s birthday???”

It was more rhetorical than an actual question, but Green took it in stride. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe meet up with some kids and they can all play on the beach or something.”

Mind you, our daughter’s 9th birthday was less than a week away, and we were the sole boat anchored in a lovely spot in the Bahamas’ Exuma islands. Caitlin was getting a little nervous about what she was perceiving as a lack of birthday planning going on, and rightfully so.

Turns out, neither of us needed to worry — here we are, a week later and last night, she had one of the coolest birthday parties ever. After nearly a week anchored off the busy-but-wonderful community of Black Point (a separate blog post entirely), we spent the weekend alone in quiet anchorages and enjoyed some great sailing and swimming before making our way to George Town, which now seems downright metropolitan compared to the rest of the Exumas. Say what you will about George Town and its sticky bottom (Chicken Harbor! Summer Camp!), I have yet to come across a place with as many cruising kids — perfect for finding pals for my daughters, and a potential party.

We arrived in George Town last Monday after a beat to windward and promptly began our search for where the kids hang out, which didn’t take long at all. And that brings us to today – a week later. Caitlin’s already participated in two sleepovers and several beach and boat play times. Juliana too. It all culminated last night, on Caitlin’s 9th birthday. We met up with several other cruising families at Flip Flop Beach on Stocking Island, which is pretty much made for beach parties — there’s a table and benches under a tiki hut and big fire pit too. Instead of a typical cruiser potluck, this turned into more of a feast — a gumbo made with lobster caught that day, lots of chicken, hotdogs, and sausages on the grill, and cake, of course. The kids delighted in the fire and in romping down the beach, giving the adults time to hang out. Caitlin received some absolutely lovely homemade cards and gifts, which were totally unexpected, but completely appreciated.

On the dinghy ride home, I had a chance to take in the calm night and the sheer number of anchor lights in the harbor — Caitlin described it as a galaxy — and that we chose this life not just to experience cool new places, but also to connect with some other families who have chosen a life less ordinary. It blows my mind that all of the folks that celebrated Caitlin’s big day with us last night were strangers to us just days before. But strangers no more.

The post Bahamas Birthday Party appeared first on Cruising World.

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Great Sale Cay

Foxtown, Bahamas

Rock Sound, Bahamas

Bimini Blues

Shroud Cay, Bahamas

swimming pig

Abacos beach

Warderick Wells Cay

Governor’s Harbor, Eleuthera

Abacos Islands

Hope Town Light

Elbow Cay, Bahamas

Warderick Wells Park Welcome Center in the Exumas

Pearson Vanguard

Green Cay, Bahamas

Colorful Nassau

Thunderball Groto

Fisher’s Bay

Little Bahama Bank

Great Guana Key, Abacos

Starfish in Elbow Cay, Bahamas

Stocking Island, Georgetown

Bahamas

The post Sailing the Bahamas appeared first on Cruising World.

Just an overnight sail away from busy South Florida lies some of the arguably best cruising to be found anywhere. Indeed I am certain that more than one sailing dream (I can’t be the only one) has been launched in response to the magazine photos of perfect white-sand beaches and idyllic anchorages.

If you’ve never cruised the Bahamas before, you may be wondering what the “best” islands are or what the sailing conditions might be like. To address these questions and more, I’ve put together this intro to cruising the Bahamas. (Of course, the Bahamas are such a huge area, and I can’t really cover everything here, so if you have a question, please feel free to email me and I will update this with a Q&A!)

While I’ve cruised the Bahamas in pretty much every season except for fall, winter is by far the most common time that people go. From the holidays through April, it’s not uncommon to share a popular anchorage with dozens (or in the case of George Town, hundreds) of other boats, while in the summer, you might have the place to yourself.

Getting There

If a winter in the Bahamas is in your plan — either as your ultimate destination, or as an island hop down the thorny path to the Caribbean — you’ll probably want to be crossing over from the East Coast sometime in November. While you can cross from pretty much anywhere south of say, Hatteras, my favorite jumping-off point is South Florida, and the more south you go, the easier your crossing will be. For example, if you want to check in at Bimini or Cat Cay, consider leaving from around Key Largo. If the Abacos are your initial destination, leaving from Miami or even Fort Lauderdale will allow you to ride the Gulf Stream for a bit. It is possible to go more or less straight across the Stream, but you should have plenty of fuel aboard. My husband and I have taken our ketch, Lyra, to the Bahamas, once from Fort Lauderdale, and once from Port Canaveral (heading south along the coast, inside the Stream, before turning towards the islands). Both times we went straight to Nassau to clear in, although when we left from Canaveral, stopping in West End or Freeport, would have been quicker (we were eager to make our way south, so chose to head to Nassau).

