From Go-Go-Go to Laid-back
After Mike’s passage with his three dedicated and skilled crewmembers from Hampton, VA to the British Virgin Islands, I joined him in St. Thomas, the largest and most developed of the US Virgin Islands. We needed to make repairs on the dinghy outboard motor and I was exhausted and burned-out from work-related stress, so we took a leisurely approach to adjusting to our new cruising lifestyle. After a few days of getting used to our daily routine on the boat and stocking up at
Pack 'O Dawgs:
Fish, Winch, Fuel, & Squall
In unvarnished terms, the essence of a bluewater passage on a small boat sounds like some perverse research project conceived by undergraduate psych majors:
"I know, I know. Let's throw four random guys together for two weeks in a long, skinny 300 sq. ft. room that is constantly being jerked back and forth in all directions. We'll deprive them of sleep by putting them to work every few hours around the clock. We'll make it sometimes too hot, sometimes too cold, and occasiona
On Becoming A Salty Dawg
Rhoda and I were confident in and comfortable with CAYUGA, so our two-week summer shakedown cruise was much more about learning if we could coexist in a small space for more than a few day as opposed to learning more about the boat. After a successful shakedown, there was no reason not to push on with our plan to sail to the Caribbean for the winter. We decided to join the Salty Dawgs and participate in their fall "rally" -- an event that essentially brings together a group
