As of this week, we have decided to sell our s/v Rachel J Slocum and take a much needed break to recharge our weary selves. We are looking to enact this decision immediately.
Not too long ago, checking the weather used to be a 30 second affair, looking to see how hot the day would be and whether to bring a jacket or not. Now that we’ve moved onto a boat, it becomes much more involved, including watching for tides and currents among other variables.
One of the key selling points of the voyaging lifestyle is becoming a part of the community of sailors. We know of no better way of being introduced to this community than to have as neighbors, Captain Rich and his girlfriend Lyn.
We found inspiration in Ocean Research Project’s slate of activities and wanted to put a spotlight on microplastics, climate change and other research topics.
Only a one-of-a-kind Huon Pine sailing dinghy would suit a one-of-a-kind Kevlar staysail schooner, RJ Slocum. Here’s the backstory on this unique dinghy made of Huon Pine, the prince of timbers.
Andrew and I have the best talks while we’re traveling, and our discussion while flying back from Ft Lauderdale was no different. We took stock of where we are and began to explore what’s next for us.
We’re in Ft Lauderdale taking the next step of our due diligence process on s/v Rachel J Slocum. In Part 2 of the Survey & Sea Trial series, we cover some armchair sailing research on what’s involved in marine surveys and sea trials.
It’s been quite a year of transitions and so we wanted to do a round-up post of what we’ve done so far this year, introduce part 1 of the Survey & Sea Trial series and of course celebrate Denise’s birthday.
On September 19th of each year since 2002, the world over celebrates international talk like a pirate day. Now that we are one signature away from becoming owners of a schooner, we thought we might get a little bit more into the spirit of things.
The cover photo belies the truth about sailing through Greece. We encountered 3 days of storms during our ambitious passage from Corfu to Athens. This trip reawakened our interest in sailing. Two years later, we decided to go for it and buy our own sailboat!
Do you know where you are or more importantly when you are? In today’s blog, we explore both questions. Honestly, I didn’t think such basic questions could become such a mind twist.
Recently we began to listen to audiobooks about various cruising grounds so we can get to know the geography, people and culture of the area. We thought it would be helpful to compile a more exhaustive list to share with you.
A few months ago, Jan Wooller got in touch with us. Along with her sage advice, she sent along a copy of her book, “We Hate Hippos - Stories of a Sea Gypsy’s Life.” I take the Hippo book (which I have come to refer to it with Andrew) as knowledge dispensed from a friend who is looking out for you.
For those of you about to jump in the arena to begin a voyaging life, your critics will come from any (and all) directions. Depending on how much you value that relationship, you will need to come up with ways of dealing with this dynamic. Here are the five ways we handled this.
A few weeks ago, Bill suggested we become a member of a yacht club to cut down on our cruising expenses. The image that I conjure up when someone mentions yacht clubs is an elitist club. However, we have come to learn that they come in all shapes and sizes.
For those curious, here is a Project Slocum update. We scraped all our pennies together and put a deposit on s/v Rachel J Slocum. We are officially in escrow… Time to celebrate!
During these times of uncertainty, it is helpful to sketch out a preliminary plan to feel like you have control over something. Also, it’s a pleasant distraction from the 24/7 coronavirus news. Here is our 2020 Sailing Plan.
Buying a boat can be overwhelming. Follow these 8 steps… and come up with a game plan that answers as much as you can before you make an offer on a boat. This will be an iterative process as you narrow down your preferences. We hope these tips and resources help.
As we shared previously in Part 1-3 of this series, we didn’t take this trip lightly. We went ahead with it, and now in Project Slocum Part 4, we share our thoughts on the trip, much like a day-in-the-life.
In Project Slocum Part 3, we provide updates on a few different topics since they all seem to interplay this week leading up to our trip to Ft. Lauderdale.
Project Slocum Part 1 - due diligence on buying a boat is much like buying a house. Just as you may make an offer contingent on several variables, in the case of buying a boat it will be contingent on a marine survey and a sea trial.