Although they aren’t terribly frequent in the fall, cold fronts can sweep down and bring northerly winds with them (and rain squalls)—you do NOT want to be caught in the Gulf Stream during a blow out of the north, so plan your crossing when you have a weather window with light breezes with nothing out of the north for several days prior to your journey to allow the Stream to “calm down.”

The journey to the islands is a magical one — since you want to arrive during daylight hours, most sailboats will need to leave sometime the previous evening/night. After leaving the crazy that is the So. Fla. coast, you have a hopefully uneventful time in the Stream — and plenty of time to practice tracking ships on the AIS — and come morning are approaching the Bahamas. The closest ports of entry are in the Bimini islands, or you can sail on to ports in the Abacos, the Berry Islands, or Nassau.

Islands in the Sun

The Bimini islands, including Cat and Gun cays, are a common first stop for cruisers. Cat Cay (all cays in the Bahamas are pronounced “key”) is an easy port of entry and neighboring Gun Cay is a nice place to relax for a few nights before heading across the Great Bahama Bank.

After crossing the banks, your possibilities are open: you can spend time in the lovely and very quiet Berry Islands, head over to the bustle of Nassau, make way for Eleuthera, turn north to Great Abaco, or south toward the Exumas and the far Out Islands beyond.

Andros: The largest islands in the Bahamas, Andros isn’t typically thought of as a hot spot among cruisers, but it makes an interesting stop. Fresh Creek, home to the US Navy’s Atlantic Underwater Testing and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) base, and Morgan’s Bluff are the areas most frequented by cruisers. If you’re into scuba diving, Andros boasts a barrier reef that extends more than 140 miles along the island’s east coast and to a depth of 6,000 feet making up part of the western edge of the trench known as the Tongue of the Ocean.

Abacos: This northern Bahamas island group is very popular among both new and experienced cruisers (Check out CW contributor Wally Moran’s Adventures in Abaco). Unless you’re in dire need of provisions, most sailors will choose to skip busy, cruise-ship oriented Freeport and head to the picturesque settlements of Marsh Harbour or Hope Town.

Berry Islands: These beautiful islands are the place to go if you’re looking for peace and quiet as most of the cays remain undeveloped and uninhabited. The only population centers, if you can call them that, are at Chub Cay, which is where you’ll find the new Chub Cay Resort and Marina (reopened in mid 2017 after being destroyed by Hurricane Matthew, and Great Harbour Cay on the northern end. If you stop in the Berrys, have a meal at Flo’s Conch Bar on Little Harbour Cay—it’s a real Bahamian experience.

Nassau: Considered by most cruisers to be a necessary evil, Nassau is the largest city in the Bahamas, and as such has attractions, groceries, marinas and marine services, and an international airport. If you just need to make a quick stop in the big city and don’t want to stay overnight, head over to Rose Island — lovely anchorages, decent snorkeling, and a good place to stage yourself for a run to the Exumas or Eleuthera.

Eleuthera: Eleuthera is a beautiful and somewhat out of the way place for cruisers. The island is nearly 100 miles long and just a 1/2-mile wide in most places. We spent time cruising Eleuthera for the first time last winter, and absolutely loved it. There is a great anchorage with nearly all-around protection at Hatchet Bay, a lovely settlement at Governor’s Harbour, and the convenience of Rock Sound is hard to beat (a good grocery store and even an airport with a dinghy dock). We rented a car at the airport and traveled the length of the island for a day.

Exumas: For many sailors, the Exuma islands are cruising paradise — they’re beautiful and interesting, and they offer great sailing, snorkeling, and fishing. There are a variety of anchorages to choose from all along the 130-mile chain that offer everything from solitude to a national park to a popular cruisers’ destination. The Exumas are easily my favorite region in the Bahamas—some not to miss stops are the iguanas at Allen’s Cay; the sunken plane at Norman’s Cay; Thunderball Grotto at Staniel Cay; mangrove creeks at Shroud Cay; and the moorings at Warderick Wells. And of course the convergence of cruising sailors in George Town. If you’re there in early March, check out the George Town Cruising Regatta.

