Behan Gifford

LATEST ARTICLES ( 537 )

• The Best Apps for Cruising

  

  What are the best apps for sailing? What apps do cruisers actually use on their ipad / android to make life easier, safer, or more fun? There are a lot of... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• What I Love About Cruising Seychelles

  

  Seychelles is Totem’s introduction to cruising in Africa. AFRICA! It’s mind-blowing to our family, and exciting after lingering a couple of years in Asia to be... Read more

  Posted on 15 July 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• The Cruising Cartoonist: (sea) Monkeying Around

  

  “How do you earn money while you’re cruising?” is one of the top ten questions I think I get about this life, and my friend Sarah has by FAR the coolest... Read more

  Posted on 09 July 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• The Imperfect Passage

  

  Sailing west from the middle (literally) of the Indian Ocean, to the Seychelles islands just off Africa: circumnavigate, and this may the best passage you make. Read more

  Posted on 02 July 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Living Differently in Salomon Atoll

  

  No question about it, cruisers live differently, especially when we’re off the grid for an extended time…possibly under a rainbow. Read more

  Posted on 28 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Highlights from 2,500 Days of Cruising

  

  Today marks the 2,500th day since we sailed Totem out of Puget Sound; soon we’ll start our eighth year as cruisers. It still feels amazing, and I still pinch... Read more

  Posted on 25 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Walking on the Wild Side: Chagos Archipelago

  

  Anchored at the east end of Salomon atoll, Totem floats in clear water that is swimming-pool turquoise, her hull shadow sharply outlined on the sand below. Read more

  Posted on 24 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• The Easy Way to Take Better Cruising Pictures

  

  It’s pretty common knowledge among cruisers that you should have polarized sunglasses. They reduce reflected light from the water, and by allowing the wearer... Read more

  Posted on 15 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Chagos Archipelago-better Than a Soap Opera

  

  Cruisers love to love Chagos. They rhapsodize about the picturesque islands, amazing underwater life, and self-sufficient living. Read more

  Posted on 13 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• How Cruisers Live Differently

  

  We'’re in our third week at the remote Chagos archipelago. It'’s hard not to compare what living in an uninhabited tropical island paradise is like in compariso... Read more

  Posted on 09 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Worldschooling Afloat: We’re Talking Epic Education

  

  What’s it really like homeschooling kids while traveling? What are the tools and resources that help us with boatschooling? How is technology part of our... Read more

  Posted on 04 June 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Cruiser Paradise Found

  

  What does cruising paradise look like? For some, it looks a lot like the Chagos archipelago, a remote spread of beautiful islands where cruisers enjoy tremendou... Read more

  Posted on 30 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Village Vibe in the Maldives

  

  Our days have a common flow here. Most morning are consumed with activities on board: reading, routine maintenance, writing, dishes, algebra, whatever seems to... Read more

  Posted on 26 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Preparing for Remote Cruising

  

  How do you get ready to be self-sufficient for weeks or months at a time? In just a few hours, Totem will be underway for Chagos. Read more

  Posted on 19 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Preparing for a Passage: Making Fruitcake

  

  If I’m making fruitcake, it’s a sure sign we have a passage ahead. Our next passage isn’t a big one. Weather willing we’ll leave in less than a week to sail fro... Read more

  Posted on 14 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Shine a Light: Support Conservation in Southeast Asia

  

  Many of our most memorable experiences happened during the two-plus years we sailed through Southeast Asia. Most of them conjure the fascinating culture, rich... Read more

  Posted on 11 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Weather Watch in Maldives

  

  For the duration of the season, it seems, we’ve been chasing the weather. It’s finally caught up to us. Boats headed from Asia to South Africa on a northerly... Read more

  Posted on 09 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Malé, Maldives: the Biggest Little City

  

  Most boats cruising in Maldives find themselves in the capital, Malé, at some point. The capital sits not quite halfway down the “necklace islands” of Maldives. Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Cruising Maldives: Freedom to Roam

  

  It was only a few years ago that visiting islands in Maldives was relatively restricted; tourists weren’t just funneled to resort islands, they were actually... Read more

  Posted on 01 May 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Some Good Must Come from This Tragedy

  

  The terrible news came through last night: my friend Cidnie’s daughter, drowned in the marina where she and her husband keep their sailboat. Read more

  Posted on 24 April 2015 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL