I have been MIA for long enough, so it’s time to update all of you on the current situation. Wind Affair is still in Michigan for the moment. Our good friend, Captain Todd, encountered a few problems with his trailer, so we are waiting on repairs before we can go and fetch our boat. A great exercise in patience! (By the way, anyone in the area looking for sailing lessons or just a fun Evening of Sailing, be sure to look him up! Just follow the Captain Todd link above!) The weather hasn’t been the greatest in Michigan anyway, and since the mast has to be stepped before she can even…

Two Wolves Author Unknown An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life. The old chief told his grandson, “Inside each of us there is a terrible fight between two wolves… One is evil – he feels and inflicts anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego… The other is good – he feels and shares joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.” The grandson thought about this for a little while and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old chief replied very simply, “The one you feed.” —————————————— Sometimes it’s good to put things in perspective.…

There is so much to say about our first time to Strictly Sail that I don’t even know where to begin. It was almost overwhelming for first timers, and I’m so glad we decided to stay the whole weekend and attend everyday. First let me explain what Strictly Sail is. It’s the nation’s premier boat show for sailors. There are a few held throughout the year across the country. Every January there is one in Chicago at Navy Pier – aptly named: Strictly Sail Chicago. What you will find is a grand collection of exhibits of sailing gear, boating tools, seminars (paid and free), food, music and of course sailboats! We…

After more extensive research and web searches we found 3 more boats to check out. One was a C&C 26 and the other 2 were C&C 26 Encounters. As usual all three were several hours away from us. One we had determined that a quick flight over would be less hassle than the whole car rental bit, but the other 2 would be easy enough to drive to see. That said, we still wanted to be as sure as we could possibly be before devoting any more time and money to the search and inspection. We got in touch with one that was listed by a broker, and he gave us his…

I’ve been remiss in the fact that I have not written about our boat search in a while. I’ve talked about the fact that we took sailing lessons, and that we have been on the hunt for a starter boat. We have done a ton of research, and even went to check out a Catalina 25. We moved onto the next 2 boats on our list: the C&C and the Watkins. We weighed options, sorted through performance stats. Cruisers’ forums (STOP SOPA!!) and manufacturer sites… sale listings and pictures… Good grief, the amount of pictures we have clicked through! Well, one fine day, Evan came across a sale listing on Ebay for a Watkins…

What some might call the “granola” side of me is very aware of the energy in our house. Have you ever walked into someone’s house and felt very uncomfortable? Even someone you know well… Maybe you just feel your senses are a touch heightened or maybe you feel the tension in the air? I hate that. I love when people come over to my house. Almost always someone comments, “It’s always so comfortable here. I just feel at ease and happy when I’m at your house.” Well, folks there’s a reason for that!  Just as I work hard to keep the house clean (with 3 dogs, 2 cats and teen…