May 2017

Departure Delayed

4 months of cruising The Bahamas has taken its toll on our flag.

In our last Ariose Note, we concluded by saying “wish us fair winds”. We posted it just hours before starting the passage that would see us depart The Bahamas and cross the Gulf Stream to the US coast. Maybe our request wasn’t specific enough? Should we have added “comfortable seas”, or “settled stomachs”, or “no shipping channels chock-a-block full of freighters”? Maybe we didn’t convey that it was an earnest request? ‘Cause “fair winds” and all the pleasant associations that go with that sentiment isn’t exactly what we got!READ MORE

Turning Point

You’re doing what? Why in the world would you want to do that? Where are you heading? And when are you coming back?

A year or two ago, when sharing our intention to embark on a sailing adventure, Tim and I were often met with a barrage of questions. The “what” was easy to answer. Some got the “why” such a mid-life adventure called to us, and some didn’t. We tried to explain.  The “where” and “returning when” questions, though, we could only answer in the vaguest of terms. We had intentionally READ MORE

Underwater Delights

Shirley checking out the underwater delights.

Who hasn’t dreamed of being able to enter another world and be surrounded by the beautiful and the bizarre? One aspect of our cruising adventure that we had both looked forward to was checking out the underwater world of the Bahamas. About 30 years ago, Tim and I had backpacked (separately) through parts of the South Pacific. We both vividly recall the visceral thrill of entering into that foreign-to-us world of coral and tropical fish.READ MORE