Sailing Blog
Still Homeless
We moved away from the hustle and bustle of San Francisco to the tranquil town of Incline Village, Nevada, just across the California state line. This is on the shores of Lake Tahoe. We are surrounded by big trees and an awful lot of old people. I think the average age of an Incline Village […]
Back in the USA
The homeless duo travel via Qantas to the USA. From Brisbane we connected in Sydney, then it was off to DFW and finally Atlanta. My last glimpse of Australia was a great one. From the window leaving Sydney, I had a fantastic view of Sydney Harbour, including the Opera House. Not a bad way […]
Cream Puff is Sold
Wow… right! Big news. Cream Puff is officially sold. This means we’re officially homeless. Nope, we do not have a home anywhere. Challenge on. We’ve owned our Amel since 15th July 2011, some fifteen years ago. For the past twelve years, Cream Puff hasn’t just been our boat. She’s been our home. Selling her wasn’t […]
My Most Stressful Day On SV Cream Puff
I had this post written a while ago. Like, 9 years ago. It was put on the back burner behind more fun posts and forgotten. Recently, the question was again raised to us as we are celebrating 12 years of full-time cruising and 15 years owning SV Cream Puff. It reminded me of this unpublished […]
Back in New Caledonia – Round 3
We are back in the land of fresh croissants and baguettes. When we arrived, our agent, Clementine, asked about our stay in Australia. We told her how much we loved it there. As the conversation progressed, she told us how, in her earlier days, she lived there and worked for a year. A lot of […]
Adios, Ciao, Bye Bye
When Cindy and I first started on this wacky adventure, we both hoped that one day we’d pull into a port and think to ourselves, we should make this home. This happened after 11 years of sailing and landing in Australia. But alas, Australia has zero programs that provide a path to citizenship for retired […]
We’re Not Dead
I just realized we haven’t updated the blog for some time. Well, that’s a lie. I’ve been meaning to but just gotten a little lazy as time has flown by. Also, the fact is, we’ve been quite busy. But before I bore you with all the projects we’ve been doing, we have had some fun […]
Coober Pedy Opal Mines
Wow. In the last post we talked about our drive along the Great Ocean Road. Our timing turned out to be perfect. Due to massive wildfires followed by torrential rain, flooding, and landslides, the road is currently closed in both directions. We left off in the wonderful little town of Warrnambool. We crashed here for […]
Australia’s Great Ocean Road
“To err is human, but to really ‘ef’ something up, use a computer.” I’d like to amend that saying to: “To err is human, but to really ‘ef’ something up, fly Qantas.” This was how our latest adventure to southern Australia began. Get ready for some STUNNING photos. Seriously – I’m not kidding. A couple […]
Back in the Land Down Under – Part 2
I was thrilled to discover that the Sydney Opera House offers behind-the-scenes tours. These tours dive into everything — the global design competition, the construction saga, the political brawls, the triumphs, and the obscure little tidbits you’ll never hear on a standard visit. The only downside? About a million steps. Maybe two million. Somewhere between […]
Back in the Land Down Under – Part 1
The picture above is a checkmark on my quasi bucket list. You will rarely hear me mention bucket list items. That’s not really who I am. I don’t have a bucket list, per se. But seeing the iconic Sydney Opera House from Sydney Harbour has been something I’ve wanted to do for a very long […]
Christmas in July – Down Under
When most of the world thinks of Christmas, they picture frosty mornings, breath hanging in the air, and the smell of something roasting in the oven. But here in Australia, where we’re currently moored, December 25 is more likely to involve sunscreen, a wide-brim hat, and the sound of waves rather than sleigh bells. The […]
Gnarly and Nostalgia
Gnarly Let’s start with something really gnarly. We went whale watching. No, this isn’t your average whale-watching excursion. Let’s start with the boat. The vessel, aptly named Eye-Spy, leaves from the Redcliffe Jetty. The first thing I noticed is how new everything on the boat appears. There is no rust, the windows aren’t hazy, it […]
Down Under Sports
Sports Being close to Brisbane has a couple of advantages. Besides having access to marinas, chandleries, and boatyards—the things most cruisers seek—we also enjoy awesome restaurants, food markets, a wide variety of grocery stores, and top-notch shopping. But here’s something you might not have thought about: sports. Outside the USA, American football, baseball, and basketball […]
Seeing Koalas in the Wild
Guess what we saw in the wild? Koala bears. Not just one, not two—we saw eleven of those eucalyptus-munching fuzzballs. Seeing koalas in their natural habitat has always been on our Australia bucket list. And now: ✔️ Koalas. ✔️ Kangaroos. ✔️ Emus (okay, they weren’t originally on the list, but we’re claiming them anyway). How […]
