Behan Gifford

LATEST ARTICLES ( 537 )

• American Cruisers Through Foreign Eyes

  

  The coconut telegraph, as the cruiser-to-cruiser communication is jokingly referenced, is good for a lot of things. The clearance process like in Vava’u,... Read more

  Posted on 15 November 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Passage Planning: the Float Plan

  

  Writing a float plan is a simple thing to do, may be critical in the event of an emergency, and is all too easily set aside and left undone in the stack of task... Read more

  Posted on 09 November 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Distance is Relative: Upriver to Washington DC

  

  You’re going to Washington DC with your boat? You know that’s going to take days, right? It’s really far away! We heard this from nearly every individual... Read more

  Posted on 05 November 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Back to Cruising! OK…almost.

  

  With the US Sailboat Show over, life starts to return to normal…except nothing about our time in the USA feels like our ‘normal’ cruising life. I miss life... Read more

  Posted on 24 October 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Meeting Old Friends for the First Time

  

  Three weeks in Chesapeake Bay so far. Three weeks with so much smiling and talking with friends that there are days my jaw aches. Old friends, new friends, old... Read more

  Posted on 16 October 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Efficient Sailing: Passage Routing

  

  There’s a problem: many cruisers think that sailing performance isn’t important. Hey, cruising is about slowing down, right?! But dismissing performance is... Read more

  Posted on 29 September 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Southbound to Chesapeake Bay

  

  We still didn’t get to do all the rounds of goodbyes we wanted in Connecticut. We didn’t even just to see everyone we hoped to see. Read more

  Posted on 24 September 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Cruisers Should Care About Performance Sailing

  

  There’s a problem: many cruisers think that sailing performance isn’t important. Hey, cruising is about slowing down, right?! But dismissing performance is... Read more

  Posted on 07 September 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Waning Summer

  

  Come with me on a meander through the waning days of summer in New England, and memories built under the warmth of the sun. It blows me away how quickly this... Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Eight Years Down: How We Fund the Cruising Life

  

  How can we afford the cruising life? Everybody wants to know, but few ask. Cutting to the chase: we’re not independently wealthy. How we’ve supported ourselves... Read more

  Posted on 23 August 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Privileged Cruisers

  

  Turquoise water, white sand, the stretch of a tropical island…contrast of our dinghy and a local outrigger. We are so tremendously privileged in our experiences. Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• How Cruising Wrecks Lives

  

  It’s become profoundly clear that we’ll never be normal again. Is it unsettling? A little. We were a poster family for Normal, and utterly happy. Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• A New England Summer Aboard

  

  Our summer in New England is half over: flying by! Dangerous, as we have a long list of projects and repairs to do on Totem…but before digging into them, we... Read more

  Posted on 29 July 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• The Best Mail Services for Cruisers

  

  What do you do about mail while cruising? A fixed postal address is kind of handy, even when your lifestyle is footloose. (photo above: one of the few... Read more

  Posted on 25 July 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• The Problem with Cruising Kids and Socialization

  

  “But what about socialization?” People unfamiliar but curious about cruising lifestyle often ask this about our children. We’ve done a few presentations about... Read more

  Posted on 22 July 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Big Picture Routing and Totem’s Plans

  

  The Mystic river was blanketed with fog when we poked our heads into the cockpit this morning. Totem is anchored roughly between Mason’s Island and Noank: the... Read more

  Posted on 08 July 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• After Years as Nomads, Returning to the USA

  

  Dun colored cliffs on the back side of Block Island emerged from a hazy marine layer: our first sight of land as we approached New England. Read more

  Posted on 28 June 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Passage Notes: Bermuda to Connecticut

  

  “This is turning into an expensive passage.” Those were Jamie’s words to me after the latest breakdown on our third day at sea. A large block, used for the geno... Read more

  Posted on 17 June 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Making Friends with Bermuda Blues

  

  Bermuda made a late appearance into our cruising plans. Before we’d giving our routing back to New England much critical thought, the seed was planted with an... Read more

  Posted on 10 June 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL

• Passage Notes: St Martin to Bermuda

  

  Only one more passage separates Totem from landfall in the USA. The proximity is palpable, and conversation about what it’s going to be like has dominated dinne... Read more

  Posted on 02 June 2016 FAMILY, OUTDOORS, SEA, TRAVEL