The Far Out Islands: If you’re looking for some adventure and are a competent and self-sufficient cruiser, consider checking out some of the islands that are way off the beaten track. Some of these islands, such as Cat Island, Long Island, Conception Island (one of my favorite places!), and Rum Cay, are a pleasant day sail away, others such as Crooked and Acklins islands, Mayaguana, Great Inagua, and the Ragged Islands are much more remote.

Further Reading

Delicious conch salad and the beautiful islands of the Bahamas go hand in hand—check out this Conch Salad recipe.

Need some inspiration for when the other fresh veggies run out and the cabbage is still going strong? Here are some ideas

Photo gallery: Miami to George Town, Bahamas

Photo gallery: New Year’s in the Bahamas

Photo gallery: Pure Bahamas

Only have a short time or just a charter in mind? Here are Four Easy Trips in the Abacos

Chartering on a budget in the Abacos— it can be done!

Here’s the story of a quick delivery from Miami to the Exumas

Shots from the Family Islands Regatta— there’s nothing like it!

More info

Bahamas Cruising info

Bahamas customs

Cruising Tips

From Brittany Meyers aboard Asante

1. Bahamas is ALL about the water, so make sure you have a few things on board to enjoy it: like snorkel gear, Hawaiian sling (if you are into spearing), and – if you have a room – an inflatable kayak or inflatable Paddle board (iSUP) can be a LOT of fun, especially in the more remote islands where the land offers little to explore.

2. Expectations are everything: If you are traveling to the Exumas, it’s good to prepare for sleepy, remote islands with very few “shore attractions.” We met people who went to the Exumas expecting the British Virgin Islands and they were very disappointed.

3. Invest in the “Explorer Charts” they are well worth it and exemplary. BUT, don’t forget that you CAN go off the beaten path every once and a while, and not all anchorages are marked with an anchor.

4. Provision well in the US, but don’t go crazy. Our first trip to the Bahamas we provisioned like we were going to the moon and it was totally unnecessary. There are plenty of islands that have decent grocery stores and while you might not eat your favorite food from home, you will NOT go hungry.

5. When anchoring, try not to simply follow the herd and leave a little room to the boats who were there first if it is possible. Nobody enjoys being anchored on top of and there are PLENTY of fantastic anchorages in the Bahamas.

6. One of the best features of the Bahamas are the locals – they are friendly, kind, welcoming and have not been embittered by mass tourism. Enjoy this camaraderie and, if your budget allows, support the local community by eating at their restaurants or purchasing their goods from time to time.

From longtime Bahamas cruiser, Pam Wall

1. Take plenty of outboard motor fuel

2. Get the biggest RIB you can fit aboard your boat comfortably, it will be your source of diving, exploring, eating out, and your car!

3. Have an easy way to get into your tender from the water. I go up the back of my RIB with my back against the pontoon and use the cavitation plate of the outboard as a convenient step up into my tender so easy so simple

4. Set up an easy way to collect rain water in your water deck fill. I use a tea towel wrapped around the deck fill facing forward for a dam for rain on foredeck going down the scuppers into the deck fill. Works like a charm

5. Take a “look bucket” for looking under water from your tender. Check your anchor from the tender from the look bucket

6. Take a hand meat grinder for delicious conch fritters

7. Take a tack hammer to open hole in conch to get the meat out

8. Take a COMFORTABLE Mask, snorkel, flippers as you will be using them all the time

9. Be sure you have screens, awnings, bimini top, sun shades for the aft end of your bimini top, etc

10. Take a lot of GOOD sun protection lotion, hat, polarized sunglasses (I take 3 pairs of inexpensive polarized sunglasses as I know I will probably loose them!), dive shirts with sun protection, aloe if you get burned

11. Coat your RIB with 303 Aerospace Protectant to protect it from UV deterioration

12. Don’t forget the Hawaiian Sling for fish and crayfish. No spear guns allowed

The post Sailing the Bahamas appeared first on Cruising World.

Windtraveler- Asante

This boat moves. We have rarely dipped below seven knots, and at times we have been seeing eight knots or more. We are currently motor sailing on a close reach headed southeast towards Jost Van Dyke (is that a Painkiller I smell?) in fantastic conditions. The rolling ocean swells are about two to four feet, the bellies of our jib and main are full and we’re effortlessly flying along at seven knots. The sun is shining, and the wispy clouds look as if someone spread them across the sky with a butter knife. Again, we find ourselves alone out here and it’s beautiful.

