From the Totem Blog

Recent Posts

Bahamas cruising post-Dorian

January 14, 2020 3 Comments

sailing in the ocean

The measure of a year: 2019 reflections

January 5, 2020 17 Comments

Ode to a shipyard community

December 23, 2019 8 Comments

Bringing holiday spirit aboard

December 17, 2019 7 Comments

Thankful cruisers

November 28, 2019 10 Comments

Holiday gifts: what cruisers use

November 25, 2019 No Comments

Facing fears: kid boat edition

November 18, 2019 8 Comments

Time to skip Tahiti?

November 9, 2019 34 Comments

Better than Bacon

October 31, 2019 9 Comments

Intentionally Unplanned

October 25, 2019 7 Comments

Cruising skill and the mileage myth

October 18, 2019 11 Comments

Boat show bound: see you in Annapolis!

October 4, 2019 13 Comments

Shipyard list: refit for the South Pacific

September 19, 2019 23 Comments

Top reasons cruising is great for families

September 12, 2019 28 Comments

Mail call challenges highlight cruiser priorities

August 28, 2019 1 Comment

Group of adults hanging out in a small swimming pool

Cruising relationships are different

August 20, 2019 5 Comments

three people on the bow of a sailboat

Sea change

August 6, 2019 19 Comments

Challenging anchorages revisited

June 5, 2019 11 Comments

Cruising Life

sailing in the ocean

The measure of a year: 2019 reflections

January 5, 2020 17 Comments

Better than Bacon

October 31, 2019 9 Comments

Top reasons cruising is great for families

September 12, 2019 28 Comments

Group of adults hanging out in a small swimming pool

Cruising relationships are different

August 20, 2019 5 Comments

three people on the bow of a sailboat

Sea change

August 6, 2019 19 Comments

Challenging anchorages revisited

June 5, 2019 11 Comments

Migrating for hurricane season in Mexico

May 25, 2019 7 Comments

Murder in paradise: is cruising dangerous?

May 5, 2019 24 Comments

Two Dolphins in sailboat bow wake

What 2018 taught us as cruisers

January 2, 2019 9 Comments

Give the Cruising Dream! Last minute, no-shipping gift ideas

December 23, 2018 No Comments

Sailboat motoring with distant coastline ahead

Schedules, cruising, and the 800-mile passage nobody wants to make

December 21, 2018 14 Comments

10 signs it’s time to go back to the boat

October 29, 2018 10 Comments

Limited offer: personalized copy of Voyaging with Kids!

October 19, 2018 1 Comment

Large group photo in restaurant

Connecting with the tribe in Annapolis

October 17, 2018 6 Comments

Lessons in flexibility, nurtured by cruising

August 28, 2018 20 Comments

Cruising and social media: what works?

July 31, 2018 10 Comments

Turning sailing dreams into reality

July 9, 2018 4 Comments

Summer in Seattle, after detour to NY for the TODAY show!

July 5, 2018 11 Comments

Cruising Prep

Intentionally Unplanned

October 25, 2019 7 Comments

Cruising skill and the mileage myth

October 18, 2019 11 Comments

Cruiser karma: alive and well in La Cruz

February 16, 2019 No Comments

Crewing on Totem

January 7, 2019 8 Comments

Cooking aboard: Totem’s galley essentials

November 16, 2018 4 Comments

Ferry crossing Puget Sound at smoky sunset

Cruising gear: what about the phone?

September 1, 2018 7 Comments

Cooking aboard: migrating kitchen to galley

August 21, 2018 12 Comments

Finding Confidence Cruising

May 12, 2017 24 Comments

Cruiser’s bookshelf: what are you reading?

November 18, 2016 5 Comments

Voyaging With Kids: how to take your family cruising

August 10, 2015 1 Comment

Highlights from 2,500 days of cruising

June 25, 2015 14 Comments

Getting online while cruising

September 7, 2014 4 Comments

sailing

There’s this boat: Mary Powell

August 20, 2014 16 Comments

Life raft: more than two four letter words

July 26, 2014 4 Comments

Crazy people, taking children cruising

April 8, 2014 31 Comments

Your most valuable cruising equipment

March 28, 2014 15 Comments

Lessons learned when naming a boat

October 17, 2013 10 Comments

What makes a good cruising boat?