There isn’t any one perfect boat for everyone. The boat you choose should be safe, comfortable, well built, and ideally capable of fast passages while proving to be a good investment. When first we saw Rachel J Slocum, we knew we found the perfect boat for us.
Sailing around the world is bringing your home wherever you travel. To get started you need to learn to let go of living on land, move aboard a sailboat and find your dream job.
Perhaps when you meet a new boat owner who has invested in a 30-year old boat, it screams history buff. Perhaps it doesn’t. But Rich had us pegged for sailors who are nostalgic for a simpler life and can find value in learning from the pages of history.
One of the key selling points of the voyaging lifestyle is becoming a part of the community of sailors. We know of no better way of being introduced to this community than to have as neighbors, Captain Rich and his girlfriend Lyn.
We’ve now spent one week living on a boat and thought it would be a good time to reflect on what it’s been like. What’s the same? What’s different? If you’re on the fence about whether a voyaging life is for you, perhaps a glimpse of our experience will inform your decision.
When we returned from Florida, we spent an exhausting week packing and loading the POD. Why is it that when we had 20% left to go, it was so much harder than going through the initial 80% of our stuff? Here is an update on how we stand in the final weeks of our 30-weeks to minimalism plan.
We would like to invite you to join the Serenade Wind crew. In this post, find out what it means to be part of the crew, unlock the pirate’s booty, and receive other exclusive access and benefits.
After a few months of planning and negotations, we finally have a chance to see our girls following a long roadtrip we are calling “Sleepless to Seattle”.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. ~ Marianne Williamson
Fundamentally, we are all social creatures and want to feel a connection to others and a sense of purpose. I found that connection based on social status, brands, what or who you know felt quite hollow. We are not beautiful people.
For those of you about to jump in the arena to begin a voyaging life, your critics will come from any (and all) directions. Depending on how much you value that relationship, you will need to come up with ways of dealing with this dynamic. Here are the five ways we handled this.
One of the first posts we published on SerenadeWind talks about our relationship with money. When we began to dig into that topic, a natural extension to pursuing a minimalist life is a life of philanthropy.
If you tried to send me a Linkedin request over the past dozen years or so, chances are I didn’t see it. Apologies if you think I was ignoring you. Please don’t take it personally. I was ignoring Linkedin.
Staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic sure makes it hard to plan a surprise for Andrew. I am probably nuts to be posting a happy birthday blog weeks in advance, as it may tip my hand on my plans. But it sure is fun to see what will happen!
What are you willing to do to support local businesses? In our latest post, find out our approach. It may involve taking calculated risks in order to live a full life.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, I would take along my current knitting project wherever I go. Sometimes while standing in line, I will pull out my project and begin to knit. Others look at their cellphone, I knit.
Free will or fate is about how Life sometimes throws you curveballs and gives you an opportunity to face adversity but also to grow closer together. In short succession, we had three such curveballs thrown at us and this is how we fared.
One of the hardest areas to tackle when downsizing and purging your belongings is figuring out what to do with sentimental items. I thought clothes would be tough. They were a breeze compared to this. Then, I discovered 3 reasons in their favor: learning tool, empathy and throw back.
As we shared previously in Part 1-3 of this series, we didn’t take this trip lightly. We went ahead with it, and now in Project Slocum Part 4, we share our thoughts on the trip, much like a day-in-the-life.
In Project Slocum Part 3, we provide updates on a few different topics since they all seem to interplay this week leading up to our trip to Ft. Lauderdale.
Solitude is the key to creativity, to break-through thoughts, and to innovation. It is the birthplace of ideas. Here is the story of two selectively social introverts.
At some point, Andrew asked the question, why don’t we just take it easy. We’ll play the weekend by ear and not decide now. Find out how a “recovering planner” would react to going with the flow.
Happy anniversary! Andrew and I are unlike most couples. We celebrated by climbing and boat shopping on our anniversary. Since life is short, why not spend your time pursuing your passions?
