As the saying goes, “A stitch in time saves nine,” and nowhere is that more true than when it comes to your boat’s standing rigging. Your rigging is the backbone of your sailboat, keeping your mast upright and your sails doing what they’re supposed to do—propelling you forward.
In the middle of the year 2000, we made a pivotal decision that would set the course for a new chapter in our lives: we decided to sell our coastal sailboat and embark on the search for a blue water cruising sailboat.
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the bustling capital of Spain’s Canary Islands, is more than just a picturesque city off the northwest coast of Africa—it’s the ideal destination for sailors preparing for an Atlantic crossing.
A north wind in the Caribbean Sea is as rare as a seagull landing on a stern rail empty of fish bate. It is even more rare under an almost full moon.
“You can do that?” My wife, Dannalie, and I looked at each other with eyes wide, mouths open, and heads filled with so many questions. As soul-mates, we knew exactly what each other was thinking. Must. Learn. More.
Grenada is situated in the Windward Island chain and encompasses the southernmost islands of the “Grenadines.” The stunning islands offer protected anchorages, high-quality marinas and boatyards, a wide range of yachting and marine service facilities, and international air connections.
We’ve all heard that old saying. You know the one—be careful what you wish for. When the years press on the once extraordinary can quickly become watered down by mundane repetition. When this phenomenon sets upon us, it is easy to get lost. We set goals and climb hard on the wind towards the finish line with no relent and when the spray settles and the beating subsides we are left only with silence.
When I first started sailing, more years ago than I care to remember, it didn’t take more than a couple of restless nights for me to realize that it was a lot better to anchor securely the first time rather than staggering on deck at 3am on a blustery, rainy, pitch-black night, trying to haul in then re-set a heavy anchor and chain.
Engage is the prime directive. When you do, adventure is sure to ensue. Someone’s got reach out and someone’s got to follow through.
My first foray into the big waters beyond the international border of Maine and Canada was 35 years ago. Since then, during a dozen trips into the Bay of Fundy environs, I have explored a number of harbors, coves and tickles along the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia coast.
