Sailing with Nine of Cups

Vessel Name: Nine of Cups
Vessel Make/Model: Liberty 458
Hailing Port: Denver, Colorado, USA
Crew: Marcie & David
About: We've lived aboard Nine of Cups since 2000 and have managed to accumulate 86,000+ nm under the keel since that time. We completed a circumnavigation in April 2015 and managed to sail around the five great southern capes. Come along with us for the ride!
Extra:
Visit our website at www.nineofcups.com for more photos and info about Nine of Cups and her crew. We also have a more extensive blogsite at www.justalittlefurther.com. Are some of our links broken? Links break from time to time. Please let us know which ones are broken and we'll fix them. You [...]
05 January 2017 | Chesapeake, VA
07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA
06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA
01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia
30 June 2016 | Chesapeake, VA
29 June 2016 | Chesapeake, VA
28 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
27 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
26 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
25 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
24 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
23 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
22 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
21 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
20 June 2016 | Charleston, South Carolina, USA
19 June 2016 | Charleston, South Carolina, USA
18 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
17 June 2016 | Intracoastal Waterway from St Augustine to Norfolk
Recent Blog Posts
05 January 2017 | Chesapeake, VA

Happy 2017!

Happy New Year, Everyone!

07 July 2016 | Us: East Walpole, MA / Cups: Chesapeake, VA

Taking a breather ...

Since we'll be off the boat during July and August, we plan to post only three times per week. The Captain will continue writing a practical Blue View post each week, we'll keep you up to date on what's happening with us and then throw in some cruising nuggets as well.

06 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA

Keeping fit

We’ve written before about keeping fit on the boat. David is so much better at a regimented exercise program than I am. I have all the best intentions, but I can always think of something better to do than sit-ups, push-ups, leg lifts and running in place. It doesn’t take much to distract me. Walking, [...]

04 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA

Happy 240th Birthday, America

Growing up in New England, I took for granted just how lovely a summer’s morning can be in Massachusetts. It’s comfortably cool and everything smells clean and fresh. Spider webs glisten with morning dew and it’s just great to be alive and breathe in the new day. Being back at Lin’s house conjures up wonderful childhood memories of summer mornings past. And this is not just any morning … it’s the 4th of July, the best holiday of the summertime in the USA.

02 July 2016 | East Walpole, MA

Leaving Cups and a Road Trip

Leaving Nine of Cups is never easy. We know she’ll pout while we’re gone and so we do our best to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible before we leave. We were whirling dervishes trying to get everything ready.

01 July 2016 | Virginia Beach, Virginia

Hunting & Gathering - Virginia Beach

We had lots to do before leaving Cups. David was intent on getting as many chores done in advance of our departure as possible so that once we return in September, we can spend time sailing in the Chesapeake rather than doing repairs and maintenance. Much of what we needed in the way of parts and supplies, [...]

St. Helena to French Guiana - Day 15

25 September 2015 | Enroute to French Guiana, South America
Marcie
Day 15- 1,520 nm to go

Two weeks at sea, a little more than half way to French Guiana and we're still hovering about 70nm south of the Equator. The moon has waxed to a yellow three-quarter grapefruit and its glow far outshines the stars. The night was lovely, punctuated by a few sprinkles and a quick downpour or two, which we've recently come to expect.

We have seen precious little marine life other than flying fish. We had a wonderful dolphin send- off when we left St. Helena as you'll remember, but that's been about it. Birds have been in limited quantity as well, though we see a few every day. There's a greater shearwater (or perhaps several, but they all look alike) that likes to land just off our stern and do his fishing in our wake. A tiny, energetic petrel (I think it's a Wilson's storm petrel; David disagrees), a little larger than a robin, skirts within inches of the ocean's surface, dipping, darting and momentarily hovering and tires us out just watching his acrobatic feats.

Then there are red-footed boobies that soar over and around the boat in big swoops and squawk as they pass. They're large birds, like geese, and good divers. They tuck their feet and wings in tightly against their bodies and look like bullets as they plunge at breakneck speeds into the sea. We watched one yesterday that was quite successful catching several fish for breakfast.

On the other hand, despite the success of the birds, we have not fished at all. We used to fish regularly, but haven't bothered to toss a line out since the Indian Ocean. The thought of the blood and gore on the deck isn't pleasant and the requisite clean-up is always a hassle. Besides, we've got plenty of food aboard. I know it sounds mamby-pamby, but after watching the life color seep out of the last dorado we caught, we have no heart for fishing. Yes, we enjoy eating fish and know how they're caught and killed. Still, killing them at our own hand seems different. Not necessarily logical, just how it is. Maybe that will change at some point.

One flying fish in the scuppers this morning. Our passage total is 12, a far cry from our all-time record of 20+ in one night.
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