Author Archives: kalunamoo

Kalunamoo has been in the Trinidad “shipyard” since the end of May. We returned at the beginning of September to find her non-skid decks painted with other works in various stages of completion. Since then, new interior cushions, exterior sunshades, cockpit enclosure, Max feathering propeller, led lights, galley faucet, bob stay fitting, cutlass bearing, refinishedContinue reading “Like Chocolate For Sailors”

We left Kalunamoo in Trinidad on the first day of summer and flew to New York. Since then, we have chartered a Nissan and have been cruising on 4 wheels while putting over 2500 miles under the floorboards. Our first 4-wheel cruise was to the south south-west about 600 miles. The weather was fair toContinue reading “Cruising on 4 Wheels”

These are between voyage thoughts. Kalunamoo is on the hard and we are in New York seeing family and friends. We use manmade stars who talk to our black box that draws a picture of exactly where we are, within a few feet, on the earth’s surface. It keeps us from running aground (assuming weContinue reading “Artificial Intelligence & Chicken, God Save the Queen and Dying for Lobster”

My first encounter with Rum and Coca-Cola was on Palma de Mallorca in the Mediterranean. I was on a training ship in college and it was the first foreign port the ship hit. This was the summer of 1966. An introduction into the seafaring life always includes the waterfront cafes, restaurants and bars. The drinkContinue reading “Rum and Coca Cola”

We were in Carriacou for two weeks and started to feel the local rhythm of the place. As I have mentioned before, living aboard cruising is a mixture of two modes of sailing. Living aboard is just that. It doesn’t really matter where the boat is,at anchor or marina, many of the routines are theContinue reading “Trinidad”

We spent almost a month in Bequia which seemed like only a few days. It is a little island that is hard to depart, not physically but mentally. It is also the first steppingstone down the Grenadines; each a small gem on the azure sea to Grenada. But this time we didn’t stop along theContinue reading “Sailing South”

Over the last number of years, we have sailed past St. Vincent numerous times. This large islands always looks green and rugged with few settlements or towns along the west coast. Few beaches are evident, and no natural harbors exist except for one or two at the southern end. In addition, a reputation of notContinue reading “St. Vincent and the Grenadines”

It’s a word that is easy to say. That is what Fredrick Mockford thought in the early 1920’s. He wanted a word that was easily understood by pilots (English and French) to indicate an emergency over voice radio. At the time, he was the officer in charge at Croydon Airport in England. It was aContinue reading “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”

We have a sign in our salon that reads “Friends welcome, Relatives by APPT”. Cruiser friends laugh when they read it as most assume we discourage, or at least put obstacles in the path of visiting relatives. This is completely not true. The fact is that “friends”, specifically “cruiser friends”, can and do drop byContinue reading “Family Time”

Maureen announced “I made a dentist appointment”. It was an announcement that many people make, usually for a cleaning or other routine checkups. A few months ago, I lost two fillings and needed some “repairs”. The fillings are at least 50 years old, if not longer. When you think about that it is really amazingContinue reading “St Lucia Shuttle”