Sailing Other People’s Boats

The Cruise

Ovation of the Seas, 50º 57N 159º 22E, 7- May-2026 – We’re traveling at 20 knots in pretty calm water. It has been foggy. The ship has been blowing a fog horn: One long blast every two minutes.

There are 4100 guests and 1500 staff, close to 7000 people on board. Except at meals, it feels like less. At the start of meals, it is very crowded at lunch and breakfast. The other meals aren’t too bad. Most of the passengers have set times they eat at the same table with the same people, so there is some order.

100 Hard 737 Landings

20º45.87’N 83º 35.47’W 23-MAY-2022 – Reading the Lat and Long, most people will know we’re south of Hawaii, fewer people will know we’re west of Long Island Sound – Looking us up on a map will tell you we’re not many miles from Cuba.

Jennifer and I are together on a Leopard 46 catamaran, Desert Eagle, recently purchased by our friends Jesus and Zoe (pronounced Zoey). Along with an insurance-required delivery captain and a first mate, we’re taking Jesus’ and Zoe’s newly purchased boat home to Key Largo.

I get voted off the island, twice

This is the last post of my time with James Everson on Zingaro. The series starts here.

Port Townsend Washington, 10 February 2020 – “I’m flying out tomorrow. You can stay on if you’d like…” There were a number of sentences that followed, but that’s the only one that really matters.

The Greeks, or someone like that, said start a story in the middle and then work out to the edges. Instead, let me start with where we left off, and work to the end.

Stuck in Aruba with the busted boat blues again

Paardenbaai, Aruba, 4-FEB-2022 – Yes, I’m still here.

There is a frustration with blogging in a world that is changing. If I can get the words down in a specific moment in time, then I can edit them at my leisure. I didn’t get this written last night when the world was at a momentary stasis.

That moment passed and by this morning things changed.

Congress Pressures Social Media Companies, James suffers; I feel like we’re stapled to the dock.

Renaissance Marina, Aruba, 28-JAN-2022 – There is an invasion of thoughts and observations as I’ve sat here on a dock for two weeks. The cross-cultural jump feels tectonic, like the two plates of the earth that are my life and experience shearing against each other and moving me to this Neverland.
If you stay with me for this, I’ll try to build the three-dimensional terrain that I find myself parachuted into.

Waiting for parts in Exotic Locations

Renaissance Marina, Aruba, 20-Jan-2022 – The parts were in Miami last we heard. From there they should have gone onto a ship and then come to Aruba. Directly? We don’t know. How many stops along the way? We don’t know. How long might the parts sit in customs? We don’t know.

I’m on an Oyster 485-03: a 48.5 ft British-made boat, built in 1993 in Wroxham, Norwich, Norfolk, UK.*

Some background: The owner of the boat is James Evenson who I have known virtually for five years and in person the last two years. After the literal breakup of the catamaran Zingaro, James with the help of his Patreons and through a Kickstarter campaign purchased this boat in Curaçao.

Other people’s boats

SEATAC, 17-JAN-2022 – I was speaking to John Riley not too many weeks ago. I was telling John that being away from my boat meant that I don’t have much to write about. John said, write about other people’s boats.

And so I shall.

Dancing with somebody new…

Port Townsend, WA, 30-OCT-2021 – Should I be careful about what I wish for? Should we all?

Bluewater sailing: having the expertise and being known for it. That’s what I wanted, and perhaps, possibly, because I write about it, I am becoming known for it. Do I have that expertise? Well, that’s a different question.