Preparing Hazel for Offshore It’s been a while. Hazel has been resting safely in New Orleans, but now it’s time for her to do what she was built to do, sail oceans. We’re finally ready to begin Phase II of our global circumnavigation. This next leg takes us from the Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean Sea, with our first stop at Shelter Bay Marina in Panama. Based on the current weather forecast, the passage from NOLA to Panama should take about ten days, nonstop. From there, w

We Made It, Hazel’s First Chapter Ends at the Gulf. After 1,539 twisty, looping, snake-like nautical miles, we’ve reached the end of the mighty Mississippi. Hazel is docked, resting, and so are we. And yes, we both agreed: we’re never doing that again. Reflections from the River The upper Mississippi gave us moments of pure magic, solitude, beauty, and a kind of quiet joy that’s hard to describe. But as we moved south, that magic was increasingly paired with frustration, exha

Peter once quipped that sailing is 90% boredom and 10% terror. Well, Sunday morning delivered that 10% terror, at full volume. The day began in postcard fashion: clear skies, perfect temperature, and the kind of gentle morning that makes you believe the river is your friend. Then we rounded a bend and headed east. That’s when the fog rolled in. Visibility dropped to less than 40 feet. Hazel was now southbound, blindfolded, and barreling downriver. To make matters worse, a bar