Well, we have made it to the exotic places and we have fixed, maintained and cleaned our boat all along the way. We have battled broken parts and bad fuel, big seas and thick fog that went straight down to the water. We have had lightning all around us and almost had a hurricane come our way.

But… we have also watched amazing sunrises and sunsets, stared up at stars that go on forever and ever and gaped open mouthed at phosphorescence that dances in the wake of the boat at night. We have had dolphins play in our bow wake and lie over on their sides to look up at us, snorkeled among hundreds of different species of fish and kayaked in turquoise water.

And best of all we have made new friends all along the way. Friends in port and friends on the sea from all over the world. Folks who took us to dinner and gave us a tour of their home town, fellow cruisers who are there beside you waiting out the weather and who share the same passion for travelling by boat.

Bill says that we cruisers all have short memories because even after the roughest of passage as soon as the engines are turned off, the anchor is set and we have jumped in for a swim, we sit back and say, “Well that wasn’t so bad. I can’t wait to get out there again and head to the next port!”

We are currently in La Paz for the week waiting for some sunshine and calm winds. Check out the photos page for photos from our trip down and the map page shows our ports of call. Blog: adagioboat.com

Baja bound!

We have cast the lines that hold Adagio to the dock and set off in pursuit of our cruising dream to spend 6 months touring Baja Mexico. We spent hours getting Adagio ready for the 800 mile trip down the west side of Baja Mexico. Our first destination is the jewel known as the Sea of Cortez. The city of La Paz is the gateway that leads to numerous small islands with crescent shaped coves and crystal clear water.

We sailed down the coast of California from San Francisco to Ensenada – our port of entry into Mexico – and are now watching the weather and buying our final supplies for the trip to La Paz that will include 3 overnight runs with stops in Turtle Bay, Magdalena Bay and Cabo San Lucas. Bill is checking oil and fuel levels and filters while I am planning meals. At sea it is best to have a plan and cook a few meals ahead that are easy to reheat while underway. A friend is bringing the boat parts we ordered from Amazon down to Ensenada tomorrow. Bill is planning a 12 step program for his Amazon withdrawal. I plan to keep a box of tissues close by just in case he needs them.

The weather looks great and the hatches are all battened down for our early departure tomorrow morning. Keep watching for updates and pictures of our travels south.

…..again! After 10 months in Sausalito we headed out under the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday morning. It was a bittersweet day as we said goodbye to family and friends, but also exciting to be underway. We turned left and headed south for Half Moon Bay, a lovely little sea town just 30 miles south of San Francisco. We were docked among the squid fleet who were in for the weekend provisioning for the next week of fishing. Tourists flock to Half Moon Bay every weekend and they love to stroll the docks. Jackie had a great time waving and making funny faces as they walked by especially because they couldn’t see us through the windows.

After two nights we headed to Santa Cruz. Under normal conditions the Santa Cruz Harbor is idyllic, however last week hundreds of thousands of anchovies entered the harbor, depleted the oxygen and died. The locals rallied and scooped up as many as they could and thousands of birds feasted on the remains, but unfortunately there are still so many dead fish floating in the water that the smell is absolutely unbearable. We toughed it out for one night, but our eyes and noses were stinging and watering so much that we abandoned Santa Cruz after one night and headed to Moss Landing Harbor to take refuge.

Just 20 miles away, Moss Landing Harbor is a working harbor and marine refuge in bad weather. Unbeknownst to us, it is also a favorite stopover for hundreds (yes, I said hundreds) of sea lions. Walking back to our boat tonight we had to scatter 20 sea lions who had sunk the dock below water. As I type this they are all around us barking at the top of their lungs and fighting for the top position on the docks. It is exciting and amazing and is going to drive us absolutely crazy! We are beginning to worry about what our next destination will bring. Locust?

Ok, so as many (if not all) of you already know, we are back in San Francisco and have been here for three weeks. I can give you many reasons as to why I haven’t updated the blog since August, but what it really comes down to is that we were just having too much fun!

We had an amazing last month of our summer up north. We enjoyed our last two weeks with the girls in Southern British Columbia swimming and kayaking in the 76 degree warm water. We took hikes, played games, baked and just hung out together. We arrived in Vancouver mid August and in a flurry got Jackie ready to head to Copenhagen where she is studying for the fall semester (check out her blog at: jackieholstein.com). Sarah spent an extra week with us before returning to Boston and her final semester at Tufts – wow how did that happen so quickly!

Bill’s parents and brother joined us in Vancouver for an action packed week of island hopping filled with wine tasting, cheese tasting, beer tasting, food tasting…. (you get the idea). We visited Salt Springs Island, Vancouver Island, Victoria, San Juan Island and Orcas Island before dropping them in Seattle to fly home.

