There’s Something About Wood And Canvas
Hi-tech carbon fiber boats have their own beauty. But why is it that classic boats, built of traditional materials, have the power to evoke such a powerful yearning for simplicity and a simpler time?...
View ArticleCuba – What’s Changed?
The net is just buzzing with talk about Cuba since the release yesterday (Jan 16, 2015) of the new US regulations regarding the embargo. Everyone wants to go to Cuba – nothing new there – but just what...
View ArticleOn not playing tourist in Barbados
Across many of the countries we’ve visited most recently—South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, the British Overseas Territory islands—we stepped into the role of tourist with happy abandon. Taking massive...
View ArticleSkipping through the Caribbean
Slow travel is one of the benefits of cruising. Lingering weeks or months in a place let us better understand the cultures we encounter along the way. Getting to know people opens the door to...
View ArticleI admit it: I was wrong about the Caribbean
I’ll be honest: I didn’t think I’d like sailing the Caribbean very much. Too many people. No unique experiences. Credit-card captains on holiday. Commercialism. Surly locals. I have no problem...
View ArticlePassage notes: St Martin to Bermuda
Only one more passage separates Totem from landfall in the USA. The proximity is palpable, and conversation about what it’s going to be like has dominated dinner table conversations. The comfortable...
View ArticlePassage notes: westbound across the Caribbean
Totem is sailing toward sunsets again. Turning towards the Dutch Antilles from Martinique was more westbound than south. This passage brought back more than a familiar angle for sunrises and moonsets:...
View ArticlePlanning a passage: Bonaire to Colombia
There is a good chance our upcoming passage will suck. Yay… How do we know it’s not a simple downwind run in the trades? Enough friends, cruisers with miles, have told us how uncomfortable the stretch...
View ArticleDissecting a passage: Bonaire to Colombia
This dreaded passage unleashed one true horror. It was not a failure in rigging or other key systems. It was not the feared washing machine sea state. No, it was the ugly reality of unclogging a...
View ArticleBonaire’s underwater wonderland
Tucked low in the Caribbean sea, a skip above Venezuela but hundreds of miles from the popular cruising grounds of the lesser Antilles, the ABC islands are a touch out of the way for the broader...
View ArticleA cruising year: milestones and introspection from Totem’s 2017
Inspiration and gratitude flow from the mundane in an annual review of Totem’s year by the numbers. We’re serious about tracking data on Totem; Jamie but can’t resist having fun with analysis (annual...
View ArticleBonaire for cruisers: more than diving
Bonaire: more than a dive destination? For most visitors, diving is THE reason to go, and it was certainly the lure for us to select Bonaire among the Dutch Antilles. But our planned “about a week”...
View ArticlePictures from the Passage: Colombia to Panama
Photos of sea state never do it justice. It is a truth and occasional lament, as it’s difficult to convey the feeling of being at sea. This passage (Trials at Sea and Ashore) held some of the most...
View ArticleColombia for cruisers: a different attraction
It wasn’t many years ago that Colombia was considered dangerous to visit: cruisers lured by pretty Venezuelan islands towards South America rarely made the hop next door. While care must be taken, the...
View ArticleColombian practicalities for cruisers
What should you know before sailing to Colombia? Planning details often clarify with hindsight. What we loved about Colombia is a start for anticipation: for those considering this destination, here...
View ArticleExploring Panama’s Guna Yala
Plumes of spray shoot up where waves strike the rocky spires of a reef off the coast of Guna Yala. Totem is bashing west to our next pocket of protection for anchoring, and none of our charts on board...
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