September 4, 2013 27 Comments

Passage Making

Weather waffling: the passage departure decision

March 13, 2019 7 Comments

birds on the bow at sunset

Northbound to Mexico: lessons from the country-per-day plan

April 5, 2018 11 Comments

Pictures from the Passage: Colombia to Panama

February 5, 2018 3 Comments

Trials at sea and ashore: sailing from Colombia to Panama

January 30, 2018 10 Comments

sailboat and helicopter

Dissecting a passage: Bonaire to Colombia

December 29, 2017 21 Comments

Planning a passage: Bonaire to Colombia

December 22, 2017 17 Comments

Sailing wing and wing

Passage notes: westbound across the Caribbean

December 13, 2017 19 Comments

Passage planning: the float plan

November 9, 2016 8 Comments

Efficient Sailing: passage routing

September 29, 2016 8 Comments

Cruisers should care about performance sailing

September 7, 2016 8 Comments

Passage notes: Bermuda to Connecticut

June 17, 2016 27 Comments

Passage notes: St Martin to Bermuda

June 2, 2016 8 Comments

Passage notes: Ascension to Barbados wrap

April 27, 2016 12 Comments

Passage notes: Ascension to Barbados, part II

April 14, 2016 10 Comments

Passage notes: Ascension to Barbados, part I

April 9, 2016 15 Comments

Weather and communications on the passage

April 7, 2016 20 Comments

Passage notes: St Helena to Ascension

March 30, 2016 14 Comments

Passage meals: what we’re eating at sea

March 21, 2016 13 Comments

Destinations

Bahamas cruising post-Dorian

January 14, 2020 3 Comments

Time to skip Tahiti?

November 9, 2019 34 Comments

Boat show bound: see you in Annapolis!

October 4, 2019 13 Comments

Silver linings to an extended haul out

November 8, 2018 8 Comments

Then and now: sailing Baja nine years later

July 17, 2018 11 Comments

tropical paradise sailboat

Guna Yala (San Blas) practicalities for cruisers

April 28, 2018 2 Comments

Roy- Totem's ACP advisor- and Jamie

Anatomy of a Panama Canal transit

March 27, 2018 13 Comments

Exploring Panama’s Guna Yala

March 24, 2018 No Comments

dugouts under palm tree

Like nowhere else: the allure of Panama’s Guna Yala

March 22, 2018 3 Comments

girl holding a toucan

Mochilas and memories in Colombia

March 15, 2018 4 Comments

Totem enters the Pacific

Panama Canal: the cost for a big shortcut

March 12, 2018 18 Comments

sailboats boats with dress flags

Colombian practicalities for cruisers

February 21, 2018 5 Comments

sailboat arrival santa marta

Colombia for cruisers: a different attraction

February 12, 2018 11 Comments

Bonaire for cruisers: more than diving

January 22, 2018 17 Comments

Bonaire’s underwater wonderland

January 8, 2018 14 Comments

Drone view St Anne to Marin Martinique

Looking west from Martinique

December 6, 2017 16 Comments

Caribbean cruising after hurricanes Irma and Maria

November 17, 2017 17 Comments

Sailing upwind in the Caribbean

Folk art and daydreams from Bequia

November 13, 2017 28 Comments

Local Culture

FUNDRAISER: a loan to change a family’s life

December 8, 2016 13 Comments

American cruisers through foreign eyes

November 15, 2016 29 Comments

What I love about cruising Seychelles

July 16, 2015 6 Comments

Village vibe in the Maldives

May 26, 2015 No Comments

Cruising Maldives: freedom to roam

May 1, 2015 6 Comments

Fundraiser: kids & kittens at the shipyard

November 30, 2014 No Comments

Satun: a quieter side of Thailand

January 8, 2014 2 Comments

Nonbelievers in a Muslim country

August 28, 2013 11 Comments

Exploring the market: Miri, Malaysia

July 9, 2013 6 Comments

Making friends in the Louisiades: learning Misima dialect

January 12, 2013 3 Comments

Trading in the Louisiades: what to bring

November 12, 2012 7 Comments

How to cook yams, with cultural lessons on the side

November 7, 2012 3 Comments

Doing things for the last time

August 6, 2012 No Comments

Mementos from Marquesas

March 5, 2012 6 Comments

Aussieisms: Cherries are for Christmas

December 27, 2011 5 Comments

Aussie snapshots: beach culture

November 9, 2011 2 Comments

Sailors and tattoos

October 24, 2011 3 Comments

Feed the body, feed the soul

October 14, 2011 5 Comments

Gear

Holiday gifts: what cruisers use

November 25, 2019 No Comments

New tools on Totem

March 27, 2019 6 Comments

Ferry crossing Puget Sound at smoky sunset

Cruising gear: what about the phone?

