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An Interview with Andy Schell from 59-North

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“Offshore, it’s all about expectations. If you expect life onboard to be like life at home, you won’t enjoy it and you probably won’t be successful at creating it. It’s supposed to be an adventure, so treat it like such.”   –Andy Schell I started SailFarLiveFree.com to document and share my passion for sailing, but also as a tool to help me grow and learn as a sailor. This is one of those blog posts where I get to sit back and learn from a pro, literally a sailing professional. I’m pleased to present an interview I recently did with Andy Schell from 59-North.com . For those of you who don’t know Andy, he has connected his passion for sailing with a career. Andy and his wife Mia help organize and manage cruising rallies, perform yacht deliveries, and offer ocean passage/crewing opportunities. Andy also produces an excellent sailing podcast ( 59 North podcast ) and is currently a Contributing Editor for SAIL Magazine.     I want to say THANKS up front to Andy for taking time t

Jump Start Your Sailing - Genius Boost GB30 Lithium Review

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There are cool hi-tech gadgets for cruising and then there are must-have accessories. But how many of those cool hi-tech gadgets are must-haves? Thankfully, not many. I'm not sure sailing and cruising would be quite as satisfying if we all needed cutting edge gear to make it happen. After all, many of us like the fact that at the core, it just takes a little wind and a simple craft to sail far and live free. However, Noco's tiny Genius Boost GB30 lithium jumpstarter has very quickly become a must-have hi-tech gadget on our boat. We've all run down engine starter batteries, whether in your automobile or sailboat. In fact, between Erin and I, our automobile has required a jump start no less than 4 times during the last 12 months. We haven't ever ended up with a dead battery on our sailboat (we have 3 total: 2 house, 1 starter), but I'm happy to have the added insurance of the GB30. Genius Boost - Tiny, portable jump starting power! The Genius Boost GB3

Quirks & Perks of Sailing with My All-Female Crew

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"What would men be without women? Scarce, sir...mighty scarce." - Mark Twain Sometimes there are comments from the peanut gallery as we walk down the docks. “He’s gonna be in trouble when they get older”, they say. Or “He’s severely outnumbered!” For the record, I'm usually agreeing with these comments in my head. What the peanut gallery has noticed is that I lead (and am lead by ) an all-female crew. Things aren't any different on land either since even our cat is a female. I am blessed and THANKFUL to be surrounded in such a way and so, I thought I would share some of my observations as the only male onboard. First, some heartfelt introspection. My wife and three daughters ensure that I'll always have an identity, that my calling in this world isn't hidden or perceived in my own mind as being scarce. I'm thankful every day for the opportunity to be a husband and father to three girls. Hannah, Soleil, Erin and Isabel guiding my ship. My all

Nautical Scout Collapsible Gear (and giveaway!)

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"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs Storage space seems to be a limiting factor on many cruising sailboats. Because of this, many of us are forced to make tradeoffs. Should we leave both side decks open or cram one full with a SUP lashed to the stanchions? Do we want to bring along the spinnaker and play musical sail bags when it’s not in use, or should we leave it at home and curse the light air? On our particular boat, a Catalina 34, storage tradeoffs often occur in the galley since lockers are limited there. So naturally I was eager to get my hands on some of the collapsible cookware from Nautical Scout . I tried the tea kettle over the weekend and came away impressed with the quality and how little the collapsibility effects overall function as cookware. It simply extends up from the 2.4” collapsed position in a second or two and is ready for duty as a 5-cup kettle (5.5” tall, 6” wide). I boiled a full kettle

Picture This: Lines

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Lines by Hannah Walters (Kudos to my daughter for these macro shots)