January 2018 – This year, we are thankful that our post-holiday blues are primarily (not exclusively... we'll get to that in a second) characterized by the beautiful waters around us: teal, cerulean, navy.  In addition to their splendor, the shades of blue and green also help differentiate suitable sandy patches to drop anchor from treacherous … Continue reading “Hove-to” in Georgetown

December 2017 – We are cruising the Bahamas! After a (thankfully) uneventful crossing of the Gulf Stream from Lake Worth, Florida, we made landfall at Great Sale Cay in the Abacos on the third of December, and have been basking in island sun ever since.  Six months into our sailing adventure, we were averaging less … Continue reading First Taste of the Islands

November 2017 – We continue to plug along Southbound at a blistering (walking) pace and have now made it to Ponte Vedra, Florida, where we are spending Thanksgiving weekend with Karl's cousin Alejandro, wife Vivi, and their three lovely kids, to whom Karl is godfather to the youngest, Massimo.  In general, cooler and shorter days … Continue reading ICW Adventures

October 2017 – The year's busy hurricane season continues to be a planning factor, reminding us (to use an oft quoted trope) that cruisers’ plans are best written in sand... at low tide. We had intended an offshore run from Montauk to Cape May, but Jose's lurking about the Atlantic encouraged us to continue due … Continue reading Southbound!

September 2017 – We are back in Essex, CT – how time has flown since we were last here in early July! After our third overnight from Portland, ME to Provincetown, MA, we had another spirited sail across the Cape Cod Bay, stopped in Marion, MA for a home-cooked meal (thank you Sharon & Robert!), and … Continue reading Return from Maine (Part II)

August 2017 – We are in Portland and our time in Maine is quickly coming to an end – but it’s been full of great experiences, so we thought it best to break up our recap into two parts!  First, a bit on how we chose our cruising route around Maine.  The Penobscot Bay in … Continue reading Two Dragonflies (Maine, Part I)

July 2017 –  We would like to think that we are settling into our new lives as liveaboards quite nicely.  Moments of panic on the boat are less frequent, or at least when issues present themselves, we are better (but still not great!) at separating what is cause for serious and immediate concern vs. another … Continue reading The Vineyard and Family

June 2017 – Hard to believe, but it has been over one month since we launched Contigo! In that time, we have experienced a lot of “firsts” including: acquiring a dinghy (affectionately known as “Booey”, though Mr. Esworthy you do still have official naming rights), braving the Atlantic Ocean, and finding purpose for that mysterious black button in the galley next to our stove (pumps out excess water accumulated in the fridge).

May 2017 – It has been some time since we posted our last update, and we have a lot to share about the time spent with friends and family in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Maryland... but it turns out that preparing a boat for launch is hard work! There were items in our to-do list that required completion before Contigo went in the water and we sailed her away: bottom paint, propeller maintenance, renaming, selling Karl's car, to identify a few. Though tiring, it was also very gratifying work, and two weeks flew by in the blink of an eye.

March 2017 - We landed in Delhi at 4AM on the last Friday of February, and took a quiet, early morning taxi ride to our hotel that belied the energy (chaos!) that we would soon learn India dishes out in spades.  Following our first necessary dose of warm masala chai (which we both decided will … Continue reading A Month in India