Daysi Tragesser : The

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Tuesday, July 25, 2017

The first Intrepid power boat Loys Charbonnet and the Checkered Demon

Sometimes you just know something unique is happening to you, and meeting Loys Charbonnet for the first time on his boat was one of them. I was called by Loys, and asked to do some Garmin 5208 training, and software upgrades. As I boarded, his boat I had this unusual feeling. It looked brand new from the factory, but it had this retro classic appearance. So I asked Loys, "Who is the builder?", and he replied, "This is an Intrepid, and it is the first one ever sold". To say this has been a well cared for, and much loved boat would be an understatement. The bright work was in terrific condition, the fiberglass was waxed, and showed no sign of oxidation. The boat is almost exactly the way it came out of the factory approximately twenty-seven years ago.

There are only a few things that are different. It was re-powered just last year, and the original Yamaha 220 was replaced with a new Yamaha 300 HPDI. The rocket launcher seat was also re-upholstered, and the motor mount is of a newer vintage.

The boat in question is a Intrepid 26, built by the Intrepid Boatworks in 1983, now Intrepid Power Boats. The hull lines are clean, and purposeful, as you would expect from a classic Jim Wynne deep V hull design. If you look closely, at more modern Intrepid boat hulls of about the same lengths, you can clearly see the design similarities, even after a couple decades have passed. I will talk about Jim Wynne a little later.

The console is well laid out, and nicely trimmed. The new Garmin 5208 chartplotter is visible behind the helm. The Yamaha shifter, and the engine instruments are new.

Under the helm, are two VHF radios, an EPIRB, and an aircraft transceiver, and you can see the small antenna farm on the mast below. The mast was custom built for Loys’ boat by Intrepid, and was never a factory option, but it is cool looking, and maybe should of. In addition to the radio antennas, you can also see the Garmin N2K GPS and Garmin GXM51 weather receiver.

So how did Loys end up purchasing the first Intrepid? He was a good friend of Jim Wynne, who told him about the new company he was designing hulls for. For those who don't know who Jim Wynne is, I will put some links at the bottom of the story to allow for some further exploration. Jim Wynne, along with Charles Strang, were the inventors of the I/O stern drive so prevalent in todays boating world, and Jim Wynne can be also be considered the one of the fathers of modern power boat deep V hull design.

So how well does this 27 year old design hold up? This is what Loys has to say about the boat:

"I am convinced that having one engine is the way to go. I have run many times in the open ocean with other 26' Intrepids with two, 225hp engines, and it was no contest in 5'-8' seas. If you strap a 25lb weight on your back, and run, you hit the ground harder. This boat is very light, and I have purposely kept it that way. I have made countless single handed crossings from Miami, to all parts of the Bahamas. This boat has never once let me down, and it is bullet proof. I elected to not take the additional 50 gallon tank option, to keep the weight down, and the 150 gallon tank is perfect for good range, and rough seas performance. I did not order the T-top because of both the extra weight, and windage. I like speed, and the new Yamaha 300 HPDI does an excellent job in this department. (Note I did not go with the four stroke version, again to keep the weight down)

"Loys followed this comentary with the following musings:

"A good friend of mine bought the second boat off the line, but I let the factory finish his first because he was headed off to the Bahamas before me. We were departing a little later in my Hatteras 53 YF. We, for the most part, towed the Intrepid all over the Bahamas. Typically we left the two boats there from May to September, and we were always moving around. I love to free dive, and shoot fish with a sling. We owned a twin engine plane (hence the aircraft transceiver on the Intrepid), and would leave on Thursdays, and would return on early Mondays, and we did this for twenty five years".

I liked his assessment of the boat, it is pragmatic, and it comes from an ultra experienced boater. Loys started out in boats at age ten in a pram. He is a world class "Half Ton" sailboat racer, with many 1st to 3rd place finishes, both domestically and internationally, and I can't imagine him without a boat, or two, or three.