Bill got the boat ready to head south while I drove Josh down to the bay area (the North Pacific is not the place for a 12 year old dog). I returned on September 1 to celebrate our 28th anniversary and we set sail the next day from Port Angeles, WA for home.

It has been a truly amazing summer. Every part of it from living on a boat to travelling by boat has been far beyond our expectations. We can’t wait to continue our adventures south after a 5 month rest in San Francisco.

Check out the photo and map page for updates.

• British Columbia fishing license – $112
• Alaska fishing license – $140
• Crab pot – $50
• Fish food for crab pot – $10
• Frozen bait fish – $10
• Lures from Port Hardy – $22
• Lures from Prince Rupert – $14
• Lures from Ketchikan – $19
• Fishing rod holder from Ketchikan – $35
• Lures from Petersburg – $11
• Fishing rod holder from Petersburg – $37
• Lures from Juneau – $18
• Lures from Ketchikan (bought on the way south) – $12

Total to date: $490

Fish and crabs caught?

• 2 Dungeness crabs, however we didn’t get to eat either one. The first one I said to leave in the crab trap overnight so that we could eat it the next day and it escaped (I will never hear the end of it!). The second one we caught and put in a bucket to cook the next day, but the next morning we felt so bad for the crab because it looked so sad in the bucket that we put it back in the bay.
• 3 Flounder all too small to keep.

So….. go ahead and enjoy that outrageously expensive fish or crab from Whole Foods because it will be cheaper than the fish/crab we have yet to catch!

Sarah and Jackie arrived 2 weeks ago. I could hardly contain my excitement when their plane landed in Juneau and I was already crying (tears of joy) before they had even gotten off the plane. Bill made me promise not to squeal when they came through security so I just ran and grabbed them both in a huge hug. It is the first time we have been together in our new house and it finally feels like a home.

We have been going nonstop since they arrived and have had very little internet so I haven’t had a chance to update our blog until now. You can see new photos on the photo pages of all our adventures. We hit our northern most point at 59 degrees of latitude in Glacier Bay National Park and have started the trip back down the inside passage. We spent Bill’s birthday in Misty Fjords National Monument kayaking, hiking and relaxing. The entire two days we spent there we saw only one other boat and they left as we arrived. We entered British Columbia today (Sarah was excited to be in Canada for the first time) and are excited to share with the girls some of the places we found on the trip north and also to explore new places together.

My favorite time of day to paddle my kayak is in the evening at twilight. It gives me time to refresh, regroup and reflect. Tonight as I took my evening paddle, I paused to reflect on the amazing man who has made this trip possible. We have dreamed about this trip for many years, but it is Bill who has made it a reality. From captain to chief engineer he is tireless in his daily duties of keeping the family afloat.

Thank you Bill, I am the luckiest woman in the world to have such an amazing partner in life.

It all depends on your perspective. We were in the middle of a forest on Baronof Island in Southeast Alaska hiking to Lake Eva. I would be amazed if more that 100 people a year hiked this trail yet it was perfectly maintained with a gravel path and platform bridges all the way to the lake. You can only get to the trail head by boat and there was no one else on the trail or for that matter anywhere in the immediate vicinity. We took all the precautions for hiking in Alaska. Bill carried his shotgun followed by Jackie with the air horn. Sarah was third in line with the bear spray (pepper spray on steroids) and I took the rear. Bears don’t like to be surprised so I jangled my keys and talked loudly to make sure if there were any bears they heard us coming.

About 20 minutes into the hike Jackie said, “It’s so pretty here, just like a fairy land!” To which Sarah responded, “Really, because I feel like I am in the freaking Hunger Games. We could be attacked at any moment”. We all laughed at the opposite perspectives each girl had. The hike was amazing and while we saw lots of signs of bears, thank goodness, we didn’t actually see one.

Juneau wears many hats. It is the capital of Alaska and also hosts at least 4 cruise ships a day from May – September. It is a mix of government employees, old hippies, artists and fishermen. It sits surrounded by mountains with waterfalls cascading down the cliffs. We are enjoying some down time getting ready for Sarah and Jackie to arrive tomorrow. I can hardly wait for the 4 of us to be together for the first time in our new home!

I had just given up on being able to wear my down jacket when we visited Dawes Glacier in the Endicott Arm. We were the only boat there and Captain Bill picked his way through the ice to get us within a third of a mile of the face. The bay was filled with seals relaxing on the bits of ice floating by. The closer we got to the face the more intense the winds became. The face of Dawes glacier is 300 feet tall which is hard to capture with the camera. It was a magical afternoon!

Check out the photos on the photo page.