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Capt. Derek
Jan 17, 20223 min read
Dock Lines
"So throw off the dock lines! Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!”
- Mark Twain
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Capt. Derek
Jan 5, 20225 min read
In Search of Home
I think the idea of living on a boat is a bit strange to most people. I suppose they relate it to living in an RV or a camper trailer. In...
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Capt. Derek
Jan 3, 20224 min read
Cowtown Doldrums
As I write this specific chapter, it has been 4 months since the house sank. We just returned from our weeklong camping trip to Joes...
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Capt. Derek
Jan 1, 20224 min read
Bully and Ol' Blue
I likely never could have anticipated the chain reaction that began by opening that folder on my hard drive. Since then, Nina and I have...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 30, 20213 min read
Flotsam and Jetsam
Two more years went by and I was able to maintain a pretty dry bilge, other than the aforementioned “leaks” of course. I was, however,...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 28, 20215 min read
Leaking
I took one short video of the beach the next morning, posted it to Instagram, and spent the rest of the weekend in downtown Long...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 26, 20213 min read
Life Happens
I blamed the boat for everything that had happened. She cited it as her reason for leaving, though I came to find out very soon that it...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 23, 20215 min read
A Pirates Life For Me
We set out around noon. The Latitudes & Attitudes Cruisers’ Party was set to begin around 6pm. We wanted to arrive just as the...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 20, 20213 min read
Headed Back
The next morning we pulled up the hook and headed east. The original plan was to continue north and round the top of Orcas Island. We had...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 18, 20214 min read
Ice Cream and Bad News
Navigating through Cattle Point Narrows (locally referred to as just, “Cattle Pass”) can be just as sketchy as going through Deception...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 15, 20215 min read
The Fog (and nearly swallowed by the sea!)
We spent the next day exploring Bowman Bay, as planned. It was an abnormally beautiful summer day in the Pacific Northwest. No rain. All...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 9, 20216 min read
Rounding the Horn
We awoke the next day just after sun-up. The weather was beautiful. It was a warm July morning. The boats in the marina adjacent to our...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 8, 20214 min read
Determined!
Once again, my dad came to the rescue. He knew of a marine hardware store in Bellingham that had shelves and shelves of used boat parts....
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Capt. Derek
Dec 6, 20215 min read
Desperate
I signed my ETS (Expiration - Time of Service) papers on May 1st, 2010. It was a weird feeling. I was no longer active duty Army. I was a...
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Capt. Derek
Dec 3, 20216 min read
The Dream
April 18th, 2021 It has been 11 years and 8 months since my trip to Spencer Spit. The morning after sailing into Oak Harbor, I set out...
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Capt. Derek
Nov 27, 20217 min read
Maranatha - Day 3
Day 3 - July 28, 2009 Every trip, adventure, journey (whatever you want to call it) has its moments. There are fun times, good times, bad...
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Capt. Derek
Nov 27, 20219 min read
Maranatha - Day 2
Day 2 - July 27, 2009 “Dawn comes early on a boat, right Cap’n?” “Yep, sure does, happens every morning, just about sun-up.” —Captain Ron...
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Capt. Derek
Nov 27, 20215 min read
Maranatha - Day 1
Day 1 - July 26, 2009 It was 6:00 a.m. aboard my dad’s 43’ Westsail ketch, MARANATHA. The warmth of my sleeping bag had quite the grip on...
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