Some of you might have noticed our SPOT tracker is not transmitting (at least it doesn’t appear to be on our end). We’re not sure why, but rest assured – we’re all doing great. Our only deviation came last night at sunset when we chose to alter course in order to skirt a monster squall that was about six miles long and three miles wide. This is where radar comes in handy (because we hardly use it otherwise): when we saw the foreboding clouds of the storm approaching we turned to our radar to tell us how close it was (it is very hard to visually calculate distances out here). After seeing it was three miles leeward of us and sailing alongside it for almost two hours without any significant difference in distance, we determined it was going in the same direction as we were. I suggested to Scott we turn around and pass it on the back end, which is exactly what we did. We came completely about, and for a good long while sailed in the exact opposite direction than we wanted to, but our avoidance tactic was successful. That’s the thing about squalls; sometimes they’re all bark and no bite – but other times they can pack a real punch in the form of winds in the 30-40 knot range, which – if you have been in those kind of winds – you know is no fun on a boat. We lost some ground going the way we went, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry in our opinion.

It’s true what they say, that after a couple days at sea you find your groove. We are getting in sync with the rhythm of the boat and the ocean. We all have our jobs yet work together like a well-oiled machine. It’s been a great ride and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re thoroughly enjoying ourselves out here. While I am very excited to make landfall after our longest passage yet, I think I might even miss being out sea a little bit. For someone who is usually very “connected,” it feels incredible to unplug and just be. I didn’t see that coming.

Position:
21.02 N
66.48 W

Closest Land Mass: Puerto Rico @ 150 NM away

When two people, with the same life long dream of sailing around the world find each other, there’s only one thing to do… make it happen!
Scott and Brittany departed in 2010 with big plans to “see the world” from the deck of their sailboat. After sailing from Chicago to Trinidad via the “thorny path”, they are now back at it with their first baby and second boat. Check out all the juice at .

The post Wind in Our Sails appeared first on Cruising World.

Windtraveler- beach

And….we’re off! Our predicted route is more direct that we originally planned. We’ll see how the weather pans out… but for now, instead of heading dead east out to the open ocean and then south we are planning on heading/motoring southeast along the Turks and Caicos at which point we’ll take advantage of the predicted light and variable winds Monday and Tuesday to make our easting. Typically, the trade winds are consistently out of the southeast this time of year but due to a cold front that is expected to head our way on Tuesday, the winds are predicted to clock around to the northeast, which is ideal for us. We will head south if/when those northeast winds fill in and hopefully enjoy a nice sail right down to the islands. Of course this plan has been made based on the imperfect art of weather prediction so we’ll see what the wind actually does and I’m sure we’ll make several game-day decisions on the water. We’re hoping to make landfall at Jost van Dyke in five to six days, but again, we’ll see how it all plays out with the weather. We will be getting daily detailed weather routing via Chris Parker as well as downloading GRIB files so we should be well informed.

For those of you who would like follow our track over the coming week, you can see our progress via our SPOT tracker on our SPOTWALLA site.

Also, for those of you who have emailed, I apologize for the delay. It has been very difficult for me to keep up with correspondence these days and this passage will certainly put me more behind than ever. I really love hearing from you all and appreciate your emails more than you know and I promise I will get back to you when I can. It might take a while though, so thank you for your patience!

Anywho…the preventer has been set, the dinghy has been stowed on deck, the outboard and grill have been tucked away under bunks, meals have been made, safety systems have been checked, gear has been prepped, waypoints have been added, iPads have been filled with apps and games, seasick meds have been applied, oil has been checked, water and fuel have been topped off, gear has been stowed, safety briefing has been done, float plan has been sent and we are as ready as ever. We’re excited, nervous, giddy, and grateful. We have an excellent vessel, a fantastic crew, and a heck of a ride ahead.

When two people, with the same life long dream of sailing around the world find each other, there’s only one thing to do… make it happen!
Scott and Brittany departed in 2010 with big plans to “see the world” from the deck of their sailboat. After sailing from Chicago to Trinidad via the “thorny path”, they are now back at it with their first baby and second boat. Check out all the juice at .

The post Off We Go! appeared first on Cruising World.

Windtraveler- sunset

What a difference a day makes. Wow. I wrote a couple days ago how the wind was out of my sails, so to speak, and I just didn’t have the energy to blog. Truth be told: we were stressed to the maximus prime. We had a crew flying in, a million boat projects to accomplish, a baby that had suddenly taken to screeching when her needs were not immediately met (I mean, what is that all about?) and Scott and I were at each other’s throats.

