Contact us: jan@commutercruiser.com
About David & Jan…
As long as it’s FUN! That’s what we said before we bought our first boat in April 2001. Even before buying Winterlude, we realized we would never be able to explore distant horizons and return to race Y Flyers (18′ one design scow) every summer. Thus we started commuter cruising 12 years ago. After 15 years cruising on Winterlude, we sold the boat … and after 18 months couldn’t stand it, bought m/v Optimystique to cruise 6,000 miles of The Great Loop, but first things first….
Since Winterlude, our 1985 Passport 37 sloop, we sailed over 15,000 miles from Annapolis to Southwest Florida, leaving the US in October 2004, from Florida along Mexico’s Yucatan Coast, exploring offshore atolls as well as inshore reefs in Belize, leaving Winterlude in the Rio Dulce (Sweet River), Guatemala.
We’ve explored the Bay Islands of Honduras, the Vivorillos Cays, Providencia & San Andres, Colombian Islands off the coast of Nicaragua en route to Bocas Del Toro, Panama. We loved the lush surroundings of the Chagres River. then sailed to Cartagena for carnival. Returning along the Colombia coast, the Rosarios and the San Bernardos were adventures before arriving at Sapzurro, Colombia — my favorite cruising location yet! Sapzurro is the border town between Colombia and Panama. We hiked the mountain ridge where the border was located and down the Panama side, to the waterfalls, dinghied to the “tourist” town around the next cove and then spent time in the San Blas Islands, negotiating for my own molas, artwork specially crafted by the Kuna indigenous people.
In between, we’ve watched dolphins pirouette in the early morning sun, had front row seats for the pelican ballet: pelicans diving in sequence at sunset, danced barefoot on the beach, made great friends, hiked to the highest waterfalls and snorkeled the clearest waters, discovered unknown (to us) species, eaten the freshest fish and lived a lifestyle only cruisers know.
After our sailboat, we needed to decide on the next adventure. The Great Loop was calling and we must go! We bought a Mariner 40 Trawler, Optimystique, and we’re underway circumnavigating the Eastern United States … 6000 miles on The Great Loop.
For a sample cruising Winterlude season highlights, Click Here for “The Last Sail”.
For a sample cruising Optimystique Great Loop highlights, Click Here for “Drain The Swamp … Cruising the Dismal Swamp”
Winterlude is a 1985 Passport 37 – to see the Cruising World review of a Passport 37, click here.
We love the lifestyle! We hope to share our experiences “commuter cruising” in hopes that those that sail in our wake might pick up a morsel or two of helpful information!
*********************************************************************
Hi! I look forward to hearing from you! Is there something you like or dislike? Information you would like to see added to this site, please let me know!
