s/v Field Trip

After an exciting day going through the locks on the Dismal Swamp Canal (worrying the entire way that we'd not be able to find a place to "hunker down" for Sandy), we found a wonderful group of mariners tied up along a wall right between the South Mills Bridge and the South Mills Locks in North Carolina.  There was just enough space left for us.  At least 4 men and women welcomed us warmly by taking our lines and promptly informing us of all the nearby attractions in the booming town of South Mills - the grocery shop, Methodist church, and pizza joint all within walking distance!  Then, one very organized mate gathered our contact information so that we could all communicate without having to step out into the rain and storm.  Brilliant. We are in good hands. Field Trip sits at the end of the line! So, now here we sit while it rains and rains and rains.  The winds are set to come in later tonight, so we feel very lucky to have found such a place to wa...

It’s over. The mother of all sailboat shows finished, and we were exhausted. It reminded me of attending the global OHUG conference in Vegas. Lots of people to see, social events, vendors everywhere, seminars and networking, networking, networking. We had the chance to see old friends and make new ones. Logistically, it was very busy. The busiest I’ve personally been since jumping on our boat. No violins expected, but it was crazy… J The biggest change for us was actually ‘being a sailor on our boat’. We had a list of things we needed to check off before leaving US waters. Most of them small, one of them large. Our biggest item – carpet. We followed the wake of Neil and Shaun, and got carpet fitted from the same designer. Christine at Annapolis Yacht Interiors was excellent. She measured, cut, and finished our carpet in less than a week. For us, this is biggest game changer inside. The boat just ‘feels’ like home. We love the wood floors, and like them even be...

Outside the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. These past few months have been a flurry of travel and learning all jumbled up into one big "Field Trip" along the East Coast .  The kids have walked along villages in Plymouth, visited battlegrounds in Fredricksburg, ridden the path Paul Revere's ride to Concord, watched lobstermen setting and pulling up traps in Maine, toured the Library of Congress, experienced Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and so much more.  Traveling with kids has created a much deeper travel experience.  Places come to life as we seek out learning, rather than simply being somewhere new and seeking out a place to eat dinner! Michael touching the walls of the fort on which the Statue of Liberty stands Learning all about the Statue of Liberty! Kids became Junior Rangers again! Suddenly, Mark and I are students right along with Elizabeth and Michael, and places become alive to us in a new way.  Museums tell us of the storie...

We're in Annapolis.  Preparing for the largest sailboat show in the US.  'Preparing' for most boaters means readying shopping lists, checking seminar schedules and scheduling calendars for social events. If anyone is like us, before we started cruising we didn't have a clear vision of what we needed.  Now, we have a better idea, and hope to provide some 20/20 clarity to some of our 'boat show' decisions. Sarah and I were at the Miami boat show where we were bitten hard by the sailing bug - and bought a boat.  We've attended every boat show in Annapolis, one in California and two in Miami since that first trip. This time, it's different.  We actually 'have' our boat - in Annapolis - and can now shop and look with more discerning eyes on 'boat stuff'.  After 8,700 nautical miles, countless trial and error evaluations of our decisions made, in some cases years ago - I will now tick off an abbreviated report card - most of which you ...