We’ve never flown one of these giant Parasailor sails before, but with light winds forecast to continue it seemed like a good time to figure it out. I watched a video on how to rig the thing up, took my time laying out lines, double and triple checked everything, then … Read More
Crunch Time
Ali reminded me today that not everyone is a sailor, and most people probably don’t even understand what we’re doing right now, or why we are so busy preparing to go sailing. When we sail away from Puerto Vallarta, we’ll be heading southwest about 3,000 miles to the island of … Read More
Shake It Down
Prepping to get ready for a Pacific crossing, but still have to get those daily chores done. This picture grossly overstates my involvement in doing laundry, though. Ali is the one who seems to be doing this on a non-stop basis. The new dinghy motor arrived and I didn’t even … Read More
Off the Hamster Wheel
Countdown is flying past. Down to eleven days now. The goal is to get off the dock, go sailing out in the bay, anchor out for a couple days to make sure everything is working as it should be, then grab some good weather and head to the Marquesas. The … Read More
On the Clock
Three months ago we were finally heating up to get ready to go sailing again. We’d just ordered more solar panels and I was researching a big lithium battery overhaul. Then Grammy got sick and sailing was put back on the back burner at a very low simmer. For the … Read More
Off to Portland
Grammy’s dog figured out that something was afoot, and she wasn’t going to be left behind. She’d hop up in the Porsche, fluff up the car cover, get all staticky, and take a quick nap in there, confident we wouldn’t disappear without that car. There’s a stamp you don’t see … Read More
Pressing On
We’re usually busy in the mornings, when the sun is shining in the backyard with views of the mountains. But in the afternoon, when it’s time to unwind, we have the sun streaming into the front yard. We’ve turned into garage people, where the weather is fine and the views … Read More
That Sinking Feeling
Back in November Ali and I spent a lot of time and effort on securing our Mexican Permanent Residency. Then the day before we were supposed to pick up our cards I had to return to the States to help my mom. Ali was able to get hers before she … Read More
Mend-Straight
As mentioned, Ouest got a new sewing machine. Aunt Beth is here so one night we asked, “Hey Beth, do you know how to sew?” “Nooo, I can’t even menstruate.” “What!?” “I can’t even mend-straight.” (This pic is Aunt Beth. Grammy’s twin sister.) As I’m sure everyone has gathered by … Read More
The Covid Fog
At the beginning of December I called my mom one afternoon. Her sister Beth was visiting and was the one who answered the phone. I sarcastically asked, “Who is this?” She replied in a panicky voice, “Who is this?” and one beat later said, “Pat, they’re taking your mom to … Read More
Bumfuzzle in the Media
August 2023 – Expedition Portal May 2023 – CNBC September 2022 – Success Magazine September 2022 – Sistership Magazine July 2022 – The World Wanderers Podcast June 2022 – Chris Burcher Podcast August 2021 – Passagemaker Magazine September 2018 – Medium Interview January 2018 – Kate and Nate Interview February … Read More