We might have been in paradise, but it wasn’t pretty.

Stress turns things ugly in a heartbeat and just because we live on a boat in beautiful places devoid of work deadlines, nagging bosses and brutal commutes doesn’t mean we’re immune to it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: this lifestyle is full of high highs, and low lows. The highs make it all worth it, but the lows are about as un-fun as they come.

I tend to get overwhelmed. I never used to be like this, but for some reason – on the boat – things pile up and I shut down. Lists multiply, boat work beckons, things break, weather windows loom, and me? I freeze. I want to just crawl into a corner with a book and hide. Scott is the opposite. Super pragmatic and never phased by the tasks at hand, he continues to plug along and just get ‘er done. In this way, he’s amazing, which is why he is an excellent captain. This matter-of-fact practicality of his, of course, makes me feel guilty. Then, as if I needed another emotion to throw into the mix, all the unknowns of the situation at hand (namely this huge passage before us) cause me to worry about things out of my control like: weather, potential dangers, sea monsters…etc. When I tell Scott about my worries he responds with something like, “There is no room for worry on a boat, only problems with solutions. We can only prepare as best we can and deal with problems as they present themselves” and then that very pragmatism I praised just a line or two earlier makes me want to strangle him. Sigh.

So yeah, it was a rough couple of days here. We were pouring over deteriorating weather charts, emailing back and forth with crew, rushing to ready the boat for voyaging again (no small feat, let me tell you), creating list after list, keeping a one year old baby at bay and the stress got the better of me…of us. The pot boileth over.

Scott and I finally got back on the same page. We kissed and made up. We talked it out and devised a plan. But the stress? It was still there. Our reconciliation didn’t finish the lee cloths, provision the boat, pre-make passage meals or stow all our items properly for being out at sea. We had to divide and conquer, and divide and conquer we did. We just needed a little momentum to do it.

Want to know something else crazy? Yesterday morning as we were studying the deteriorating GRIB files and watching our weather window close, stress joined us for breakfast. Our future became uncertain over a GRIB file and a cup of coffee as we thought out-loud: Why are we doing this? Why are we sailing to windward when we don’t have to? Why are we adding rushing south when we don’t need to? Doubt entered our minds. We were tired, overwhelmed and we weren’t sure what to do. We started coming up with other options. For about two hours yesterday we had convinced ourselves that we were going to turn the boat, point her north and spend hurricane season in the Chesapeake Bay. No joke. You thought I was kidding about the fact that plans are written in sand? I was not.

Long story short, Scott and I looked at the weather again, weighed our options and decided we’re continuing south. We are not, however, going to sail offshore like we had planned. The weather just isn’t right for that at the moment and we need to move because hurricane season is right around the corner. Instead, we’ll island hop to the Turks and Caicos, taking advantage of the weather windows as they present themselves with the added security of knowing we can duck in some place if need be. Our fantastic new crew mates have arrived and they are on board no matter where we go. They’re cool like that. They trust our decisions. They’re just super stoked to be on a boat at sea.

Today, we sail for Clarence Town, Long Island. It’s about a twelve hour trip and we will be there for a couple of days to wait for our next weather window which we hope to use to sail directly to the Turks and Caicos. From there, we’ll see. Our final destination for this “trip” is still the British Virgin Islands, and our hopes are to be in Grenada by early July though I hate to say anything definitive as our plans change with the weather, as you well know by now.

If you want to see real-time tracking, be sure to check our SPOTWALLA page to see how we’re doing. I will keep you posted when and where I can, and will try to keep uploading images when possible to our Facebook Page.

The post On the Move Again…and Stress appeared first on Cruising World.

Windtraveler- Asante anchor

We are back on the boat. It was another total mind bender of a travel day complete with a seven hour layover in Ft. Lauderdale, but I’ll spare you the details since I already complained about our flight to Chicago. I will say thank God my mom was with me this time, just having two extra arms to help wrangle Isla was a huge, colossal help.

