Our First Passage

Salt Spray. Constant rolling. Searing sun. Dew-soaked clothes at night; nothing remains dry. For anyone who may have been envious of our trip, trust me--it's no picnic. Crossing oceans is wearisome, and at times, frightening. 

The Gulf Stream, a river flowing in the middle of the ocean at up to 5 knots with waves known to reach 70 feet in storms, gave us quite a wild ride. The first three days of our trip was nothing but seasickness, high winds and large waves. As we crossed the Gulf Stream's point of maximum intensity, mountains rose up from the deep, sending avalanches of whitewater careening down their steep faces.

Breaking waves are a boat's worst nightmare, and we were amongst the biggest I had ever seen. During the worst of it, our normal 3 hour shifts were interrupted and I manned the tiller for 15 hours straight as we ran with the waves. At one point we were surfing (not a good thing), hitting speeds of over 15 knots. We hit multiple eddies--currents  swirling and colliding with opposing currents-- creating inconsistent, choppy waves that tossed the boat around. Wave trains of four in a row plowed through us, building steeper and higher each time. Three days either double-reefed (a lessening of the sail area in response to higher winds) or under storm trysail and jib; we were tired.

It is said that a boat can handle far more than its crew, and Makai performed flawlessly.

For every scary moment, there is an equal number of truly amazing ones. We were becalmed on the 4th day. Amanda and I looked out upon a flat, blue mirror. Complete silence and 360 degrees of ocean surrounded us. A brilliant yellow-green Mahi-Mahi swam up to the boat and performed circles to scope us out. Then a pod of dolphins came by to play. Then an odd looking fish we think was a grouper hung out under our hull, occasionally popping out to look at the funny humans.

Not going anywhere? Why not go for a swim? The GPS said it was 17,000 feet deep.

The last six days were beautiful with light winds and calms seas, allowing us to average 3-4 knots. Not fast, but far more comfortable.

At dawn on the tenth day, we entered Bermudan waters. You know those wallpaper photos of the beach scene with bright turquoise water that looks completely photoshopped? THAT'S REALLY HOW IT LOOKS!!!

The island has a rich history dating back to 1609 when shipwrecked sailors first inhabited the island. There are a million forts. The houses are painted bright pastel colors and the roofs are all white. We could easily spend a month exploring Bermuda, but we've got to continue our journey to the Azores before hurricane season picks up.

Made it to Bermuda!

Hi friends and family! We've made it safe and sound to Bermuda!! New post with pictures coming soon!

Credit Card Fraud

Over the last few weeks Kaiao and I have been purchasing items to prepare Makai for our long voyage. Items include a life raft, foul weather gear and a SSB receiver (to receive weather reports while traveling). To our dismay we received a phone call last night indicating that our credit card had been compromised and a purchase was made in Columbia for a modular building. Fortunately our credit card company has fraud protection and called us immediately. We cancelled the card and are now awaiting a new one to come in before we travel.

Here are a few tips to help minimize your chances of this happening to you:

• Check your accounts frequently and ensure you or an authorized user purchased the item or service
• Shred all statements before disposing of them (or switch to electronic statements)
• Ensure companies are legitimate before initiating phone orders
• Only enter a credit card number on a secure site (must start with https://)

Luckily our bank will cover the fraudulent charges and will pursue legal action, however not all banks will do this. Make sure that your bank has fraudulent protection to ensure you will not pay out of your pocket for expenses you didn't make!

Welcome to the Cruising Life!

Ralph pulled up to Makai to pick us up. No, not by car; by dinghy. Amanda and I hopped off the dock and took a seat in the small inflatable boat. Ralph throttled up, leaving the marina in our wake. The sky was a deep shade of orange and the Cape Fear River a mirror, save for the occasional fish jumping to catch evening bugs.

The occasion? A free concert downtown, and a schedule of nada!

To port, the Wilmington city lights sparkle orange, blue and white on the water. To starboard, the USS North Carolina towers above us, a ghost in the darkness.

We motor downstream at a leisurely pace, avoiding crab pots that could foul our prop. The downtown riverwalk is brightly lit and bustling with people who turn to investigate the humming noise coming from the river. We pull up and lash the dinghy to dock, jump out and get lost in the crowd.

The concert is a blast. The bands are a mix of 60's surfer music, hillbilly backwoods, and good ol' rock 'n roll. Ever heard that song Camel Walk? "Baby, you make me want to walk...like a camel!" Or how 'bout the song "Banana Pudding"? Go look it up on Youtube, you'll be singing it for days.

