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

  • Stowage and Provisioning

    While we were away, staying with CA's aunt in North Carolina, CA planned a month's provisioning. This should get us down the Bay, the ICW, and across a short stretch of the coast to Jacksonville. There's a deep question here of how quickly we use items from our stores. We'll …


  • 3 months away from *Red Ranger* and...

    Wow.

    Everything's okay.

    We've never left her unattended for this long before. When we moved to Nevada, we paid someone to check on the batteries each month.

    The critical checks:

    1. Smell. Does the interior smell funny? The first whiff is the one we're most sensitive to.

    1a. Diesel? We had …


  • 2021 Winter Cruise Plan (until it changes)

    COVID-19 is a real danger in Florida.

    This makes the winter cruise unpleasantly complex.

    We want to move Red Ranger further south. But. We don't want to catch COVID-19. Nor do we want to become spreaders of COVID-19. We're vexed and go everywhere masked to make sure we're not the …


  • Shakedown Cruise Planning

    Summer Land Cruising is almost over. Hurricane season is an unholy mess — looking at people struggling with Ida, but, also heading toward a conclusion. We still have to get back to Deale, where Red Ranger is docked.

    Which means the start of Red Ranger's south-bound cruise.

    And that means …



  • Jumping Outside

    In late September, we'll be back on the boat. (I'm writing this at the end of June, doing a little armchair sailing.)

    In October we hope to be jumping "outside" at Beaufort to sail for Charleston.

    This will be 32 or so hours at sea. Ideally, it's 32 hours or …



  • Mobility

    The point of a sailboat is a way to be mobile.

    That means we don't own much.

    Here's what was in our apartment the morning we left Virginia:

    2065AF0B-E8D2-4E72-A36C-9AE89DF14A06 1 105 c
    2065AF0B-E8D2-4E72-A36C-9AE89DF14A06 1 105 c

    An Ikea Poäng chair, a cart, a computer, and some luggage.

    The chair had to be given away …


  • Finding a Single Source of Truth

    We have a primary chart plotter on Red Ranger. And we have backups. A lot of backups. A second chart plotter, an iPad, a MacBook pro. I even have iNavX on my phone, so it can work under limited circumstances. (I don't have all of the US East Coast charts …



  • Getting off the dock (or "Shakedown")

    Red Ranger last moved in once in August 2020 and again in October 2020. Before that she last moved in October 2018. She hasn't been out of the slip in the last 8 months.

    We decided to go back to Cambridge, MD, for Memorial day.

    On the way… the Pride …


  • Asking "Why?" Enough Times (or) The Uninspectable Pump

    A65D6BB4-D78E-4566-8E8F-AD4C2D811C47 1 105 c
    A65D6BB4-D78E-4566-8E8F-AD4C2D811C47 1 105 c

    There are a lot of boat status details. Voltage level. Charging. Course being steered. Bearing to the next waypoint. Fuel level. Wind. Weather. Traffic.

    And the number on the bilge counter.

    It often goes like this: "Bilge count is zero. That's a container ship. Course is …



  • Cleaning and Sailing — Part 2

    Yes, we have left the dock. Here's the cockpit, heeled over in 10-15 kt of wind. Beam Reaching down Herring Bay.

    Red Ranger Cockpit
    Looking a little more ship-shape

    And here's the view out on the water.

    Boats on the Bay
    Boats on the Bay

    Sun. Wind. Boats.

    We got our reefing lines and lazy jacks squared …


  • Friends and Boats

    Brought some friends — David and Bo — along to move Red Ranger from West River back down to Herrington Harbour.

    Bo and David
    Bo and David sailing down the bay

    They'd never seen Red Ranger before, and hadn't fully appreciated how much boat she is.

    The winds were light, and — of course — on the …


  • Equinox Cruise

    Sailing is all about cooperation. Nothing happens in isolation. The progress of a sailboat through the water requires wind, for example. There are other examples of cooperation, we'll get to them.

    The Equinox cruise was timed to greet the passing of the sun over the horizon on September 22nd, 2018 …


  • More Sailing and Some Cleaning

    Saturday was a beautiful day. It wasn't great for sailing, but the beauty of clear air and light breezes was spectacular. Did I mention the light breezes? From almost flat calm to about 5 kt was all the wind we had.

    I (finally) started moving the cars for the yankee …


  • Crab Heaven

    The West River Sailing Club membership has a number of benefits. Crabs being one of them. Of course, we had to get there, and get back in time for work on Monday. And square away the Auto-Pilot.

    Red Ranger at WRSC
    Red Ranger at WRSC dock

    After stuffing our faces with crab, slaw, corn …


  • Contrasts

    It was a weekend of contrasts. Two dear friends came down to visit for the weekend and sail. We've had some drive-by visits where a quick sail on Red Ranger can be worked out. This visit was a stark contrast to those. These were folks looking to sail.

    To make …


  • Some Firsts

    The West River Sailing Club Autumnal Equinox cruise involved a number of firsts for Red Ranger. It's difficult to count the number of firsts we enjoyed.

    The first of the firsts was visiting Harrison Creek and Dun Cove. This is about two miles north of Knapp's Narrows. It's quiet, and …


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