Sailing around the world is bringing your home wherever you travel. To get started you need to learn to let go of living on land, move aboard a sailboat and find your dream job.
We took a hard look at how we were spending our time each week. While we didn’t like what we were seeing, we also saw this as an opportunity to ask some hard questions. And to solve them, it was time to go to the whiteboard.
We’ve now spent one week living on a boat and thought it would be a good time to reflect on what it’s been like. What’s the same? What’s different? If you’re on the fence about whether a voyaging life is for you, perhaps a glimpse of our experience will inform your decision.
We are getting to know our boat organically by listening to foreign sounds and investigating unusual smells, which in our case led to tracing boat systems.
As we are flying across the country to s/v Rachel J Slocum, we wanted to share the final installment on how we became minimalists in less than 30 weeks.
When we returned from Florida, we spent an exhausting week packing and loading the POD. Why is it that when we had 20% left to go, it was so much harder than going through the initial 80% of our stuff? Here is an update on how we stand in the final weeks of our 30-weeks to minimalism plan.
Andrew and I have the best talks while we’re traveling, and our discussion while flying back from Ft Lauderdale was no different. We took stock of where we are and began to explore what’s next for us.
How do you prioritize what to do when you downsize your home? We independently came to the same conclusion - to maximize matching gifts is our first priority, then speed and lastly value.
One of the first posts we published on SerenadeWind talks about our relationship with money. When we began to dig into that topic, a natural extension to pursuing a minimalist life is a life of philanthropy.
In part 5, we conclude our downsizing process that began with 30-weeks to minimalism. This beautiful living space conceals stowage for spares, spares and more spares.
In the 4th part of our 30-weeks to minimalism series, we tackle the galley. Once again, we will need to think critically about what items are used daily now and can still serve us in the future aboard a sailboat. Here is how a “sea foodie” would approach it.
30-weeks to minimalism launched our 5 part series on how to downsize for the rest of your life. We followed this up with how to tackle sentimental items as well as clothes. In part 3 of this series, we address the boat head.
One of the hardest areas to tackle when downsizing and purging your belongings is figuring out what to do with sentimental items. I thought clothes would be tough. They were a breeze compared to this. Then, I discovered 3 reasons in their favor: learning tool, empathy and throw back.
30 weeks to minimalism begins with a game plan and time. Rather than replace a busy schedule with another busy schedule, give yourself time. Find stillness in the day for introspection and self-discovery.
To us, sailing will bring us a life of adventure, and it will also bring us closer to nature as we witness that our choices will make a direct impact on the world around us. In this post, we talk about ways of going green.
With few options to buy items in stores due to coronavirus, here is an opportunity to break a habit. Rather than instinctually ordering online, why not look around your house & create a solution based on what you already have?
What is your relationship with money? In this post, we explore this topic. At this stage in our lives, we are not compelled to accumulate money just as we are not compelled to accumulate possessions. Why? Because they end up owning you…
After a couple weeks spent with ideas about the future pinballing around in my mind, I finally got some closure on a few things. The present is the only time that you actually have control…
I want to take a moment to say Thank You to the amazing people that have been following our adventure so far. It’s an overdue thank you triggered by the overwhelming response to our previous post. In reality, your encouragement has been ever present since our little blog debuted. We are grateful to all of you.
Two weeks after moving aboard, we finally (touch wood) had refrigeration on our boat. Are we counting chickens before they’re hatched? Here’s a day-in-the-life account of tackling this repair.
We are getting to know our boat organically by listening to foreign sounds and investigating unusual smells, which in our case led to tracing boat systems.
Like many of you, I am inspired by ideas while in the shower. My latest came as I was puzzling over how to source certain products while we travel around the world. Seems like now’s a good time to level-up on a second language, but which one?
A couple months ago, we decided to experiment with ways to go green. For us this means, living deliberately and raising our awareness about how we impact the world around us. Here are a few updates on our progress towards ethical sailing. Happy World Oceans Day!