The local brewery even set up a tent and served hand-crafted beer at reasonable prices! Of course beer leads to dancing, hootin' and hollering, fist pumps and yelling "woooooooohoo!" over and over, so all in all, it was a damned good night.

Motoring back upstream, stars above us, calm water  all around, I couldn't help but express my happiness in that moment. Ralph, a cowboy-turned biker, turned sailor with the tattoos to prove it, yells over the roar of the engine "this is what it's all about, eh! Welcome to the cruising life!"

Made it to North Carolina!

Hi Everyone! We have finally arrived in Wilmington, NC to our beautiful home on Makai. The weather has been amazing and we've even had a few storms here and there :) We are currently moving all of our essentials onto the boat and ordering supplies for our journey. Our current departure date is June 1st and we may even have some friends along for the trip.

Avoiding Hurricanes

Many people are concerned that we're about to sail into the perfect storm. Surely you'll be crushed by five-hundred foot waves! And if a storm doesn’t get you, the Kraken will! Information is the best cure for fear, so here's a brief explanation of how storms in the North Atlantic work.

We intend to leave the US east coast by 1 June 2014 bound for Gibraltar--the entrance to the Mediterranean. This route generally takes a sailing vessel like our 34 foot Saugeen Witch (Thomas Colvin design) 30 days to complete, so for planning purposes we’ll be in the North Atlantic for the entire month of June.

Whoa! June is the start of hurricane season, are you NUTS??!!

Let's look at some statistics:

Since 1851, the month of June has seen 82 Tropical Storms and/or Hurricanes. That averages out to 0.5 per year, or one every two years (again, this is only for the month of June).

We must also consider the locations that storms tend to occur.

Based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), you can see below that likely storm locations are in the Gulf of Mexico and a couple hundred miles off the US east coast during the month of June. I’ve also included pictures of July through November for comparison. If we set sail From North Carolina with an optimistic weather forecast, we will clear this hazard zone long before a tropical storm brews in the lower latitudes.

As you can see, the chance of running into a serious storm in June is quite low. Outliers are known to happen, so storm avoidance really comes down to watching current weather forecasts and using your best friend--common sense.

Recap: The Last 5 Years

Alas! We are on the verge of leaving Clovis, New Mexico. We've called this small town home for the last 5 years, and what an adventure it has been!

Just like countless people before us, we cursed the remoteness. The flatness. The dryness. The fragrant smells...

One day we strolled the main street of Clovis, hunting for small-town photo opportunities. Amanda and I were determined to find a picturesque scene in contrast to the typical 7th Street burned-out, shot-out, brokedown house from the '50s. Surely there was something good in this town!

Walking over the red bricks, I spotted a piece of literature eloquently transposed on a storefront window: "Clovis Sux"

Beautiful! Even the locals don't like it here, I thought.

Looks can be deceiving, however.

The beauty of this town isn't its well-maintained roads, its numerous breweries, or its botanical gardens. The jewel of Clovis is its people.

Every neighbor we've had was a born 'n raised Clovis resident, and if it wasn't an offer to become honorary family members, it was a Thanksgiving turkey on our doorstep.

"Need us to watch your house while you're out of town? We'll check on the place every hour, water your plants, and if someone tries to break in we'll kill 'em dead."

Sigh. Maybe we can bring them with? I guess Clovis wouldn't be Clovis if we snatched up these wonderful folks.

It was a blessing in disguise, living in Clovis. Like a cattle prod it forced us to get out and explore the region. Rock climbing, snowboarding, caving, oh my! I can't even begin to list all the adventures we've experienced here. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let them do the talking.


Monster Trucks @ Curry County Events Center

Rodeo @ Curry County Events Center

Fun in the Snow @ Ned Houk Park

Blue Hole @ Santa Rosa, NM

Perch Lake @ Santa Rosa, NM

Balloon Fiesta @ Albuquerque, NM

Hiking @ Ruidoso, NM

Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM

Hiking @ South Colony Lake, CO

Snowboarding @ Sipapu, NM

Hiking @ Capitan, NM

Rock Climbing @ El Rito, NM

Rock Climbing @ Diablo Canyon, NM

Hiking Wheeler Peak @ Taos, NM

Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO

White water rafting @ Royal Gorge, CO

Cross-country Kayaking @ Lake Powell, AZ/UT

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ

Monument Valley, UT

Zion National Park, UT

Rock climbing/camping @ St. George, UT

Hiking @ Grand Canyon National Park, AZ

Fall colors @ Los Alamos, NM

Blanca Peak, 4th highest of the Rocky Mountains @ 14,345ft

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”
--Henry David Thoreau