One of the most difficult decisions people confront when they set in motion the plan to go cruising is what to do with their home and the stuff that fills it. The traditional strategy is to sell everything, cut all the “docklines”, and commit yourselves fully to the cruising life. There are many people who would insist that without doing so you will never truly feel the full freedom of cruising. » Read full column
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Has anyone tried to make you feel like some sort of black sheep for choosing to go cruising? My husband Don took a lot of grief from his family when he packed up his daughter, took his Catalina 25 in tow, and moved to Florida in search of year round-sailing. Don hails from a small town in the middle of corn and soy fields, the kind of place where farmers at the morning coffee shop narrow their eyebrows when he goes in with his Dad and say, “You still livin’ on that boat? How the hell d’ya live on a boat?” Imagine what they had to say when he got a bigger boat and sailed off to the islands. It’s kind of like that old staying, “If I have to explain, you’ll never understand.” » Read full column
Recently, when I wrote about coping with laundry on board, I left out one crucial consideration: the clothes we bring aboard to be washed! There’s the old adage – with some truth to it – that cruisers can save on laundry by sailing naked! Works fine in the tropics when out at sea, in truly remote anchorages or in the privacy of our own boat. But reality sets in when we realize
Although I get many of my topics from women I meet at boat shows and although I wrote last month about the temptations of brand new boats bobbing at boat show docks, the fact is that most cruisers do not find their boat at a boat show. Obviously, since all the boats out there were new once, somebody does. But your typical cruiser is of a mindset to make their budget, however small or large it might be, stretch as far as possible. Unlike RVs, for example, that come new with every feature you could possible want preinstalled, new sailboats come with very little. Sometimes, even the fundamentals – anchors, radios, even SAILS…are add-ons you choose. So, most brand-new boats hot off the production line still have a long way to go before they are ready to go cruising. » Read full column There is nothing like a boat show to stir things up for wannabe cruisers. Up and down the dock jostle brand-new boats, rigging clanging with the fluttering banners of the manufacturers who hope to put your name down on their production list. Up to now, you’ve probably seen these boats only on the ad pages of glossy magazines, but at the show you get to tramp through each and every one, even those far outside your budget. In this environment, you may find yourself asking, “What size boat should we be looking at for cruising?” » Read full column
The cruising life is more of a joint effort with your partner than most women have ever before undertaken. Even marriage and raising a family most likely never brought you together as much as will cruising 24/7 on a boat. » Read full column
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An Achilles heel for many cruising women – even for some Admirals – is driving the dinghy. Hardly surprising since couples cruising – especially for the first time – are doing pretty much everything together, and, without any particular thought, the guy gets into the habit of driving. When they finally reach Georgetown or Trinidad or Zihuatenejo, hundreds of miles out from their home port, enough is going on that couples need — or want — to do things separately. Suddenly, women discover that they’ve become dependent on their men to drive them around. 
“You won’t believe how much of your time is spent just getting done the basic chores of everyday living!” These words stood out in bold print from a letter we received from Liz, Admiral of 
All my Admirals agree that there are basic boat skills all cruising women should know, not simply to increase their confidence, but to cover their butts should something happen to the captain. You won’t be in the cruising world long before you hear the story of the cruising wife, who, when the husband fell overboard, didn’t know how to turn off the autopilot. She not only could not stop to retrieve him but eventually rode the boat onto shore. You might think this is apocryphal, but, sadly, it happens over and over. 