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: |
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, [...]
Mauritius to Durban - Day13
I didn't provision well for this trip. We thought we'd be at sea for about 12 days. Normally, we'd plan on 100 miles a day and do better than that. Our experience thus far in the Indian Ocean, however, rendered us a bit cocky and overconfident and thus, we're running out of things each day we sail beyond Day 12. There's no danger of starving; we've got lots of food stores in the larder. It's just that we'll be going without some things I wish I'd stocked up on. This thought led to a cockpit discussion about the 10 Top Things Not to Run Out of on a Passage. Here's our list, not necessarily foodstuffs and not in order of survival importance, but as we thought of them.
1. Toilet Paper We do not have a Sears catalog aboard nor corn husks (although an old West Marine catalog might do in a pinch). Running out of TP is not even something I care to contemplate. We've got plenty.
2. Water Even though we have a watermaker, we make sure our tanks are topped off when we leave port and never let them get too low.We also have a small hand-operated water maker in our ditch bag for emergencies.
3. Fuel Yes, we are a sailboat although from time to time, we are a motor-sailer. Having enough diesel aboard is primarily important for running the engine to charge the batteries and getting into port and docking.
4. Propane The inability to cook while on passage would be a hardship. No hot food for days? Ouch! We carry extra propane tanks on deck to avoid ever running out.
5. Eggs We use lots of eggs ... sometimes as an ingredient for cakes, etc., and sometimes as a meal in itself like omelets or scrambles. I underestimated our usage for this trip and should have kept better track of just how many we were using. We're running low and I have no one to blame but myself. As an aside, I can substitute white vinegar for an egg in many recipes, but scrambled vinegar just doesn't cut it.
6. Coffee/tea Just don't even talk to me until I've had my wake-up cuppa. In a pinch, I can drink coffee and David will drink tea ... but doing without both altogether? Perish the thought.
7. Pasta/rice Pasta and rice constitute a major part of our meals. Running out of either would definitely put a crimp in our menu planning and it would be hard to find a substitute once the potatoes were gone.
8. Flour We bake quite a bit during passages. Bread, cakes, brownies ... even pizza on occasion. Flour is an essential ingredient that would severely limit our baking activities.
9. Chocolate I never much cared for chocolate. David is in the chocoholic category. Over the years, I've grown to like it and David hasn't changed at all. A special treat en route is sharing a chocolate bar. It's a comfort food and provides a good attitude lift when necessary.
10. Patience/sense of humor Luckily, we did manage to provision heavily in this area. Keeping things in perspective and laughing when you can keeps the crew in good spirits and able to cope with most anything ... including each other.
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