So now we come to the "Checkered Demon", and all children must now avert their eyes. When I first met Loys, I had my trusty Nikon digital camera with me, whose battery promptly took a dump after the first couple of pictures. I sent him an e-mail, and asked him if I could take some more pictures of his boat, and have him answer a few additional questions. One of the questions was as follows:

"Loys, the name "Checkered Demon" is evocative of my less than halcyon, and at times somewhat misspent youth. How did you pick the name, and might you know Mr. Wilson, and Crumb of Checkered Demon fame?” Here is Loys response:

"I never personally met S. Clay Wilson, but I have two complete original sets of his comics, and no, they are not for sale. In 1974 I had a Ron Holland custom designed "Half Ton" sailboat built for the 'Half Ton" World Championships held in Chicago. A good friend of mine, Cai Svendsen, who lived in Coconut Grove, helped build the boat and sailed on it and he introduced me to the "Checkered Demon.” All of my boats, including, all subsequent to the "Half Ton" yacht, have carried the name. If you know the "Checkered Demon" you know he always wins!”

The "Checkered Demon” was the creation of S. Clay Wilson, who was a contemporary of R. Crumb (Keep On Trucking), and Gilbert Shelton (The Fabulous Furry Freak Bothers). This odd, counter culture anti-hero had the distinction of doing in bad guys, such as rapists, pirates, and bad biker gangs, and never losing, but on the whole he would rather be drinking "Tree Frog Beer", and graphically chasing after (and I am being very discrete here) females with names like Star-eyed Stella, and, the ilk. For those of you, who had "Fuzzy Days" during this period in your life, I have included some additional links below to refresh your memories.

Thanks Loys, its been fun.

Below are some interesting links that are worth exploring, and Google can take you to many more.

An excellent Sports Illustrated article about Jim Wynne
Wikipedia article about the stern drive

Stern Drive, The Invention

The Bertram Mopie, Jim Wynne, and the Great Race
A good piece on S. Clay Wilson's life and times.

Wikipedia on S. Clay Wilson

S. Clay Wilson, the artist

Readmore → The first Intrepid power boat Loys Charbonnet and the Checkered Demon

Tuesday, July 4, 2017

The Wilderness Goes Quiet

I wake early, planning to reach the south lagoon in time to watch the beaver finish their activities. But, rainfall on the roof changes the plan. I roll over and sleep another hour and some.

I start again at the unnamed lagoon. It is 7am and there are no beaver to be found. But, I see my first green backed heron for the season, flushing it from a branch on the Workbench. It pauses on a snag on the nearby lodge and then gets up and flies a big circle all the way around the lagoon, following the edge of the trees.

Sedge Meadow

The highway that penetrates my wilderness is closed today and it is comparatively quiet in the marsh. The carp have begun their mating thing and the big fish root around in the shallows with a stirring of their back fins and frequent explosions of water. I visit many of my favorite spots just so that I can listen to them without the din of automobile. I go out of my way to get into and sit in the sedge meadow at the north end of the east marsh. It is a beautiful spot that receives the full blast of the highway noise but today is quiet except for a steady wind blow through the cattails. This beautiful spot has not long to live. Sometime in the next few years, the state will build a retarded bridge here and wipe it away. I try to record it in sound and image as often as possible.

I cut straight across the bay in a steady tailwind with the light sprinkle of rain moving almost horizontal but at my back. An eagle sits on the lunch counter. It has been a very long time since I saw an eagle there. The mate is at the edge of the north marsh watching the commotion that the carp are creating. It's rather cat like...the fish are way too big, but the eagle can't help but watch.

Readmore → The Wilderness Goes Quiet

Friday, June 9, 2017

Didi 34 being lifted on the Hout Bay Boat Yard Travel Lift

This was part of the survey work and when we went to the HBBY (hout bay boat yard) this morning to be lifted clear of the water.

The boat was built in just two years and from one of our kits, what a fine job the builder made!

The keel bulb is none standard but was designed by Dudley Dix and around a lead bulb mold that
the builder had the use of.

The International antifoul looks fair for 18 months in the water.

A high pressure water wash soon removed the small amount of marine growth from the under water area.

The HBBY did the lift, powerwash and re launch all in the same day.

Roy

This boat passed the survey with ease and was sold, we do have another similar design for sale , please contact me for details.

Readmore → Didi 34 being lifted on the Hout Bay Boat Yard Travel Lift

Monday, May 22, 2017

Experimenting with Bob the navigator

I'm feeling not so smart. By that I mean not as smart as a 16 year old kid. I know a lot, but it has become apparent that being intuitive in today's world takes some real effort. I barely survived the changes in Facebook, I do have a Twitter account, but have never tweeted. But today I am a winner, even though I only get a small red ribbon.

After mucking around I have finally gotten a video to work right. I kept reading about embedding videos, and with my tedious Blogger software, it just won't work. There is a little insert video button on my toolbar. But because my Internet connection is slow, it always opened with just a button that said upload video. Had I been a little more patient additional lines would have appeared say from You Tube? My You Tube? My Cam? Phone?...... As I said I should have asked a kid first. So here is belatedly the first appearance of a properly installed video on MIR.

This little piece is a rainy day experiment. I have been looking for old public domain archival materiels related to boating, with the idea It could be edited for some other more insidious purposes. It's harder that it looks. These excerpts are from a Navy navigation training film circa 1943 titled "Night Piloting.". Out of 17 minutes of excruciatingly tedious and pedantic film, I salvaged just about two minutes.

I was intrigued because it dealt with navigation techniques that are now 70 years old, but still applicable today, sort of. It didn't turn out exactly like I thought it might, but this is often the way a lot of my projects end up. I had footage, I arranged it into an order, and then made up the dialog. It ended up being a oddly twisted version of a morality play. So no Oscar, but a lot of education in editing, and locating the material.

Here is the link to the original "Night Piloting"

Want to see just a bit of the public domain material that is available, try here. Three million people a day visit this site.

Readmore → Experimenting with Bob the navigator

Saturday, May 20, 2017

The Aquaduct

A late osprey flies past just as I am setting the canoe into the river.

Sunlight reflecting on the water.
a brilliant endless shimmer,
rapid staccato Morse Code,
too fast to read,
a warning from Mother Nature?
an SOS?
or just documentation of what ocurred in the furnace 8 minutes ago.

Once in awhile, I push a few wood ducks ahead of me, until they find good cover and wait unseen for me to pass. I do likewise to some common mergansers that are in for the winter.

I found the remains of the Farmington Canal Aquaduct, which crossed the Farmington River. The Aquaduct was 280 feet long and 50 feet high and consisted of seven stone arches. Up until 1955, the pillars still stood in the river, but a flood that year damaged them and they were knocked down.

Remains of the Farmington Canal Aquaduct - East side of river

Remains of the Farmington Canal Aquaduct - West side of river

I went upriver for 2 hours and 10 minutes. I got back to where I started in 1hour and 10 minutes.

Readmore → The Aquaduct

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

The camera sees the helm in Hout Bay Harbour

Seen here and from the lens of a Canon G11 digital camera is a traditional built carvel planked fishing boat under a major restoration.

Click on the image for a larger view.

Roy

Readmore → The camera sees the helm in Hout Bay Harbour

Saturday, April 22, 2017

Optimist Pram finishing the frames

With this third video we put the frames on the strongback and get ready for the keelson and stringers. The frames go together quickly after making sure the height is correct off the strongback. Following the CABBS' strongback plans to the letter would have made things a bit easier, but we were trying to save on wood and ended up reconfiguring just a bit. As you can tell from the video, we are using old, recycled wood whenever we can because most of the pieces will be painted and hidden from view.

Readmore → Optimist Pram finishing the frames

Thursday, April 20, 2017

The SA Yacht blog speaks about the Proteus 106

Which means Justin Phillips of course, check out what he sees and thinks about this design.

http://sayachts.blogspot.com/2013/09/proteus-106.html

One of our kits under construction in Venezuela, note the way its built the right way up, that's a pleasure to work on and in.

Justins SA BlogSpot is now finding use when prospective buyers of South African built boats are finding new owners. I have just used it myself and for a buyer who asks about the Didi 34, try
it and see for yourself.

http://sayachts.blogspot.com/2011/01/didi-34.html

Roy

Readmore → The SA Yacht blog speaks about the Proteus 106

Thursday, April 13, 2017

The Circumnavigation of Cedar Island

I came here for the record high tide, 6.8 feet at the nearest gauge, a match on the highest recorded. It is a rare opportunity to see the salt marsh awash.

But, I put in at Foote Bridge, up in the forest. The launch at the lower end of the river will be a foot deep in salt water in an hour or so. I head down plowing through a thick band of leaf litter that lays where the main current of the river is, a meander of leaves within the meander of the river. It is thick enough to slow the canoe. The water is already so high that I can paddle well off to the side. I pass the little cedar swamp, I flush a flock of mallards and black ducks from the well submerged gravel flats. The river is glassy, the fog that my exhalations make doesn't align with the warmth of the sun. The air is still catching up with the sun.