Anyway…

We are back on the boat and, wow, it suddenly hit me that this is home. Sure, we’ve been living aboard for the better part of six months but coming back this time it really felt like “home”. Seeing our beautiful boat as we approached in the water taxi, going down her companionway to see everything just how I left it, stowing our new goodies away…it all felt so right. Isla was visibly excited to be back in her element as well; her smiles and zealous crawling up and onto everything while beaming at me with a “look momma, we’re back” face made that clear. I was a little concerned she’d feel trapped by the confines of our boat since she clearly enjoyed walking in the wide open spaces of my parent’s house, but nope – she jumped right back into life aboard without a hitch. I let out a big, sigh of relief as I put away the last of our things and reveled in the comforts of being home.

I wondered: when does the transition happen? When does the place you live suddenly feel like “home”?

While many landlubbers who are used to the creature comforts of terra firma cannot possibly imagine how a (relatively) small sail boat could ever feel like a home, for most of us who live aboard it’s just the opposite. We become incredibly attached to our vessels, and it happens pretty quickly. We trust them with our lives and, over time, make them our own. While a boat might not have the nicest linens, cushions and decor of a land home – this lifestyle is rich in other ways: new faces, exotic places, interesting cuisines and the daily challenges of a nomadic lifestyle. Cruising is full of moments that make “creating memories” easy. High highs, low lows, storms and calms…we navigate ourselves and our boats through them all. Sure, this feeling of “home” is helped tremendously by the fact that we put our own our blood, sweat and tears into our boat. And of course our little personal touches throughout help with that “homey” feeling – but the emotion is tied largely to the experiences and not things.

This transition, however, was not instant. There were so many times we questioned our decision; I often wondered if we’d love this boat like we loved our first, and – being a little more seasoned this time around – we were much more critical and skeptical about everything. We’d make comparisons between this boat and our last, and – unlike our last boat – the love affair was not instant, but grew over time. Even now, I have returned to a boat with a few leaky portholes and a new colony of cockroaches (despite two rounds of bug bombs while I was away) which is no fun. A few months ago, I might have cursed this boat for these things. But now it’s par for the course. She’s not perfect, but she’s home. And we love her, flaws and all.

I’m not exactly sure when it happened, this metamorphosis to unconditional love, but it’s a nice place to be. Home.

When two people, with the same life long dream of sailing around the world find each other, there’s only one thing to do… make it happen!
Scott and Brittany departed in 2010 with big plans to “see the world” from the deck of their sailboat. After sailing from Chicago to Trinidad via the “thorny path”, they are now back at it with their first baby and second boat. Check out all the juice at .

The post When Does a House (or Boat) Become a “Home”? appeared first on Cruising World.

Jeanneau Bahamas

As frigid winter winds hurled slush and misery at those left behind in Cruising World‘s Newport, Rhode Island, headquarters, senior editor Herb McCormick donned shorts and boat shoes last February and hopped aboard the new Jeanneau 469 in Miami for a 24-hour marathon dash to Cat Cay in the Bahamas. The mission: A tropical photo shoot with marine photographer Billy Black and Team Jeanneau America.

Herb’s account of the new Jeanneau and the trip across the Gulf Stream and back appears in CW‘s July issue. In the meantime, you can get a taste of what he endured in this video the Jeanneau crew stitched together and you can read their side of the story in the blog entry Jeanneau America President Paul Fenn wrote in his own defense.

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Windtraveler- Family Islands Regatta

It’s Family Island Regatta week down here in George Town and the town is abuzz with activity. We have never experienced the regatta first hand, but from what I hear, it’s a BIG deal in these parts and promises “traditional Bahamian sloop racing at it’s finest.” The regatta draws a huge crowd and the population of this small town allegedly doubles this week, going from five to ten thousand people. Bahamians come in from all the neighboring islands to cheer on their respective boats, captains and their crews. It’s like Mardi Gras meets Key West Race Week and it’s (apparently) a week long party that entices spectators from around the world.

When we arrived the other day, a container ship had just come in with a veritable boat load of cargo. We watched as they launched the wooden sloops, one by one. Each one was brightly colored, uniquely named and they hailed from just about every island in the Bahamas. While the boats were off-loaded, street vendors worked at setting up a long row of colorful food stalls (similar in style to Potter’s Cay) to make sure all the participants and spectators remain adequately hydrated and fed throughout the week. The excitement was palpable, and we have been promised by locals that this is not a week to be missed down here. We’ll let you know…

When two people, with the same life long dream of sailing around the world find each other, there’s only one thing to do… make it happen!
Scott and Brittany departed in 2010 with big plans to “see the world” from the deck of their sailboat. After sailing from Chicago to Trinidad via the “thorny path”, they are now back at it with their first baby and second boat. Check out all the juice at .

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