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, [...]

My camera and me

26 March 2013 | Boston, USA
Marcie
I was never much into photography before moving on to the boat. I always figured if I bought a postcard, it was as good as I was going to get, plus it was cheaper and easier. No camera, film and developing expenses to worry about. So I definitely regret having no pictures of the Eiffel Tower, Buckingham Palace and Caernarfon Castle. The postcards have long been lost.

Having a digital camera aboard has made all the difference in the world. I rarely go anywhere without my camera. When we first moved aboard, I had a cheap little digital that I got for free from the bank for opening a new account. The resolution was poor. The colors weren't true. There were very few bells and whistles. The photos were just shy of awful, but it was instant gratification and it whet my appetite for something better.

I've bought and used several cameras since those early days. I went through a “must fit in my pocket” stage (a little Panasonic) and vacillated between cameras that required AA batteries or rechargeable lithium ions. In the end, I determined what was most important to me was the optical zoom capability, image stabilization and ultimately of course, the quality of the photos. Oh yeah, and the budget.

For the past few years, I've been using a Canon PowerShot and I love it.. It's relatively easy to use, and though it doesn't fit in your pocket unless you're Captain Kangaroo, it's easy to sling it over my shoulder or stash it into a drybag or a backpack. The quality of photos (despite the photographer) is excellent. I love the zoom capabilities. Canon seems to lead the market in this area. Just recently we've starting taking video clips and we were surprised with the quality of the results and how much fun it was to film and edit.

I've actually gone through several Power Shots. I had the 20, 30 and I currently use the SX40. It doesn't fit in my pocket, but offers so many other neat features that I can live with the size. I prefer an automatic point and shoot that also gives me the option of manual settings when I want them. I'm budget-minded as always, so an SLR and extra lenses have never been an option. I upgrade whenever I get back to the States and use the older camera as a backup. The upgrade is nearly always for increased zoom capability. The price on-line usually runs between $350-400 US.

I usually buy extra batteries and always have extras charged and ready to go, although one battery is usually good for 300+ pictures. I prefer smaller SD memory cards (4Gb) to larger ones unless I plan to take video clips. I'd prefer to upload the card frequently to my computer or use several cards rather than risk having everything on one large card which might get damaged or lost. At the moment, I'm coveting the Canon PowerShot SX50. 50X optical zoom … under $400...oh, man!

Before buying a new camera including every Canon I've purchased, I consult Digital Photography Review, which gives me an unbiased opinion of the camera, its features and how it performs. I spend as much time with my camera as I do with my captain, why not be just as choosy?
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