After the railroad bridge, which for a change I have to duck to pass under, I enter The Sneak. The short spartina, the great majority of the salt marsh, is awash - deep enough to float the canoe, not quite deep enough to paddle.

awash

A light sea breeze begins and I suspect it will be welcome as I return against an ebb current. From Bailey Creek I strike out into one of the old WPA mosquito control ditches. It peters out, but there is enough water to keep going across the flats. Tall grasses signal deep water (the tall grass being spartina alternaflora, which grows in deeper water)... it is backasswards to the eye, but the highest vegetation is also the deepest water.

Cedar Island

I stop briefly on Cedar Island after spotting a large amount of oyster shells in the bank. It may be cultural or natural, or both, but it appears to be eroding from the bank down to more than a foot deep. It would've been a good dry place to collect shellfish, whether you are man or animal.

oyster shell fragments

I paddle a short distance up the East River and take another WPA trench back to the Sneak.

I was asked to show the new red handled paddle that I wrote about yesterday/ I commented on how it felt full of spirit. Spirit is something that you feel. It is what these 700+ canoe trips has become, a seeking of spirit. No photograph or painting can do justice to being in the canoe surrounded by forest and marsh and river.

The red handled paddle

No image of a paddle can substitute for having it in ones hand, for feeling it slice cleanly through the water, for having it do everything it is supposed to do.
Spirit is something that requires all of the senses, including the ones you don't know about.

Readmore → The Circumnavigation of Cedar Island

Monday, April 3, 2017

The Remembering Tree

My author friend Al Noteman went for a sunday drive, he and his wife Sonia ended up in Stratford and discovered a very strange tree.

Click the image to enlarge it.

http://www.gaga-uk.org/support-us/the-remembering-tree open the link for the full story.

Donations can still be made to support those in need in Africa.

How does it work?

The Remembering Tree is made up of 1500 crocheted squares, made from synthetic wool which is harmless to the tree and surrounding environment, these have been produced in South Africa by women from poor communities to help boost their income and give them new skills. After we take the yarn squares down, the wool will be washed and recycled into blankets to be sent either to Sierra Leone or a homeless charity in the local area.

Each donation of £5 = 1 square = 1 person to be remembered, celebrated, or to show someone special you love them. You can purchase as many as you like. Each name will be placed on a board next to the finished tree and the full list of those names will also be printed in the Stratford Herald in the week before Christmas. A webpage will be kept up-to-date on our website. We will also keep you updated during the festive season of any interesting news. We expect the tree to get a tremendous amount of interest, and believe it will be the biggest tree ever Yarn Bombed in the UK.

A book by Al Noteman can be found at this link:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Diamonds-Immortality-Chiiling-Stolen-ebook/dp/B008AYUIM8/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1389693901&sr=1-1&keywords=From+Blood+Diamonds+to+Immortality

Thanks Al!

Roy

Al comments below

The tree picture opens up fine so can make out the various patterns, what a strange idea though was going to send you the picture anyway just out of interest but after I googled it and found that it had that South African connection thought it may be of interest to your readers too. There's a lot of good going on in the background in this old world that we seldom get to know about because this type of good news rarely makes the news headlines and we seem to be fed a constant stream of bad news these days that can be quite depressing so much so that I have stopped buying a paper every day, just weekends now.

Readmore → The Remembering Tree

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Living the cruisers life at Sea Eagle Bay Thomas Island

9-11 November 2016

According to latest forecasts, the best chance of us finding a sailing breeze was earlier in the day so we upped anchor and said farewell to the delights of Turtle Bay on Whitsunday Island and set a course for Sea Eagle Bay on the southern side of Thomas Island. We had spent five fantastic days anchored on the northern side of Thomas Island back in July (READ THE STORY HERE) but this was to be our first visit to the other side of the island.

In his excellent cruising guide ‘ 100 Magic Miles of the Great Barrier Reef’ David Colfelt describes Sea Eagle Bay thus, ‘”This is a lovely anchorage with a beautiful sand beach that is readily accessible at all tides through the break in the reef. It has a truly ‘South Pacific’ atmosphere.” That was easily enough to gain our attention and we were all very keen to see if the reality lived up to the hype.

John's photo of Sea Eagle Beach on the southern side of Thomas Island is spectacular.

