Blue View – Choosing the Right Rig

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Blue View – Choosing the Right Rig

To continue my thoughts on what's important in a cruising boat, I'll talk about rig options – sloop vs. cutter vs. ketch – all of which we've had at least a little experience with. I won't talk much about schooner, yawl, junk, gaff or catboat rigs; while they have their own loyal followers and offer their own unique advantages and disadvantages, I have no first hand knowledge, and can only repeat what I've read or been told about them.

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Life Aboard – Nine of Cups Update

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Life Aboard – Nine of Cups Update

We’ve been busy aboard Nine of Cups. That’s the “royal we”, it’s actually the captain that’s done most of the work. I tend to write, cook, clean, supervise, scavenge for parts when required, pay bills, keep up communications with the world, assist when asked and otherwise, generally stay out of the way. The arrangement suits us both just fine. I’ve given up feeling guilty about not participating every moment in every project. So what’s been happening aboard? Lots!

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There to Here – Throwing Off the Docklines

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There to Here – Throwing Off the Docklines

Leaving the dock in Kemah, Texas is probably one of the hardest things we’ve ever done. It’s appropriate that we should discuss this in today’s blog because it was 17 years ago yesterday on May 21, 2000 that we threw off the docklines and headed across the Gulf of Mexico for St. Petersburg, Florida. A 652 nm passage that was just the beginning of our life aboard. A passage that would take us far beyond the Gulf of Mexico and Florida both in distance and in confidence.

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