Author Archives: Mark
Moving onto the Boat – Part 1
Please exit via the garage. Turn left for the dumpster. Turn right for the moving truck. We still continue to participate in the exasperating exercise of keep it or toss it. For those of you counting, this is our third dumpster. Can you believe it? I can’t. Perhaps we could have picked up a […]
Real Men Sew
Cruising sailors are notoriously tight fisted with money. I would like you to think of a friend who is tight with money. Got one? Okay, now think of how tight they are and double it. You are getting close. Now multiply it by ten. Welcome to the world of cruising sailors. I cannot begin to […]
NAIS-400
The NAIS-400 has proven to be the most unreliable piece of equipment on our boat. This model of AIS unit has failed us twice in less than a year. An AIS unit is an electronic device with a built in GPS and VHF radio transceiver. From the GPS the unit will calculate our position, speed […]
What if….
One of the questions people ask us (a lot) is, how safe is it to cruise on a boat? Well, quite honestly, it isn’t very safe at all. A lot of really bad things can go wrong and when they do, serious consequences are lurking. But, I think I have to ask myself the question, […]
Storage Wars
Wanted: 2600 cubic feet Wow! What a rollercoaster ride we have had this week. As you could see in Cindy’s latest post, we are up to our ears in boxes and packing materials. Our challenge this week was to finalize storage facility requirements. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Not so much! To get on a […]
Unsung Heroes
Each time we enter or exit our marina, we motor through a United States Coast Guard (USCG) station. As we pass, I cannot help but feel a profound respect for this branch of the armed services. These folks will risk their own lives to help save a fellow sailor. I think we have all seen […]
Fun With Friends
Both Cindy and I agree perhaps the hardest part about going sailing is leaving good friends behind. And, I mean good friends. Friends who show up at our boat and bring a bottle of wine for everyone on board. Yes. Very good friends! We have talked to our friends, whom by now I’m sure are […]
Murphy Lurks in the Shadows
We carry a large inventory of spare parts aboard Cream Puff. The previous owner included bags of goodies when we purchased her. We have continued to add to the inventory. Each time something breaks, we replace it and add a couple of extras into inventory. This was much easier to do when we had […]
The Liebster Award
Warning: It you are not a fellow blogger, you may just want to skip over this post. Although it contains the normal humor, exceptional penmanship and wit, it has little to do with sailing or the Puffster. It is also very long. However, it does reveal some personal information and you might think we should’ve […]
A Few Good Men
Have you ever wondered how much cubic footage you would need if you stacked just about everything you own into one space? We just figured it out. We are at a point now where we need to start moving things into a long-term storage facility. We plan to keep some stuff in the house we […]
The Keys to My Traveling Future
Today I got a new passport, probably a good thing when you consider I will need one soon. I shelled out the extra money for the thick jumbo 48 page passport giving me plenty of extra pages for country stamps. I hope this is not wishful thinking! Yes, it is a British passport. […]
The Day the Moccasin Died
I am a person who doesn’t like change. And, we’re not talking nickels and dimes here. For as far back as I can remember, when faced with the purchase of new clothing, I have always wanted the same thing I just had. If I found a dress shirt I really liked, I would buy five. […]
Let There Be Light
Since the installation of our fans, the weather has cooled. Seriously! We planned to spend a last few days bobbing up and down the west coast of Florida. The weather was not cooperative, at all. With the cooler weather came westerly winds, choppy seas, rain and strong afternoon storms. We wound up taking shelter in […]
I Think We Can Stow the Space Heaters
Summer in Florida, need I say more? I purchased twelve 24-volt Hella Marine fans about a year ago. They were about 50% off. I guess I could say, I got a hellava deal ~ groan. Installing them has been a back burner project since I bought them. They have been collecting dust. Well, the back […]
Please Cancel Our Mail, Forever
There was a great Seinfeld episode (Season 9 – Episode 5) where Kramer tries to cancel his mail, forever. Here’s a clip certain to bring a smile to your face: (click here or below) I have just gone through a similar experience. Our friends often ask us how we will get our mail once […]
