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Life onboard

On Being a Cruising Boat Guest

on
April 12, 2018

Last February, our good friend, Cat, from Seattle came to visit us in Mexico. Within hours of her joining us on Halcyon, she had served me a beer out of the fridge and was busy scrubbing the bottom of our upturned dinghy on the deck, bouncing along to music…

six foot iguana at waterfall costa rica


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Life onboard

A day in the life (chapter 3)

on
March 19, 2018

I woke up naturally around 7 but laid in bed for a while listening to the birds chirping and the howler monkeys howling before I climbed over a semi-conscious John and out of bed. I seem to fall into a morning ritual when we are at anchor of climbing…


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Life onboard

Do Rats Fart?

on
February 27, 2018

Some of you were following along on social media as we duked it out with our recent boat guest. Here is the whole story, as printed in 48 North last month.

Chepe recently moved in with us. We did not invite Chepe to move in; we were not looking for…


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Life onboard

It sure is windy

on
February 20, 2018

When we were in Southern Mexico, we had to contend with the Tehuantepecs, forceful winds that tear across the skinny bit of Mexico from the Caribbean and pummel any boats blithe enough to try to cross their path. Halcyon did not enjoy her time in the Tehuantepecs (you can…


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Life onboard

Dreams really do come true

on
February 14, 2018

About three years ago, John and I decided it was time for a vacation. Not a vacation in that “take time off work to visit family” kind of way, but a real actual “go somewhere sunny” vacation. Our parameters were: reasonably priced plane ticket, warm and sunny, no major…


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Boat work

Boat work! We do a lot of it!

on
January 27, 2018

I’ve updated our THE PROJECT page with what we did for Halcyon in 2017. But so you don’t have to hurt your thumbs by clicking more than necessary — here’s what I added.
2017
This was our first full year out cruising, and apparently Halcyon took a bit of a beating!…


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Life onboard Underway

Drama Sells

on
January 10, 2018

Drama sells.

My most popular blog posts are the ones about the big winds and temperamental engines, tense moments and broken spirits. (Like this one from our season-ending southern Mexico passage, or this one about a long ago but very memorable Christmas incident).

And so, by contrast, perhaps people don’t want…


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Life onboard

I going to misses you

on
December 26, 2017

I am perched cautiously in a dusty plastic chair, with two of its legs sunk into the rutted dirt road and one suspended on the concrete stoop in front of Hotel Sport. It is a mismatched crew that sits and leans haphazardly – Gerhardt, an 82-year old German/Canadian sipping…


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Life onboard

The art of the cruiser’s shower

on
November 21, 2017

I live on a sailboat. It has many of the amenities that a home on land has – like a kitchen with a stove and oven, two beds, a bathroom with a toilet and running water, and plenty of storage, at least for my small number of belongings. It…


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Land wanderings

2 days amid 20 million people

on
November 13, 2017

We are not city people. We are drawn to quaint towns, beachside villas, adventurous activities, relaxed vibes. When we go on vacation, we do not go to Rome or Paris or New York City; we go to Playa Gigante in Nicaragua, Baños in Ecuador, or Vik in Iceland.

So naturally,…

John and Becca Guillote

John is the photographer. He portrays the layers of history, emotion, spirit and culture in each moment through his application of light, perspective, and detail. He also takes pictures.

Becca is the writer. She tells vivid stories of authentic moments, highlighting the beautiful, dangerous, dramatic and hilarious with grammatically correct sentences and her tongue held firmly by her cheek.

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