25.7617° N, 80.1918° W Fair warning: this is a long one. I left Chicago for Miami Beach on December 2 and spent the next 2 days cleaning and preparing the boat for departure. Mostly, however, I read weather reports in anticipation of crossing the Gulf Stream eastward toward Bimini, Bahamas’ closest port of entry. Miami... Continue Reading →
The Covid-related regulations in the Caribbean frequently change. As I type this, most of the Caribbean remains in "lock down." Most of the islands we intended to visit are not open to travelers. Some are simply "closed," while others are "open," but impose impediments that effectively preclude entry. The British Virgin Islands, for example, are... Continue Reading →
25°46'N 80° 12'W Nationwide Yacht Transport—which turned out to be a dude in a Ford F450— deposited the OG in good condition at RMK Merrill-Stevens boatyard on October 4. He had excellent reviews and I made sure to leave him another. Thanks Brad. The following day, I left my parents and Pici in Fort Myers... Continue Reading →
42.3636° N, 87.8448° W Delivering a boat from Chicago to the Caribbean is not a small task. Some choose to steam down the Calumet River to the Cal-Sag Channel, down the Mississippi and around the Gulf of Mexico before crossing the gulf stream eastward. We, however, chose to save 3 months by trucking the boat... Continue Reading →
42°11.05 N —86°47.93 W 53 days until the OG is loaded on a flatbed truck to Miami; 89 days until castoff; 141 days until the Sabbatical begins, to the extent that everything goes as planned. I write this entry from a picnic table at West Basin Marina, St. Joseph, MI. Joy and I, plus two... Continue Reading →
44°49.7 N —87°22.45 W I write this post from the cockpit of the Olivia Grace, while moored at Center Point Marina, in Sturgeon Bay, WI, having just completed our annual summer sailing trip. Joy and the kids left for Chicago by car yesterday morning. I am currently waiting for Conrad Reichoff and crew, who will... Continue Reading →
The first four seasons with the "OG" were spent simply getting to know the boat. Slowly and systematically, however, we outfitted her for 5-months aboard. She had to be capable of housing and supporting two adults and 2 middle-school aged girls. For propulsion, we purchased new sails, including a new Dacron main, genoa, stay sail... Continue Reading →
Joy and I have been sailing since 1997 and both of us have undergone formal training. Neither of us, however, has done anything like what we're trying to accomplish here. The Olivia Grace is our third sailboat. Way before marriage, I owned a 1976 Peterson 34, an old IOR race boat that was fast AF,... Continue Reading →
Voyages of Olivia Grace 