April 2015 – Sailing Pearl: Travels on a Beneteau Oceanis 373

Crossing to Bimini: We (finally) did it

There are is a bunch of lead-up to this post that I haven’t got out yet. The bottom line is that Lisa and I have broken out of Key West, and are now in Bimini. We made our crossing on the 20th. The weather couldn’t have been better. We left our a Continue reading ...!

The Patter of Little Feet

Hi Denise! Remember the nightmare you had about getting up in the morning and finding an alligator in the cockpit? Well, Lisa almost had a similar experience on the bow. Say “Hello!” to our little friend. As you see, this critter is con Continue reading ...!

Key West Yacht Harbor, Key West, FL

For a little over the past year, Pearl was tethered to the dock at the Key West Yacht Harbour. As marina’s go, this place is nice. It has a resort-like feel to it. On the one hand you are at a marina with a bunch of other boats. On the other, some Continue reading ...!

On the Hook

Yesterday, we spent our first night at anchor in a very long time. I can’t explain how happy that made me. We are anchored off the Key West harbor Marina where we’d been tethered to a dock for over a year. It’s a place I wanted to try since we Continue reading ...!

Generators: Comparing Honda 2000i to Yamaha 2000i

Having installed an air conditioner, we then faced the questions of powering it while at anchor. If you are wondering about our sudden fascination with air conditioning, while the ideal is a boat swinging quietly at anchor, loved one(s) ensconced c Continue reading ...!

Chilling Out — The Fridge, That Is

There’s a Southern phrase, “I’m fixing’ to …” that usually means “I am preparing to ….” Since it’s Spring, Lisa and I have been thinking about cruising again. In other words, we are “fixing’ to go cruising.” Unfo Continue reading ...!

Reflection

Lisa and I have had a couple of hard weeks. We’ve had a variety of projects to wrap up on Pearl. Things have broken. Components have died. We’re sore from assuming unnatural positions for other than “recreational” purposes. Continue reading ...!

Adding Air Conditioning: A Helpful Digression

Lisa and I don’t do well together when it’s too hot to sleep. We bicker. Tempers fray. Harley the dog tries to find a place to hide. None of that works well on a small boat. A couple of summers ago we solved this problem by jerry rigging Continue reading ...!