To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.

Team Red Cruising

  • Waiting for the Hull Repair

    "So, where did you go on your 2025 cruise?"

    The boatyard. Some hotels.

    Here's the obligatory beach photo:

    The beach at Marco Island
    The beach at Marco Island

    Here's the bullet list of days waiting for a repair.

    Punta Gorda

    • Day 21 Move to the Holiday Inn Express in Punta Gorda.
    • Day 22 Explore fisherman …

  • Solstice Day

    "So far," you say, "your 2025 cruise is boring."

    My response is that it's quite exciting, in a boatyard-maintenance-breaking-fixing kind of way. In a pretty-anchorages-cool-waterfront-bars way, it's not great.

    Here's the obligatory sunset photo.

    Sunset in the boatyard
    Sunset in the boatyard

    A few days before solstice, 19 December 2025 at 18:17.

    Day …


  • Hitting the Brick Wall

    All the planning. All the preparation. And. Oof.

    Here's the ladder. It's under this.

    Aft Companionway Ladder
    Aft Companionway Ladder

    Day 16

    The range light (fitting is a Perko 0170BMD) was out. The bulb was not connecting solidly. While hanging in my rock clumbing harness at the first spreader, I touched the bulb …


  • Dockside, Days 14-15

    At the dock.

    Day 14

    End stay at rental. Finish stowing some personal things and moving aboard. CA has a complete plan for this, making it easy for me to move the heavy things where and when she tells me.

    Start provisioning for the first month or so. When the …


  • Launch Day

    Launched. Here's the recap...

    Day 8

    1. Ascend mast and reattach wind instrument. Test instruments. They seem to work. Here's a picture of the strip-chart recorder on the left showing a few minutes of wind direction and speet. On the right is the wind rose that shows the boat "direction" arrow …


  • 2025 Cruise Day 7

    Today. The jobs are getting bigger, actually. They take several days to complete.

    1. Tighten the bolts on the stays'l track. They're accessible in the main cabin -- they come right through the deck and the top of the cabin. The track on the caprail has bolts that are almost inaccessible behind …


  • 2025 Day 6

    Yesterday, we took a little break in the morning. We've been working steadily, but, we're old.

    However, we did get a lot done yesterday.

    1. Stow the dehumidifier
    2. Finish the prep work for the bowsprit platform rebuild
    3. Test the freshwater system -- it needs a new filter
    4. Clean the galley
    5. Lube all …

  • 2025 Day 4

    Where are we in the TODO list?

    Well... It's complicated.

    Start rebuilding stringers for bowsprit platform

    Last year, I cracked the bowsprit platform when I hit a dock piling.

    The platform has stringers. Two were broken and lifted out.

    I used some glue and screws to reassemble the two pieces …


  • 2025 Day 3

    Where are we in the TODO list?

    Pretty far, actually. TK suggested I provide pictures. Hearing that from a professional photographer is encouraging.

    Day 1

    1. Move the anchor to make room to have bowsprit repaired.
    2. Install Dodger.
    3. Install Bimini.
    4. Blow leaf debris from deck.
    5. Replace Flow Rite battery water filling …

  • 2025 Commissioning

    Yes. I know it's really the tail end of 2024.

    Years ago -- in the Chesapeake -- our boat year started mid-May, so we could get out and sail on Memorial Day weekend.

    Now. In Florida, we're escaping Hurricane Season; the boat year is December to April or May. So. I'm calling …


  • 2024-2025 Cruise Plans

    We survived Hurricane Ian back in 2022.

    We survived Hurrican Milton in 2024.

    We still have a lot of work to do. But we should have several months in which to do it. We're thinking about launching in November, 2024. We can then potter about the SW coast of FL …


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