The Information-Packed Resource for Part Time Commuter Cruisers!
Marquesa Keys The 2nd test post via e-mail – first one posted, but didn’t show the photo, so try again. We’ve been working on the settings to allow me to post from Winlink or Sailmail when we’re out of internet range (hopefully for awhile). The photo is the Marquesa Keys … just west and [...]
One of the hardest things for whatever reason, even for relatively experienced cruisers, is to LEAVE the dock, even just for a week’s shakedown cruise. It’s comfortable here in the marina, we have friends, there’s a great happy hour at the deck bar, we don’t have to worry about the boat dragging, weather changing unexpectedly, [...]
Whew, now that the latest hurricane scare is over for now, we’re six weeks away from our normal return to the boat and we don’t have a clue where we’re cruising next! Last winter was our “mini-refit” winter, spent mainly at the dock at Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, FL. We accomplished our major [...]
This is a Winterlude Update I wrote back in April 2011 celebrating our 10th anniversary owning Winterlude! Enjoy!!! Friday, April 1, 2011 … Time flies when you’re having fun & when we bought Winterlude, we said we’d keep cruising as long as it was fun. 10 years plus already, this post sums up some of [...]
A continuation of “Is Commuter Cruising Right For You?“, this post, Baby Steps, addresses our learning curve after we finally bought a boat. And what a learning curve it was! David had been sailing his entire life, but racing 18′ inland lake scows and cruising are two very different skill sets! Luckily he was a [...]
Another question we get frequently is “What’s the best cruising advice you ever got?” Winterlude was (and is) a 1985 Passport 37, designed by Robert Perry. Equipped for daysailing by a singlehander, initially we had some newer electronics, including a built in GPS, Furuno radar, an Autohelm 4000 wheel autopilot undersized for the boat, good [...]
After 5,000 miles cruising the Western Caribbean aboard our 1985 Passport 37, Winterlude, here are seven things we wish we had known before leaving the U.S.
Take your breath away cruising magic to the frustration of “local features” making weather predictions always wrong were just a couple of the wide swings of our cruising surprise pendulum. Despite the fact that we thought we were well-prepared read about our biggest surprises when we left the US commuter cruising! 1. Starry Nights [...]
Originally written in 2007, this article on blisters, a potential connection with fresh warm water and getting blisters fixed in LaCeiba Honduras, is still relevant to anyone needing blister repair in the Northwest Caribbean. Two years after we had the blisters repaired, Winterlude was hauled at Shelter Bay Marina in Colon Panama. The barrier coat [...]
Soon we’ll be moving back aboard the boat and resuming our adventures for the winter! I cannot WAIT!!! But before we can sail off into the sunset, commuter cruisers have some annual arrangements to make! Here’s an overview with some tips on how we handle certain necessities while gone cruising for six months, not [...]
So what do we wish we had added before we left to go cruising? Outfitting Winterlude we both wanted a saltwater washdown hose for the…
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So we all know anchoring in for a norther or squall line requires more attention than everyday ancho…
If you’re using an all chain rode, think of a nylon snubber as insurance for your windlass! A wind…
In the Northwest Caribbean and South Florida, late December to mid-March, is “Norther” season. …
Tieing up to a mooring ball involves a lot more than merely being able to grab the mooring pennant w…
Unfortunately dinghy theft is on the rise everywhere! Most cruising boats don’t have the option to…
The late November afternoon was gorgeous, the village beckoning. After dropping anchor in the az…
Cruising is usually a safe adventure, probably less dangerous than driving down an interstate highwa…
Ironically, we wanted to put bars across our hatches while outfitting the boat in Florida before w…
Life in salt water, especially in the tropics, is hard on a boat. But overall, the better we are a…
One of the hardest things for whatever reason, even for relatively experienced cruisers, is to LEAVE…
By the time we’ve decided it’s time to leave, of course the weather decides it’s not time to leave a…
Everyone has their own checklist to leave a boat in a marina in the water while you’re gone, but in…