What else is there to do while you’re observing stay-at-home orders until May 15th during this pandemic? We performed a little experiment at home to measure the amount of water used while showering so we could figure out how long can we daydream in the shower.
To us, sailing will bring us a life of adventure, and it will also bring us closer to nature as we witness that our choices will make a direct impact on the world around us. In this post, we talk about ways of going green.
With few options to buy items in stores due to coronavirus, here is an opportunity to break a habit. Rather than instinctually ordering online, why not look around your house & create a solution based on what you already have?
As we shared previously in Part 1-3 of this series, we didn’t take this trip lightly. We went ahead with it, and now in Project Slocum Part 4, we share our thoughts on the trip, much like a day-in-the-life.
I want to take a moment to say Thank You to the amazing people that have been following our adventure so far. It’s an overdue thank you triggered by the overwhelming response to our previous post. In reality, your encouragement has been ever present since our little blog debuted. We are grateful to all of you.
Happy Thanksgiving! Since it’s just the two of us this year and we have a teeny, tiny Force 10 oven, it’s time to get creative on how to cook a Thanksgiving dinner aboard. Here’s what we decided to have.
In the first few weeks aboard, we wanted to test all equipment to make sure we can address anything that needs fixing before we cast off. Today’s story features impossible tuna tarlets baked in our Force 10 oven.
There is a vast world of canned proteins - roast beef, chicken, clams, shrimp, etc. - that I have avoided most of my life. In preparation for our voyaging life, I have decided to explore this world of pantry proteins now.
If you’ve followed our Culinary Adventures, you’ll start to see a theme of no waste in this household. We love cooking and riffing off recipes and sometimes this will evolve over the lifecycle of ingredients to create some fun, novel adventures in cooking and help us when we live aboard RJ Slocum.
During the pandemic, we’ve been having fun performing culinary experiments with canned food recipes and figuring out how to provision for offshore cruising. We hand-picked the tastiest recipes which are easy to cook while making passage or at anchor.
Staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic sure makes it hard to plan a surprise for Andrew. I am probably nuts to be posting a happy birthday blog weeks in advance, as it may tip my hand on my plans. But it sure is fun to see what will happen!
Cook now explore later is the story of our pandemic life as we are all doing our part: to stay home and save lives. In this post, we feature tried and true recipes that we cook in our home throughout the year. We believe these recipes will transition perfectly aboard a sailboat.
One of the hardest areas to tackle when downsizing and purging your belongings is figuring out what to do with sentimental items. I thought clothes would be tough. They were a breeze compared to this. Then, I discovered 3 reasons in their favor: learning tool, empathy and throw back.
During these times of uncertainty, it is helpful to sketch out a preliminary plan to feel like you have control over something. Also, it’s a pleasant distraction from the 24/7 coronavirus news. Here is our 2020 Sailing Plan.
Sailing around the world is bringing your home wherever you travel. To get started you need to learn to let go of living on land, move aboard a sailboat and find your dream job.
I want to take a moment to say Thank You to the amazing people that have been following our adventure so far. It’s an overdue thank you triggered by the overwhelming response to our previous post. In reality, your encouragement has been ever present since our little blog debuted. We are grateful to all of you.
I must admit that I put the cart before the proverbial horse when I wanted to come up with a new logo for Serenade Wind. Andrew set me straight and we took the time to define our brand. Here’s how we approached it.
Over the past few months, Andrew has been working on redesigning serenadewind.com to make our lives easier when we’re offshore. We also took this as an opportunity to improve your experience - intuitive navigation, introduce more content, and pretty it up.
After revealing the website redesign and the Serenade Wind logo, we wanted to announce some more ways you can connect with Serenade Wind and show your support.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, I would take along my current knitting project wherever I go. Sometimes while standing in line, I will pull out my project and begin to knit. Others look at their cellphone, I knit.
With few options to buy items in stores due to coronavirus, here is an opportunity to break a habit. Rather than instinctually ordering online, why not look around your house & create a solution based on what you already have?
