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

  • Idling in Texas

    Thu 07 September 2023

    Status Report. Red Ranger is on the hard in Safe Cove.

    Nothing has changed. Hurricane season is still in full swing.

    We're still in Texas.

    The picture is from Utah.

    Arches National Park
    Arches National Park

  • More Land Cruising

    Tue 22 August 2023

    Status Report. Red Ranger is on the hard in Safe Cove. She's ready for another hurricane season.

    We've returned from Rehoboth Beach and are on our way to Ft. Worth, TX, for a few months.

    Come November -- and the end of Hurricane Season -- we'll see what the family situation is …

  • Questions and Answers

    Thu 06 July 2023

    Some great questions. And some answers.

    How much time per day / week do you spend on boat upkeep / maintenance?

    I think the sailor (and writer) Beth Leonard said "Cruising is fixing your boat in exotic places."

    The ocean is demanding, and mere human ingenuity isn't up to creating a vessel …

  • The Balance of the Season

    Tue 27 June 2023

    Where will we be for the balance of the 2023 Hurricane Season?

    Traveling on land.

    We've finished all the Hurricane Ian repairs. We're almost ready to go.

    The New Dodger
    The New Dodger

    Plans for 2023-2024 Sailing Season?

    Going to be doing family care. We'll leave Red Ranger high and dry.

    Not much …

  • Goal Achieved: Samuleson Stones

    Fri 09 June 2023

    We're in the Mojave desert. This is an odd place for a sailor. But we've become addicted to desert life.

    At sea, of course, the view in all directions looks alike -- water. During our first few hikes in the desert, we were bedeviled by an "it all looks alike" confusion …

  • Land Cruise Underway

    Tue 16 May 2023

    About a month ago, we had questions about the rig.

    And they were answered.

    We're not there, in case you weren't sure.

    It's almost Hurricane Season. We opted to drive around the US, birding inland locations while we waited from the canvas folks to finish the dodger work.

    We'll be …

  • About the Mizzen

    Sun 16 April 2023

    "Are [the rivets] just holding the spreaders in place until the shrouds are installed?" someone asked.

    (Not just random "someone", but someone with a 16' catamaran with a simpler rig. A boat that can easily sail circles around Red Ranger. But doesn't have a bar or heads.)

    Red Ranger at Anchor
    Red Ranger at …

  • Mast Inspection Report

    Sat 15 April 2023

    Riggers called us back today.

    (Not them in this picture, it's an old picture of me.)

    Steve at the top of the mainmast
    Steve at the top of the mainmast

    Things up there look really good to the riggers, too.

    This news is a huge relief to us. Huge. Relief.

    When I went up the mizzen, I …

  • The Sailing Season

    Tue 21 March 2023

    I think our sailing season has slipped away from us.

    We would need to haul out before June to avoid Hurricane Season.

    Because of some other travel, we have less than two months open to us.

    If all the work was completed tomorrow, we might try to get launched and …

  • Mast Inspection

    Sun 12 March 2023

    I went up the mast today.

    Steve at the top of the mainmast
    Steve at the top of the mainmast

    Things up there look really good.

    I swapped out the mast-head light. The old LXTA-S (an OGM light sold by Weems and Plath) worked; the wiring harness had failed.

    In a panic, I had purchased a replacement …

  • Uhane Kai

    Thu 09 March 2023

    Sailing refreshes our souls.

    The hurricane damage was a personal injury. Like a broken finger or a knee that needs replacing.

    It's not a permanent disability. It's something we'll either get over completely, or, we'll learn to live with our new body in whatever shape it takes.

    The separation for …

  • Dodger and Solar Power

    Wed 08 March 2023

    The last three days? Major accomplishments. All with "R".

    • Restored the Dodger
    • Repaired the Dodger
    • Rebuild the Solar Panel Wiring
    • Ran the Engine

    Dodger Restoration

    Our big mistake was leaving the dodger windows in place. Hurricane Ian's wind pummeled the windows, ripping the entire dodger structure apart.

    Three of the …

  • Initial Cleanup

    Sun 05 March 2023

    So far? The work for the first 3 days look like this:

    • Fix the flooding
    • Start cleaning
    • Make some repairs
    • Re-stow and re-arrange

    Flooding

    After she fell over, Red Ranger took on serious water. My thesis was the long piano hinge on the port-side lazarette was exposed to Hurrican Ian …

  • Travel Days

    Thu 02 March 2023

    We think we've worked out a pleasant trip down (and back) to Punta Gorda and the Save Cove Boatyard.

    It's a little weird to go by way of Savannah, Jacksonville, and Daytona to get the Gulf Coast, but, there's no real E-W road other than I-4 through Orlando.

    In Jacksonville …

  • Some Armchair Sailing

    Tue 14 February 2023

    We've got a ton of stuff to do before we even get splashed.

    Indeed, we don't even know where we're going.

    We're looking all around the Gulf Coast for -- perhaps -- a marina that's got slips and doesn't cost as much as buying a house in Los Angeles or Washington, DC …

  • Repair Updates -- Many Things Completed

    Thu 02 February 2023

    Many things are completed. Not everything, but, many things.

    New Paint
    New Paint

    Here's the painted hull.

    The board on the top of the starboard-side winch coaming has been replaced by the carpenter.

    The picture shows the dodger is still laying across the front of the cockpit.

    We're waiting for the canvas …

  • Repair Plan

    Sat 12 November 2022

    It's been about 6 weeks (45 days) since Hurrican Ian.

    We've been righted.

    Main Saloon
    Main Saloon

    The batteries are plugged in and the pumps have run, so there's minimal water in the bilge. The dehumidifier is standing over the galley sink, so the interior is unlikely to be mildew hell.

    We've …

  • Death

    Tue 25 October 2022

    We all have family.

    Family members die.

    It's inevitable.

    If sailors are lucky, their family members die with a kind of foreseeable order. Few things are as painful as burying your own children. We're lucky.

    There are endless anchorages, sunsets, and glorious days at sea. All of which involve a …

  • Post-Ian Cleanup

    Thu 20 October 2022

    It almost goes without saying that hurricane damage is widespread. Repairs are sometimes difficult and expensive.

    The pictures we see from the height of the storm show wind and rain and crashing waves. Sometimes the weather channel will show palm trees bent almost double.

    Pushing a 23,000 pound boat …

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