Enough Boat Work, WE’RE GOING SAILING! – Ep. 39
Raise the sails!! Woot woot, we’re going SAILING!! After installing two of our six solar panels, we fire up the engine to make sure Mr. Beke still runs, and we’re off the dock.
Glad THAT’S Over – Ep. 38
This one is bittersweet. On one hand, the battery upgrade is a smashing success. Kirk completes the installation of our new battery bank, and we now we have all the juice we need. On the other, our arch project is a complete and utter disaster.
Why You Should Do Your Own Boat Work – Ep. 37
We planned to complete TWO big projects while in Mobile, AL: 1) upgrading our battery bank & 2) fabricating a solar arch with dinghy davits. After much deliberation, we decided to DIY the batteries and hire out the arch fabrication.
DIY or Hire a Pro? A Tale of Two Boat Projects – Ep. 36
Our boat wasn’t ready for full-time cruising when we bought her. This was perfectly fine; we’d rather add necessary items ourselves and learn them inside and out through the process, than pay for systems already in place that may not be exactly what we want, or are old and need to replacing anyway.
ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY BECOME A SAILBOAT AND IMMEDIATELY SAIL THE WORLD – Ep. 34
Even though the mast is back up and we’re officially a sailboat again(!), we’ve got a scary long list of boat projects to complete before we can leave the dock in Mobile, Alabama.
Poop in a Bucket – Thoughts on our Composting Head
Many of you may be wondering "Where is your mast?!" I know this, because we've received a ton of emails, comments, and Facebook messages with that exact question ;)
Racing the Cold to Lower Latitudes – Ep. 26
Welp, it’s about time we get moving south, eh? With all the boat dramas from the last few episodes now behind us, we’re finally making miles south down the Illinois River. And good thing, too, ‘cause winter is hot on our keel.
Bad Things Come in Threes – Ep. 25
Oh dear…This one’s for you dreamers out there who will one day become newbie boat owners, just like us. Take notes! Hopefully you won’t have to make these same mistakes. Last episode, we had issues with our centerboard, which were — surprise! — caused by yours truly.
Monthly Cruising Budget: Month 4 – The Beginning of a Sailing Adventure
This was a bit of a crazy month. We completed the last of our must-have upgrades before heading for the river, we left our homeport, we had a big going away party/celebrated Lauren's birthday, and we had some big boat expenses - some of them unexpected.
Monthly Cruising Budget: Month 3 – Boat Projects before Leaving the Dock
Once we returned from our shakedown sail we had a long list of projects wanted to complete on the boat. We knew we wouldn't get to all of them before leaving but that was ok, we prioritized and slowly checked off those that were absolutely necessary.