s/v Field Trip

One of the pleasures of sailing with kids is getting them involved, assigning duties, and watching them get engaged on every aspect of the boat. Now that I've been away from my family for longer than I would like, I've really missed all the challenges and laughs we had aboard Field Trip. I especially liked our first week with just the four of us aboard as we sailed around islands, snorkeled with fish, cooked meals and watched sunsets.  I can't wait to be back with my family again. Two of my most memorable 'kid moments' were changing the genset oil with Elizabeth - and watching the kids do their duties as we prepared to sail each day. Sounds crazy, but Elizabeth loves to help me fix stuff.  She's always volunteering.  The genset is in the SB forward locker.  This is what Elizabeth calls 'a fort'.  We climb down a ladder into the locker, headlights strapped on, and away we go.  She holds tools, climbs up the ladder to fetch something from inside,...

Most of you reading this blog probably have no idea what the Commodore 64 really 'is'.  It isn't a sailing term.  It is actually one of my first computers when I was in high school.  Over the years I've continued to be into technology gadgets, and admittedly can at times go 'overboard'. There are two items on our boat that have proved themselves to be the 'best technology gadgets' we have aboard.  After sailing more than 2,500 miles on Field Trip, anchoring in a variety of different conditions, and navigating through some tricky harbors, the best two pieces of technology on our boat are Furuno MaxSea and the VesperMarine 850.  Let me explain. Vesper Marine Anchor Watch There is no bigger sleep killer than worrying about 'dragging anchor'.  We've all been there.  It isn't fun.  It sucks.  With the aid of our nifty 'all in one' AIS plus 'world class low power anchor watch' - we've had many nights of deep sleep...

I know, I know, we have orphaned you all in our blog absence.  You feel alone, abandoned, and scared.  Wondering where you will get your next adventure fix.  Fear not, we are here.  Well, Mark is somewhere on the coast of northern Brazil and I am in snowy Colorado, but we are both thankfully connected to you and each other now that we have internet access that has more than a smidgen of bandwidth.  I have been piggybacking on my neighbor's wireless, and Mark is in a marina now with fast access (not in the travel plan, but enjoying the access nonetheless).  Ahhh, how wonderful it feels to be reunited with high-speed.  Snuggling up in the familiar arms of Google searches and video streaming. I have been following Mark via his Facebook posts, as many of you have, but while he has been sailing and catching fish for dinner, I have been trying to dip my toes back in suburbia without being totally sucked into the whirlpool of play dates, commercialism an...

Lots and lots has happened. Some expected, some unexpected. Our frustration level reached a peak last week – and we needed to just unplug. The best medicine to cure the lists of stuff that need re-fixing on our boat is to set sail, find a secluded anchorage, explore, swim, and just inhale the surroundings. So, that’s what we’ve been doing the last couple of days. There have been a lot of firsts for the new Field Trip crew: We successfully docked the boat with Sarah and I to get water We planned a 3-hour sail to a beautiful anchorage in Ilha Grande (so nice we decided to stay a little longer…) We went to the prettiest beach we’ve ever seen, and had a blast with kiddos. We literally walked through a jungle to get there, and spotted Marmosets playing in the trees! We had our first of many Caiprinhas (specialty drink of Brazil) Both kids snorkeled for the first time – and LOVED IT! We saw a huge starfish, a turtle, and lots of tropical fish. Elizabeth successfully took t...

The first obvious sign that we were in Rio was the buns, not the cheese buns for which Brazil is famous, called Pao de Queijo , but the tanned variety on the Copacabana Beach!  (cue Barry Manilow)  Luckily, the kids were more interested in playing in the sand, and didn't notice the cheeks everywhere.  The water was cold, but the beach was hot, in more ways than one!  Along the beach is a famous black and white tiled walkway that has a pattern to represent the beach itself.  Each beach in Rio has it's own pattern, in order to distinguish each from the other. Vendors walk along the beach selling all kinds of wares, including these skimpy little bikinis.  I figured I'd better have one as a souvenir, and now I have the toasted buns to prove that I was brave enough to wear it the following day.  Only my sister and a few dear friends will lay eyes on the photo I made Elizabeth take of me baking on the beach, and they have been sworn to keep it off of Fac...