Wooing the Spouse
He read her the cruising yarns aloud. Three days offshore, she was on the sole of the head, praying for a sleep that never fully arrived.
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A Portal Into Hell
Ganesh, our 1981 43-foot Wauquiez ketch, is a very commodious, very livable cruising vessel. Even better, her comfy aft cabin is a bit of a Tardis—bigger on the inside than the outside. Few sailing vessels under 55 feet LOA sport such a posh aft cabin.
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Inquiring Letters to the esteemed Fatty Goodlander
Two things blow my mind—one is that anyone who reads me regularly thinks I have sense; and, two is that the arrangement of my vessel would make sense.
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Back in Singapore! Making an Impression, Fatty-Style!
The last time on Round #3 we spent a year here. Why? Well, the primary reason is our daughter and three grandkids are dirt-dwellers here in S’pore
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The Head Keepers of Modern Day Indonesia
We’ve cruised Indonesia Four Times! 1.) We’ve spent a lot of time in the world’s largest Islamic country and, 2.) We’ve barely scratched the surface.
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A Tender Trap
So the word got out that Noumea was Fiddler’s Green on earth.
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Pimples in Paradise
A very magical, completely rent-free place for sailors—a tropical island without any land. Without any people. Yet with an endless supply of food.
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The True Danger of Cruising
As we circumnavigate, we tell curious locals that we are from an island close to Bob Marley’s home—everyone in the Third World loves Brother Bob
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Leaving After Staying Awhile
The whole idea, after 59 years of living aboard and four circumnavigations, it to have fun and kiss life full of the lips.
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Comparing Cruising Ground Vibes: Pacific Versus the Caribbean
My love affair with the eastern Caribbean has lasted for decades. As if God and Walt Disney created “Let’s build a Paradise for yachties.”
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Kauehi: A Cruising Lesson Reinforced
About 20 years ago, my wife Carolyn and I were lazily cruising the Tuamotus in French Polynesia when we were accosted by a large group of Polynesian canoes. At the time we had little idea where we were and became totally confused when the young men in the canoes kept telling us that ‘our’ party…
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Hard Choice: Fabric or Solid Bimini?
I didn’t have a Bimini on my first two boats. I was too wacked out to realize that orange disk in the sky was the sun.
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Singapore Stan
My wife Carolyn and I love people. We often attend parties as we sail, invite people aboard for dinner, and mingle with the dirt dwellers ashore. In addition, we adore having guests—but only for brief periods of time and only while in port. Why? Because guests can seldom adapt to the hardships offshore. They begin…
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Of Heroes and Fools
I’d just finished my first circumnavigation in 2004—and, admittedly, I was feeling pretty good. Perhaps I was feeling too good, too smug. I’d had a couple of drinks and was wandering around seeing old friends or bragging, depending on viewpoint. I was strolling the docks of American Yacht Harbor—studying a well-found 43-foot Shannon sloop in…
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Stan & Cora Lojda: Forty Years of Boogieing Around the World
If you have visited the Caribbean and love music then you may have come across Stan and Cora Lojda of Ruffanuff (their band name not their boat name). The Lodjas are a quirky Czech/German couple with husky voices, however, their amazing story is not just about their music but an epic 40-year circumnavigation aboard their…
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The South Atlantic Toddle
We recently went 38 blissful days from Luderitz, Namibia (Africa) to Nevis in the Lesser Antilles. This is about 5,400 miles as the crow flies and 6,000 miles as we happily wandered it. It was, really, a 38-day orgy of food, sex, conversation, love, and intense writing—one of the nicest, richest, most creative six…
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Girl Power: Interviewing Charlotte Guillemot
Women have caught up with men in most disciplines and professions, but single-handed female sailors remain a rare sight. In the Caribbean we still met a few, but that changed in the South Pacific. Maybe women are discouraged by the long distances between the islands or they are too worried about facing technical problems in…
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Boat Powered by 100% Renewable Energy to Visit South Florida & Bahamas in 2020
The world’s first vessel to be totally powered by renewable energy will launch on a six-year world tour in February, making stops in Miami and Nassau in 2020. Nicknamed the Solar Impulse of the Seas, in a nod to the plane of the nearly same name that completed its round-the-world trip using only solar energy…
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Living Righteously While Practicing What You Preach
I was dozing off on the Singapore bus, returning to Ganesh after a day attempting to figure out how to promote my latest book while lying around my cockpit in Southeast Asia. It was a complicated marketing problem—and I pride myself on being an uncomplicated, instinctual guy. Heavy sigh. At least I wasn’t being a hypocrite….
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Wind vs Solar – An Easy Choice: What does our Experience Show
Wind vs. Solar: Just keep your wind generator for what it is best at—generating noise and vibration and not-much-else. Max out your solar
