May 1, 2024
The rigging on Gato Loco was just replaced and the rig tensioning was way off at the start of the trip. We went very conservative to this point and had only tightening the inner and outer shrouds. Funny enough, last time in Santa Rosalia I went up the mast too, that time to clean the contacts on the Windex. Up…
April 30, 2024
Not thrilled about the 5:00am departure after three hours sleep but what are you going to do. Around 5:15am we motored our way into the sunrise. Soon we found 15 knots of wind (unfortunately 25 degrees to port) and with the Main at Reef 1 and Jib the engines were pulled way back. As the morning progressed, we lost our…
April 29, 2024
I woke for the sunrise and after getting my morning dose, I got to swabbing the deck. The morning dew worked well to clear the salt from our crossing. Getting that checked off we fired up the engines and made our way south. There was a motor vessel anchored with us and they led the way. It was a very…
April 28, 2024
The night before I let everyone know I planned to get up for the sunrise and for a hike before we pulled the anchor at 7am. So at 5:15, I quietly (as much as possible) lowered the dinghy and used the oars to get a quarter mile away before starting the engine and idling away. I headed up around the…
April 27, 2024
Well let’s try this again. Lowell and I were up around 5am, my review of the weather made me think that a 9am departure would be best but it was good that Lowell wanted to leave sooner. The wind and waves from the high NW winds overnight were manageable (diminishing) and, rather than arrive at 3:00am, by leaving right away…
April 26, 2024
It was an interesting start to the sailing season… We hustled to leave Puerto Penasco and probably should have listened to the locals who asked, in a questioning way, if we were leaving the next day. We had a narrow window to beat three days of strong southern wind and waves so Wednesday morning at 5:30am we motored out of…
February 6, 2024
Well I was lucky, it happened just after fueling up at my home airport. As I twisted the locking tab it broken off into my hand. Huh. Maybe I had them too tight or maybe the composite material is just not up for the job. Regardless I needed to find the parts to get it fixed. Searching I found that…
January 17, 2024
My first hotel was halfway up a mountain with nothing nearby, so when asked if I wanted to dine at the hotel for 20 euros it was a quick yes. Little did I know how great the food would be or that I would eat here each night of my stay! Night 1 Hotel Burgaunerhof Breakfast Buffet Hotel Burgaunerhof Night…
January 16, 2024
After another morning run we headed straight for Saint Mark’s Basilica. There was no line and we paid your euros and headed inside. It is an impressive building and even more so for Cheresa and Anna who have not been any of the large churches in Europe. We opted for the optional tour of the museum which allows for going…
January 15, 2024
With only a couple days we packed in a lot today. But first up Anna and Cheresa wanted to get a workout. I was very skeptical of their plan to run around Venice but it actually worked out for them. Seven miles later they were back for breakfast before the adventure started. Since I had scoped things out already I…
January 14, 2024
The gun laws in Europe require a permit holder for a rifle, and only that permit holder, to transport the rifle. What this meant is that Anna and her teammate were unable to drive with me yesterday to Venecia and had to wait until the team moved to their Airbnb before they could come to Venecia. I had mapped it…
January 13, 2024
I skipped out on the final day of the biathlon races in Ridanna and after breakfast hit the road. It was a smooth drive with no issues (thankfully) and the only surprise was the total cost for tolls. On the drive into the Dolomites I had four or five toll booths and on the drive back only one but the…