Bookaholic while cruising
Can you ever have enough books? When we bought our magic carpet in 2007, Totem’s shelf space was leaner than suited our family, particularly with three young children at a…
How do you know where to anchor?
The deceptively simple question – how do you know where to anchor? – is more nuanced than some imagine. In our hyperconnected world, it’s the kind of straightforward information that…
Reassurance from Baja’s bounty
Cruisers obsess over food sourcing and long-term storage more than the typical person. Over-provisioning is one of the classic new cruiser mistakes that even seasoned cruisers are prone to make.…
Fast track to cruising
Pandemic closes down the world. The world decides to go cruising! OK, not exactly, but there’s been a very unexpected impact of coronavirus: we are seeing a surge in people…
Offshore crewing and inclusion
The catch-22 of getting offshore experience: being required to have prior offshore experience in order to join a crew. Where can the hopeful offshore sailor begin? Yesterday morning I joined…
Keep the house, or sell it?
One of the biggest decisions for many gonna-go cruisers is what to do about their home on land. Do you keep it? Do you sell it? How do you decide?…
Totem’s interim normal
A new rhythm patterns our secluded life as Totem floats off the cinder-strewn cone of Isla Coronados. Calling this the new normal feels premature, but it’s an interim normal with…
Vessel Restricted in Ability to Maneuver
ColRegs, the popular acronym for that mouthful “International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea,” includes in rule no. 3 the definitions for boats restricted in their ability to maneuver. Reading…
Embrace the boring
Totem recently made landfall in Baja after a placid passage of a little over three days: north up the coast of Mexico’s mainland from Matanchen Bay, then across the Sea…
10 Tips for Self-Isolation, Learned from Life at Sea
It has been a long time since I sat down to catch you up here on my blog. After the book project, I needed time away from the keyboard. A…
