In early fall 2018, Ellie got an offer to take her career abroad. Several Pharmacist positions had opened up in Europe and the more we read about it and researched it the more excited we got. Long story short, she accepted the job and in May 2019 we officially moved to Germany!
The Bay and Beyond
Electric Boogaloo
Whether cruising boat sailors like to admit it or not, electrical systems have become a critical component of our vessels. Even if just used to start the “iron genny”, a reliable 12-volt system has become a necessity for safe cruising. After a few months of sailing our boat, we recognized that our electrical system was due for an upgrade.
Giving Back Through Sailing
Ellie and I consider ourselves very fortunate to enjoy the financial and physical freedom of sailing on our own boat. At the same time, we recognize that there are many less fortunate people who may never get to experience the joy of sailing. Thankfully, there’s an organization near us that makes sailing available to those who may never otherwise get to experience it: Chesapeake Region Accessible Boating (CRAB).
First Pump Out and Weather Woes
We all know what they say about the best laid plans, right? Well, after over two weeks of unseasonable cold, rain, and gloom, the forecast finally called for a day without even the threat of rain. It looked like the best forecast we’ve seen so far since we started sailing our boat. We made plans to do our desperately needed first pump out followed by some casual sailing. The weather, however, had different plans.
The Blue Angels Fly Over and We Join our First Raft-Up
It’s Commissioning Week at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. One of the events, planned as part of the week-long celebration honoring Academy graduates, is a flight demonstration by the Blue Angels over the Severn River.
Shakedown… sail-ish?
Having finally finished all of our critical boat work and spring cleaning, the time finally came to take our boat out for the first time this season. In our case, this would also be our very first “shakedown sail”, which we’ve been looking forward to for a while. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans.
Spring Commissioning
Flowers are blooming, the trees are filling out with leaves, and the chill of winter is starting to be forgotten. That’s right, it’s spring! For any boat owner in the mid-Atlantic region, the emergence from winter also means it’s time for a yearly ritual: spring commissioning.
Cruising Life Crash Course
Last spring, Alex and I spent our first wedding anniversary in Florida attending a week-long, live-aboard sailing class taught by Blue Water Sailing School. Check out our video montage of the trip and read on to get the full story!
Hello World!
Welcome to the very first post of our new old blog. We’ve been working over the past week or so to get everything set up, and we’re happy to officially call the blog “live!”