Costa Rica Recap: The Pura Vida Experience
If you're planning to cruise Central America, don't skip Costa Rica. The good life is for real. Prior to November 2021, our family had never visited Costa Rica before. From friends and acquaintances who have come to Costa…
A 10 Year Milestone: From the PNW to the Panama Canal
This article was originally published in the April 2022 issue of 48° North. Looking forward and aft — at what, I'm not exactly sure — our canal pilot, Francisco, says simply, “Slow down, we need to wait here.” I can feel…
The Springtime Shift: Making the Most of the Pre-Season
This article was originally published in the March 2022 issue of 48° North. Every year, somewhere between a strong southerly wind blowing a hoolie through Puget Sound and daffodils pushing up through the ground outside the…
A Very Dinghy Christmas
Over the years, 48° North has decked the hulls with a variety of boating related yuletide joy. Since it's that season again, we're digging into the vault with some stories of holiday's past to help get you in the spirit. In…
Winter Shakedown: A Year-End Cruise in Icy Alaska Offers Family Warmth
This article was originally published in the November 2021 issue of 48° North. Snow and ice crunched under my sea boots while walking down D-dock towards Yahtzee’s slip in Seward Harbor. The boys were ahead of me and I could…
What’s life like on passage?
From Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alaska, all the way south to Mexico and Central America, one of the things I've always enjoyed about writing this blog (going on 7 years!) is that I get to share our family's…
Happily Home on the Sea
Last week I wrote a sailing story for the blog, but it felt a bit rushed to jump back in after so many months off and I didn't hit publish. We'd recently returned home to Yahtzee in southern Mexico, cleaned her up, gotten…
Return to Alaska
With their beloved boat Yahtzee on the hard for hurricane season, the Cross family returns to their old haunts for the summer and finds their way onto the water. Rows of sailboats and fishing vessels of all shapes and sizes…
The Buddy System
Seasoned cruisers share their experiences pairing up with other sailors. This article was originally published in the September 2021 issue of 48° North. Smoke drifted upward from the grill on the stern, salads and side…
Pacific Gale Sail: 24 Hours of Preparation, Endurance & Recovery
This article was originally published in the August 2021 issue of 48° North. The triangles on the cold front symbol remind me of teeth — fangs, actually — while I stare at a weather map on my computer screen. Sailing…