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…
Trade Goods: Sharing is Caring While Cruising
This article was originally published in the January 2022 issue of 48° North. It’s hard to compete with a chicken — but I felt like I needed to after being invited for dinner aboard a sizable motor cruiser near Johnstone…
Home for the Holidays
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. As…
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…
Tales of the Northwest Passage: What’s in a fish?
This article originally appeared in the June 2021 issue of 48° North. Night had begun to return since leaving the last settlement of Cambridge Bay. Headed west, the wind on our nose, Breskell pounded into the teeth of the…
Saying ‘Yes’, A Cruising Lifestyle Philosophy
This article originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of 48° North. We had just moved 3,000 miles across the country to Seattle, drawn by its enigmatic inland sea fueled by the Pacific Ocean and embraced by jagged snowy…
Lessons Learned: Flush With Options, Spring Cruising Starts
By the time the rhodies peak, Puget Sound sailors are deep into plans or actions for spring commissioning and anticipating the sailing season ahead. Here in Mexico, springtime is when crews typically make plans to set sail…
Exploring Local: Kilisut Harbor
Making the most of a pandemic holiday, I did what sailors do — I sailed. I left Boat Haven late Friday morning bound for Scow Bay, at the southern end of Kilisut Harbor. A Gale Warning had been declared for the evening, with…
Buying a Bluewater Sailboat During the Pandemic
A Complicated Delivery, An Unplanned Adventure, and One Family’s Maiden Voyage From the January, 2021 issue of 48° North. In March 2020, the Coronavirus hit our hometown of Nelson, British Columbia, and an isolated…
A Parting Delivery
Letting Go After Three Years and More Than 3,000 Miles From the January 2021 issue of 48° North. Some say that the happiest days of a boat owner's life are the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it. I can tell you…
