Behan Gifford
I live on a boat with my husband and three children. We left our home in the USA in 2008 for sailing adventures.
MY BLOGS
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Sailing with Totem
http://sv-totem.blogspot.com/
Our family of five lives and travels on our sailboat, Totem. We write about the places we visit, our traveling lifestyle, homeschooling afload, and the adventures we have along the way.
LATEST ARTICLES ( 538 )
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Confessions of a Reef Snob
In than forty minutes of water time at Richelieu rock, we saw more intense marine life than we have seen anywhere in Thailand by a wide margin. Read more
Posted on 07 February 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Richelieu Rock: a Spark of Spectacular Marine Life
Richelieu rock is an oasis in the desert of overfishing that is Southeast Asia. This pinnacle sits near the southern end of the Mergui archipelago, climbing... Read more
Posted on 05 February 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
On-board Communication: Satellite Phone Or SSB?
What's better on board: a satellite phone or an SSB? If you have to choose only one, what should you do? I talked through this a few times during morning jogs... Read more
Posted on 31 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Koh Phayam: Scenes from a Small Island
There are endless delights of being on a small island, the kind of place where the closest thing to a post office is a small box colored in the Thai Post Red an... Read more
Posted on 29 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Grounded on Koh Phayam
Totem is not aground, but happily anchored in a wide bay fringed by a soft beach, backed by palms and cashew trees. Welcome to sleepy Koh Phayam, antithesis to... Read more
Posted on 27 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Unrest in Thailand: Being Prepared
Here in sleepy Koh Phayam, a little island just south of Thailand's border with Myanmar, the offer of electricity warrants a banner. Read more
Posted on 22 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Lost WWII Wreck- Found in Thailand?
We like to think we're pretty observant about the world around us. In this region vigilance is essential, thanks to the many fish traps and unattended fish... Read more
Posted on 20 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Pinch Me, I'm Cruising: Phang Nga Fairyland
There's something a little surreal about the approach into Thailand's Phang Nga bay, a crowded archipelago of limestone islands tucked up to the northeast of... Read more
Posted on 15 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Hauling Water is Not Fun
You know what’s not fun? This. Hauling water across Chalong Bay. This is not fun. A lot of people do it every day, in less comfort, with less certain access to... Read more
Posted on 13 January 2014 DIARIES, OUTDOORS, SEA -
Win a Trip to Thailand by Defending Asian Elephants
We won't be riding any elephants while we're here in Thailand. If there's a code to our travels, it's to try and leave a positive trail in the places we visit. Read more
Posted on 09 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Satun: a Quieter Side of Thailand
The more time we spend in Phuket, the more I like the quiet village that was our introduction to Thailand. Ban Chebilang is just a few miles outside the... Read more
Posted on 08 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Giant Map of Dreams
If a picture tells a thousand words, then a map is a portrait with countless stories to tell. Consider Cape Disappointment in Oregon, whose name on a map... Read more
Posted on 06 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Grand Plans for the Indian Ocean
We look ahead at 2014 with great anticipation: Now that the Pacific Ocean, South China Sea, and Straits of Malacca are behind us, it's inevitable that the eyes... Read more
Posted on 02 January 2014 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
What Makes a Hero?
About two months ago, an unexpected email landed in the Totem inbox. It was from Jessica Muffett, founder of Yachtworld, informing us we had been nominated for ... Read more
Posted on 27 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Twelve Days of (Cruising) Christmas
It seems that maintenance and cruising are somehow inextricably intertwined...so we giggled our way through a "routine maintenance and one exotic location"... Read more
Posted on 24 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Underwater in Thailand's Similan Islands
I might have maligned the Similans a bit by pointing out that the coral is kinda dead, the diversity is lacking, and the tourists outnumber almost everything... Read more
Posted on 23 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
How Do You Decorate a Cruising Boat for Christmas?
How do you bring the holidays on board, adapted to the cruising life? When we sailed south from Puget Sound in 2008 to begin for cruising adventures, our... Read more
Posted on 20 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Freediving in Thailand's Similan Islands
Thailand’s Similan islands gave us a welcome dose of clear water to swim in and pretty fish to commune with again. Thanks to a timely departure from the shipyar... Read more
Posted on 18 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
There’s This Boat: Kalalau
A pretty blue sloop came around the corner of a sandy islet and into the bay where we were anchored recently. Jamie and I watched it from the cockpit: just... Read more
Posted on 16 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL -
Hauling in Thailand: Part 3- Lessons Learned
The combination of low costs and skilled labor makes Southeast Asia is an appealing region for boat refits. Phithak Shipyard was all that and more. Read more
Posted on 13 December 2013 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL