I'm sure I don’t have to be the first to tell anyone that 2020 was an absolute dumpster fire of a year. Like… a Taco Bell at midnight, on the wrong side of town dumpster fire. Hot and smelly, full of various things to fuel the filames. Although it was definitely a trying year,...
“Marissa I swear to god if you don't let me down” before Chris could finish that sentence, I released the line that held him dangling above me just enough to drop him one foot. “You will what?” I asked with the main and safety line held tightly in my hand, as I threatened...
“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold” - Hunter S. Thompson We were about to Barstow when the coffee kicked in. It was 10:00 am on Friday the 13th, and in true Neely fashion we were a few hours behind schedule purely...
As we quickly approach gift-giving season Chris and I are often asked by loved ones what is on our “wish list”. Living on a boat, I'm sure you can imagine our wish list is not necessarily the most extravagant as space aboard comes at a premium. Some of the best gifts we have...
When we bought Avocet in 2018 we knew right away there were a number of issues that needed to be addressed. Although well-loved by her previous owners, John and Robin, she had been sitting for a time and it showed primarily in her moldy lockers and tired varnish. Before moving...
“Isn’t it great?” Chris asked while looking at me with sparkles in his eyes, hoping I shared the same enthusiasm for the object he extended towards me for my approval. “It’s... great...” my fake enthusiasm was less than believable, making Chris replace his smile with a...
If you are no stranger to this blog, you probably have noticed things don’t always seem to go our way. Despite the bright outlook sailing at the beginning of this month brought, it was only in line with the traditional chaos of 2020 that we would be forced to roll the dice and...
Our Great Escape Did these leecloths shrink? I could have sworn they were thicker... It had been one year and 4 days since Avocet had left the harbor, and as we went through the normal motions of preparing her to sail we tried to take it all in: we were finally going. This...
At 6:31 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on September 22, 2020, the sun will cross the equator as it moves from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere. This is the autumnal equinox, the point in time when the sun is right over the equator. It signals the nominal end of...
And So It Begins “We haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday” a shocking truth that had gone unnoticed for hours until Chris and I were sitting side by side in his truck, northbound. Stress, fear, and the unknown all mixed together are very filling especially when your...