September 1, 2018 7 Comments

Desert mountains and sailboats

Optimizing Iridium GO use on board

June 22, 2018 19 Comments

Rags From Riches: common pitfalls with cruising sails

May 14, 2018 10 Comments

Holiday gifts that cruisers want

November 27, 2017 8 Comments

Low Friction Rings: like a donut, but sweeter

September 25, 2017 15 Comments

AIS and radar from the hurricane season stragglers

August 1, 2017 27 Comments

downwind offshore ocean sailing sailboat

Safety on board: preventer setup on Totem

June 26, 2017 13 Comments

Introducing Totem merchandise

June 1, 2017 6 Comments

catamaran beach bahamas dinghies

Offshore Communications: Satellite or SSB?

May 18, 2017 38 Comments

Gifts that give a little more

November 28, 2016 8 Comments

Mainsail Trim: luff tension

May 16, 2016 No Comments

Mainsail Features: headboard vs head ring

May 3, 2016 2 Comments

Mainsail Features: loosefoot versus attached foot

April 15, 2016 15 Comments

Reading on board: ebook or print?

February 15, 2016 12 Comments

Iridium GO! with PredictWind for weather and more

February 1, 2016 46 Comments

Portable generator benefits, and how to care for one aboard

January 14, 2016 22 Comments

Kids

Facing fears: kid boat edition

November 18, 2019 8 Comments

10 signs it’s time to go back to the boat

October 29, 2018 10 Comments

Limited offer: personalized copy of Voyaging with Kids!

October 19, 2018 1 Comment

Happy boat kids, happy boat

April 13, 2017 11 Comments

Cruiser’s bookshelf: what are you reading?

November 18, 2016 5 Comments

How cruising wrecks lives

August 10, 2016 55 Comments

The problem with cruising kids and socialization

July 22, 2016 23 Comments

After years as nomads, returning to the USA

June 28, 2016 44 Comments

Mermaids are real: getting the kids swimming

October 22, 2015 5 Comments

Boatschooling, Part 3: Things I wish I’d known

September 6, 2013 11 Comments

Boatschooling, Part 2: learning on Totem

July 29, 2013 33 Comments

Boatschooling: interviewed by The Sociable Homeschooler

July 27, 2013 No Comments

Boatschooling, Part 1: finding a path

July 24, 2013 14 Comments

Sun protection for pasty white cruisers

May 31, 2013 9 Comments

Living Simply

Bringing holiday spirit aboard

December 17, 2019 7 Comments

Thankful cruisers

November 28, 2019 10 Comments

Easy bread to feed a hungry crew

June 14, 2017 15 Comments

Trashing the ocean: sending out an SOS

April 21, 2016 14 Comments

Canning meat on board

January 16, 2016 11 Comments

Shine a light: support conservation in Southeast Asia

May 11, 2015 2 Comments

sailing

There’s this boat: Mary Powell

August 20, 2014 16 Comments

lotion on table children

DIY: essential oils on board

July 6, 2014 4 Comments

Thankful to be cruising

November 29, 2013 1 Comment

Halloween on a cruising kid boat

November 2, 2013 7 Comments

Getting around Brisbane

February 13, 2012 4 Comments

Feed the body, feed the soul

October 14, 2011 5 Comments

American Dream movie trailers, and an invitation to discuss

December 30, 2010 6 Comments

Thankful to be here.

November 26, 2010 2 Comments

American Dream – the movie

October 29, 2010 14 Comments

You have to be rich to go cruising?

February 1, 2010 18 Comments

Black Friday Ruminations

November 28, 2009 6 Comments

Hiccups on the road to salty dogdom

July 8, 2008 1 Comment

Maintenance

Mail call challenges highlight cruiser priorities

August 28, 2019 1 Comment

Cooking aboard: migrating kitchen to galley

August 21, 2018 12 Comments

PredictWind gribs showing hurricane

Weather resources for hurricane season

September 2, 2017 10 Comments

boy on radio

VHF radio etiquette

August 4, 2017 10 Comments

Efficient Sailing: passage routing

September 29, 2016 8 Comments

Cruisers should care about performance sailing

September 7, 2016 8 Comments

The best mail services for cruisers

July 25, 2016 22 Comments

Reefing, by and large

March 15, 2016 7 Comments

Canning meat on board

January 16, 2016 11 Comments

Lessons from a dinghy crisis averted

September 25, 2015 30 Comments

How use less internet data

August 1, 2015 7 Comments

South Pacific anchoring: dealing with bommies

March 14, 2011 8 Comments

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