Sitting on the floor of our rental cabin tucked in the woods outside of Seward, I talked Porter through the steps of splicing Dyneema loops and inserting low friction rings. Ever my studious rigging assistant, he then helped as we whipped and finished each part before hanging them from the rafters for a test run. Being the first day of the new year it seemed appropriate to be completing something for Yahtzee, working together towards what will be a big part of 2019 — getting back out cruising full-time again.

Splicing new Dyneema loops with low friction rings — Merry Christmas Yahtzee!

Twenty nineteen is here and our whole crew can feel the energy of what’s to come. Five days out cruising our local waters before the calendar flipped to 2019 was just what our family and Yahtzee needed to keep setting us on the right course. The mini shakedown was a perfect way to connect with one another, reflect on and say goodbye to an incredible year in Alaska.

Warming up next to a fire after some sledding on Fox Island.

I’d intended to spend a chunk of this post re-hashing 2018, but that doesn’t seem fitting. The year is in our wake and it seems more appropriate to press forward towards the future. We’re all excited for the year ahead. And, yes, I say all of us, because our 5-year-old and newly minted 4-year-old know what’s going on. They know what’s coming. Preparations on the boat are happening before their eyes and we’re including them in what it takes and means to shove off the dock to continue writing the next pages of our lives.