Let’s take a moment and talk about boat projects. As social media (@sailingkairos5) attests there are ALWAYS projects to be done. It’s the nature of boat ownership. When and how and where are the only questions and often necessity dictates those answers. A week ago, we woke to thick fog. It was a travel day. […]
Way back when this dream was becoming reality and we realized we would not have a firm time frame, Dave and I decided that nobody could call it quits until we had tried it for six months. Even then with all the excitement of anticipation we knew the transition had potential to be rough. We […]
Many of you folks near and dear to us have noted with concern that it appeared we were losing weight. To put all concerns to rest, it has been a healthy process for us all. But the overall count of who lost more might surprise you. The stats: Marcie: 15 lbs Dave: 30 lbs Kairos5: […]
Yesterday afternoon St. Augustine inlet came into focus on the horizon. We had left West End on Grand Bahama in the Abacos Wednesday at 8 AM. What followed was the fastest 240 mile passage yet and also the most comfortable. What?! Most often when the wind picks up and we increase speed so also the […]
On March 6 we pulled anchor and left Sainte Anne and Le Marin behind. Six weeks we spent there adjusting to life afloat. The move aboard on January 23 was significant as we learned the systems of Kairos5. A few weeks in we added boat projects and a couple weeks after that school for the […]
“Sailing is 90% boredom and 10% terror.” ~ Dave Bell circa 2003 Looking back, I’m sure this phrase was one that Dave picked up while cruising the Bahamas so many years ago. As a 23 yr old, this phrase enticed me. I wanted to experience that kind of life where you’re not quite certain what […]
Island time is notoriously slow. Everyone jokes about it. Now we can say with utmost confidence that island time is even slower than Westside time. We spent the last fifteen years on the westside of Grand Rapids and like most city environments it has it’s own culture for timeliness. Some of us adjusted more quickly […]
Huge news! The official papers from France have arrived. Kairos5 is now our boat in every aspect and we are thrilled. Our sights are turning north and (God willing) we will leave Sainte-Anne later this week. We are planning to stop a few times as we work up Martinique’s coast. St. Pierre and hiking the […]
What a life this is! The highs are glorious, snippets of sheer delight and quality interactions; star gazing on the trampolines, snorkeling together (even Jude who rides on Dave’s back), swimming/playing in the water, meeting other cruisers with kids, and discovery together. (Three other cruising families invited us along for a hike to this pristine […]
“Is everything all right?”, Dave asked. I kept my face neutral as my mind raced to decide how to answer that question. Clearly, he was asking because my reaction to Asa breaking a glass while on dish duty was not gracious. We constantly tell the kids you get to choose – will you react or […]