On our way to Thomas Island.

Passing Pentecost Island.

Our guest crew, John, doing it tough on Our Dreamtime.

One of the Whitsunday Islands along the way.

Unfortunately the morning breeze was weaker than we would have liked and we had to resort to motor-sailing against the flooding tide past Pentecost Island to round Jesuit Point on Maher Island. Once we had cleared the point and turned southward we were able to shut the motor off and enjoy a very pleasant sail along Shaw Island with good views of the cliff lined islands laying off its eastern side. We soon rounded Fairlight Rock and turned to wind to furl our head and mainsail and drop our mizzen. We were then free to motor into our anchorage on Thomas Island.

Turtle Bay, Whitsunday Island to Sea Eagle Bay, Thomas Island
18.8 Nautical Miles - 4Hours 11 Minutes
Average Speed 4.5 Nautical Miles - Max Speed 6.6 Knots
Full track details can be seen here -NAVIONICS

Sea Eagle Bay proved to be every bit as attractive as Colfelt had reported, although John felt it lacked the one element needed to make it ‘truly South Pacific’, palm trees. Surprisingly there was not one coconut palm to be seen in the entire bay. We suggested he may have been a little picky as the bay and beach certainly delivered in every other way.

We were able to anchor in five metres over good holding sand again with the water clear enough for us to see the set of our anchor clearly from the deck. We had more than adequate swing room to the coral reef lining both sides while the head of the bay was clear all the way up to the tree lined, golden sand beach waiting to be explored.

Rob snorkelling the reef at Thomas Island

A nice coral trout on the reef in Sea Eagle Bay.

The level of coral bleaching we saw at Thomas Island was sobering.

First though, the fringing reefs were calling. We were all in snorkelling gear within minutes of securing the boat and swimming across the clear water to check out the coral. Disappointingly, we discovered the most wide spread coral bleaching we’ve seen anywhere on the Great Barrier Reef this year. There were a few colourful patches but most was quite bland. Fortunately the fish life was quite abundant though including good numbers of sizable parrot fish and coral trout. More than enough in fact for Rob to resolve to have a crack at a bit of spear-fishing on the next morning’s low tide.

Despite the clear water, Rob dove down the five metres to check the set of our Sarca Excel anchor. No problem there.

Our Dreamtime is still looking good after her six plus months roaming the Great Barrier Reef.

After six months underway we're very pleased with her anti-foul but the Prop Speed is already gone on the blade tips.

We then all headed for the beach with some Sushi Rolls Karen whipped up for lunch and a bottle of bubbles to wash them down with. As beautiful as the bay appeared from the boat, it looked even better sitting in the shade of the trees behind this wonderful stretch of sand. After devouring our delicious snacks, the boys climbed the rise through the bush behind the beach to get some photos while Karen was content to laze in the shallows enjoying surroundings. The rest of the afternoon was spent alternating between submersing ourselves in the crystal clear waters and lazing about the beach - all achieved quite effortlessly really.

Karen dishing out her delicious Sushi Rolls on Sea Eagle Beach.

John, Karen and Rob celebrating the cruiser's life on Sea Eagle Beach with Our Dreamtime in the background.

John looking for the perfect spot to take a photo on Thomas Island.

Glorious Sea Eagle Bay.

Our Dreamtime awaiting her shore party's return.

Looking north to Mansell Island from Thomas Island.

John taking in the view.

Later back on board, Karen spoiled us all with sundowners of her special Pina Coladas in fresh coconuts accompanied with some great cheeses and crackers.

Pina Colada time

Karen and Rob enjoying the cruiser's life.

It was very easy obvious that Sea Eagle Bay was well worthy of a longer stay than simply overnight so in true cruiser tradition we elected to remain here the following day and maybe longer. The following morning, we again migrated to the beach where we set up camp amongst the trees with our hammocks. Karen and John were soon suspended above the grass engrossed in their books while Rob donned his snorkelling gear, gathered up his spear gun and assumed the role of hunter/gatherer,

If this isn't paradise we don't know what is.

Karen alternated her time between the hammock and water. Cruising's such a tough life.

Rob with the parrot fish he got.

This sweetlip was chosen for our BBQ dinner.

