...in search of a life less ordinary

Expectation and Reality

Expectation and Reality

After our lovely few days at Avalon it was time for us to start making our way south again towards Ensenada. We had an uneventful but pleasant trip to Oceanside where we were stopping for the night to top up water and batteries. Navigating our way through the channel was no problem but we couldn't find the dock. Well, we could find plenty of docks but not the one we were supposed to be at. We called in to the port and found we'd passed it already, so we turned around and came

SoCal Sailing

SoCal Sailing

After the drama of the previous week and the horrific morning with the pump-out, we were looking forward to a few quiet days for a change - you know, the type of days we were expecting when we went cruising - morning coffee on deck, sunny days, gently rocking at anchor, taking in the sights.... Fortunately, the next few weeks were just like that! We explored the tourist spots - choked on the cost of a (plastic) glass of chardonnay and sangria at the Hotel Del Coronado, about

Thailand - Part 2 (Finally!)

Thailand - Part 2 (Finally!)

Complete and utter shock - best description by far of the look on his face when a bunch of people came up behind him and screamed "Happy Birthday!!" I love it when a plan comes together, and with the help of our friends, this one worked out way better than I thought it would. All the pieces just fell into place and there we were, in Thailand with our besties. So fabulous! Of course, there was much excited chatter over breakfast about the where's and what for's and how every

Land Life Lately

Land Life Lately

The last month has flown by! We’ve both been busy with our various work commitments, travelling, family visits and visiting and also got to spend a long weekend together in Ensenada! Since my last update, Darrin has been to Texas for a week to do some on site work, went back to the boat and I met him there for a 4 day weekend, went to Columbus Ohio to spend Thanksgiving with his daughter Lauren and her husband Griffin, met his Mom and Dad in San Diego so they could all trave

Sending my man off to sea...

Sending my man off to sea...

As a million other women throughout history have done before me, I stood on the dock waving, a little weepy, as my husband (and my home) motored smoothly out of the marina and on to the adventure of sailing the high seas for the next few weeks. I had seriously mixed feelings - sadness, excitement, trepidation, loneliness, relief, nervousness, turmoil...so many things. Sadness because a chapter of our life was ending, excitement for a new chapter to start, trepidation because

Hold on to your Sombrero's Ensenada...

Hold on to your Sombrero's Ensenada...

The Howells are about to head south! Yes, I know, we've already told everyone that. September 2018. Well. We changed our minds. So we're going now. Well, in two weeks. Half of us anyway. It dawned on us a few weeks ago that we didn't really have to wait at all. That we could go now. So why not? After a lot of discussion and lists of pro's and con's, we've decided to move our little adventure up and start now. We have a tiny little weather window left in the year to head so

What? You're moving on to a BOAT??

What? You're moving on to a BOAT??

*** Edit: The pictures you see here were taken when our house was torn apart as we were culling and selling. The back yard is typical of the pre-spring cleanup after a windy winter. We don't normally live like hoarders with a crack problem. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. When we purchased Eione last year it was with every intention of scaling down and moving aboard at some point, but it was only very vaguely talked about as "end of next summer perhaps", not a def

Re-entry

Re-entry

Alas, all good things must come to an end, although I don't think that should apply to vacations. Darrin had to get back to work though, so after a lovely few days at Rosario we did some trip planning to make our way home again. We checked the winds, the forecast, tides and currents then chose to go back through Cattle Pass rather than via Rosario Straight or the Swinomish Channel. We didn't feel we were brave enough for Deception Pass yet either - the timing needs to be perf

Wasp Islands & Rosario Resort

Wasp Islands & Rosario Resort

Unfortunately this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, prevailing winds are light and opportunities to sail are few. So once again we fired up the iron genny and made our way north to the Wasp Islands. These islands are a collection of what the locals affectionately call "Piles of Rocks" at the western entrance of the Harney Channel between Shaw Island and Orcas Island. Most of them are known for their wildlife and wildflowers and are owned by the Nature Conservancy. A fe

Cruising the San Juans

Cruising the San Juans

The weather really couldn't have been more perfect for our cruise around the islands. The type of days that we suffer through winter for because they're just so glorious here in the Pacific Northwest. We get so few of them, they are to be treasured! After 4th of July at Friday Harbor, we made our leisurely way to Stewart Island, right on the border of the US and Canada. A quiet protected anchorage, there was absolutely nothing there, just sunshine, gently lapping water aga

Friday Harbor Fireworks

Friday Harbor Fireworks

Friday Harbor pulls out all the stops for the 4th. A beautiful location, marina was full, fireworks, a parade...perfection! We started the day at the parade, quite the cast of characters! Lunchtime found us at Downriggers for a burger and bevy on the waterfront. On the way back to the boat after lunch we decided to pop in to the seafood shack to buy some prawns to have for our dinner on the boat. We met Popeye, the famous sea lion well known for her presence in the harbor. A

Fast Forward - 2017

Fast Forward - 2017

Fast forward to 2017, a bigger boat, much more safety gear and a much healthier respect for weather warnings and here we are in Friday Harbor again. When Darrin said he wanted to do Cattle Pass again I was trepidatious to say the least. No. Absolutely Not. We need to go a different way. I’m not doing that again. No. He talked me into it. He’s not one to let anything get the better of him. He did lots of research. He had it all mapped out. Weather. Tides (the right station th

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