Most cruising boats today have a sail plan consisting of at least three sails: A mainsail, a headsail, and a light-wind sail. The Jib sail (along with its sister, the Genoa) is one of the most widely used headsails on modern sailboats in combination with a larger mainsail. It is very versatile and easy to […]
I only had a couple of brief visits to Cartagena. The first was just after I bought Ellidah. While the previous owner packed down his belongings onboard to make Ellidah ready for me, I jumped on the bus to check out the town and the marina, Yacht Port Cartagena. I noticed right away that the staff was […]
Monday, December 14, 2021 In the Atlantic Crossing Part 3, we are enjoying Las Palmas and smooth sailing to Cape Verde. To get the context of this journey, you should read Part 1, Part 2, and the Daily Cruising Log found linked below. Atlantic Crossing part 1: Sailing from Almerimar to Gibraltar AtlaAtlantic Crossing part […]
A sailboat can last anywhere from 10 to 50 years. As a sailboat owner, I know how affectionate we can get about our boats. We give them a name, spend a lot of time maintaining them, and share beautiful moments and experiences. It is almost like a family member, and you know this when someone […]
My name is Robin Olsen Iversen. I’m 34 years young and the Skipper and owner of Ellidah. We have sailed more than 20,000 nautical miles across many countries between three continents. We have crossed the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean together, which has been a magnificent experience. I want to share my story from […]
We got a new crew on board, left Mindello, and ended up riding out a storm at anchor in Cefalu after an unpleasant stay in the marina. This marina turned out to be unsafe in bad weather and we all learned some important lessons here. In the previous post: Circumnavigating Sicily Pt.1, I told you that we arrived in Sicily and started […]
In the Atlantic Crossing Part 3, we are enjoying Las Palmas and smooth sailing to Cape Verde. Here we meet up with friends, do some boat work and the final provision run before setting off to Cape Verde. This is the content from our live daily cruising log – sailing from Gibraltar to Las Palmas. […]
After sailing across the Atlantic in 2022, I knew I would eventually face the inevitable Caribbean hurricane season. I researched, talked to many experienced cruisers, and spent a ton of time online exploring my options in the eastern Caribbean. Carriacou and Grenada seemed like excellent hurricane holes, but I decided to sail south to Trinidad […]
There are many situations you can find yourself in where you won’t be able to use your sails. Sometimes, it can be due to the lack of wind, an accident where your sails or mast have been damaged, or simply if you gave your sails to a sailmaker for service. It doesn’t prevent you from […]
Don’t let the story about my first breakdown scare you if you want to get yourself into sailing. That was only one of many hectic episodes I’ve been through. The important thing is to learn from them. Things break on boats and you have to fix it or sort the situation out so you can get yourself […]
The color of a sail is normally the result of the type of fiber used in the manufacturing process. Some types of sailcloth can also be colored or painted to achieve the desired appearance. Sails have been a normal sight since the early days of sailing ships cruising the seven seas. It was common to […]
Sailing and nautical terms have been refined over centuries, forming a unique glossary that can leave even the most seasoned wordsmiths scratching their heads. Today, we’ll look at the terminology of words and names used at sea to help you through even the saltiest conversations. Let’s start with terms for the parts a sailboat is […]
In the Atlantic Crossing part 4, we have arrived in this little island group off the west coast of Senegal and we were all excited to go exploring Cape Verde. The passage from Las Palmas to Sal was extremely nice, and after celebrating Christmas onboard, we were also looking forward to celebrating New Year with […]
The Genoa is massively used in sailing, usually teamed up by a mainsail. It’s a triangular sail attached to the forestay that’s easy to work with in any conditions, from light to moderate winds and beyond. I love my Genoa because it is so easy to handle, and when sailing on any point of sail […]