Before long he had bagged a collection parrot fish, sweetlip and a fish we originally miss-identified as a spangled emporer. Further investigation revealed it was in fact a juvenile chinaman fish which are known to be full of ciguatera poison so, needless to say, it went over the side pretty quickly. This experience did reinforce the need to properly identify any fish caught before turning it into dinner. We may have all become extremely sick if we had eaten this one.

The juvenile chinaman fish - full of ciguatera poison

Beside our campsite under the trees someone had built a fire pit in the sand which had clearly been the location of many campfires since. Karen’s suggestion we that make use of it to have a beach barbie for dinner that night and roast the sweetlip in the coals of the fire was well supported by the rest of the crew who were quick to gather more than enough kindling and larger dry driftwood to achieve the goal.

A quick trip back to the boat saw the fish prepared along with vegetables. foil wrapped and ready for roasting. The cooler bags were loaded with drinks and snacks plus our ready to cook feast and off we went to the beach. Rob put his long dormant boy scout skills to work and we were soon enjoying our sundowner drinks and snacks with an excellent fire burning as a backdrop.

Karen was lazing in one of the hammocks enjoying her wine when she spied an uninvited guest making its way along the beach towards our campsite. ‘There’s a snake over there,’ she commented rather off hand idly and was met with a two voice alarmed chorus of ‘Where?’ from Rob and John.

Sure enough there was a rather large, brownish snake approaching the far side of our fire. It was about a metre and a half long with a bulge in its belly which we guessed was an unlucky, small ex-resident of the island that the snake had recently feasted on. Karen thought it was an Eastern Brown while Rob suggested it could be a Taipan. John was soon Googling snakes on his phone looking for the answer. Regardless, we were fairly certain it was highly venomous and not to be taken lightly. (More detailed investigation later revealed it was most probably a taipan)

Terry Taipan had no dinner invite but crashed our party.

With a full belly, the snake unfortunately took a liking to the heat from our fire and seemed very content lazing on the sand beside it. Despite our willing it to move on it showed no desire to go anywhere. This was clearly not compatible with our cooking our feast in the coals. Rob decided to try to encourage it back into the bush by lobbing pieces of pumice stone close to it – from a very safe distance of course. Terry Taipan (as we christened him/her) took absolutely no notice and the Cruisers versus Viper Mexican standoff continued.

After twenty minutes or so of staring at each other at thirty paces we decided to capitulate. Our problem was that sunset was almost upon us and even if Terry Taipan slithered away before then we didn’t fancy the idea of cooking and eating our dinner wondering if he was about to reappear out of the darkness. However, we also couldn’t just leave with the fire still burning. We had a large bucket of water ready to douse it but couldn’t safely get close enough.

We carefully packed up all our goodies and circled around well clear of our unwanted guest to load the dinghy and then resumed our wait. Fortunately Terry Taipan grew tired of the game and finally slithered oh so painfully slowly into the bush behind the tree line. We then wasted no time putting out the fire and making sure there was no chance of re-ignition before scooting back to the boat to cook our, by now, well marinated fish on the BBQ.

Our sweetlip was still beautiful eating despite not being cooked in the coals.

The following morning the weather was again glorious sunshine with a northerly wind still blowing so we pretty much just repeated the previous day’s activities, without the attempted beach barbie and snake encounter of course.

Karen and John hamming it up for the camera while lunching on Sea Eagle Beach.

Karen's Vietnamese Rolls with Satay Sauce were spectacular.

This time when Rob went off spear fishing on the reef he had direct orders from Karen for coral trout or crayfish. No sign of crayfish was seen but he did manage to bag a good sized coral trout much to the Admiral’s delight.

Karen cooling off, again, at Sea Eagle Beach on Thomas Island.

Like many of the awesome anchorages we have experienced on the Great Barrier Reef, we could have stayed much, much longer at Thomas Island but we limited ourselves to just three nights as a south easterly change was approaching and we wanted to check out the southern side of Goldsmith Island just to our south before it arrived and we would need to shelter at Brampton Island.

Previously in his weekend sailing and seven day chartering, John had never spent more than a single night in one anchorage as there was always the desire to keep moving to ‘make the most’ of the limited sailing time available. The secret to cruising is to be able to stop and truly enjoy the places you sail to without having to rush off. We’re pleased to say John was leaning well and managed to SLOW DOWN enough to get a taste of the cruising life.

Lesson two was coming up.

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Readmore → Living the cruisers life at Sea Eagle Bay Thomas Island