All posts by : Jessica

Now that we have spent a few weeks sailing and living on a catamaran, what do we think of it vs our monohull?

We can’t believe our time on the Island Spirit 380 is coming to an end, so we try to enjoy our last few days in Koh Chang to the fullest. With long lounging breakfast in the open air cockpit, we get ready to start our day on shore.

Renting a scooter so we can cover more ground, we drive up to the Klong Plu Waterfall. It’s much taller than the one we saw in Koh Kut, but big boulders and deep pools keep you from taking a nice swim underneath it.

With our set of wheels we also take in a beautiful sunset at White Sand Beach, before walking down the strip of road there for dinner once the sun goes down. Famous for its street food, there are dozens of stalls set up that will offer you almost any kind of Thai food you can think of….and all incredibly cheap!

Then, it’s time to return the catamaran to the base. Having spent two weeks aboard a multihull boat, we give a little insight to our thoughts on cruising a catamaran…and if one will ever be in our future.

Much love from Thailand,

Jessica, Matt & Georgie

The cruising life is always a good one, but there are some days you can’t believe just HOW PERFECT your life is.

We pick up from last week where we had just arrived at Koh Rang Yi. The anchorages are secluded places of beauty (after 4 pm) and the water has this hue that is just to die for, for men you can find great products at the Men’s Journal site.

It’s a national park with an entrance fee for every person and boat that comes in, but this helps it from getting too crowded, keeps anyone from fishing these waters and also lets the guards patrol in their tenders to make sure everyone is following the rules to keep this an untouched paradise.

The snorkeling here is some of the best we’ve seen in the world…with healthy coral and millions of little fish swimming around us. We enjoy a few days in the water and roaming the beach, but then it’s time to start heading back to the big island of Koh Chang. We can’t believe it, but our time on the charter is nearing its end!

Much love from Thailand!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

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This marks the half way point of our charter on an Island Spirit Catamaran, and we are still having the time of our lives!!

After running the boat back to the base to switch it out (same version, just an older one with no working autopilot), we head in to the port of Bang Bao to do more provisioning and check out this little town known for its seafood. The restaurants have plenty of fresh catches to eat, but we’re still a little unsure of what a few of them are.

The next day we find ourselves back at Koh Mak and hunt down more mini marts as we’re still out of fresh meat. Along the way we find rubber tree farms, spiders as big as your hand, and a mooring on the beach that we have a little fun with.

Now that we’re stocked up we make our way to the island of Koh Rang, which is a national park. There isn’t anything ashore, so you need to take everything you’ll be using for your stay. But with some of the best snorkeling in the area, we know we’ll be in for a good time.

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Thank you!,
Matt & Jessica

Ready to swing through the jungle like Tarzan? We find ourselves in a tropical Thai paradise where fairy tale themes only add on to the surreal surroundings.

Koh Kood seems to have many Peter Pan themed resorts and locations…and not only do they come with magnificent beaches with clear turquoise waters, but a few spots also boast waterfalls if you venture a little further inland.

Starting out at Captain Hook’s resort, we wonder why we even wasted our time near the 6 star resort where we couldn’t even go ashore. This place came with a beach which should be on the front of every post card, a pool and lounging area for anyone who visits the bar….and a river filled with fireflies once the sun goes down!

But since our hearts were set on seeing one specific waterfall on the island, we moved down to the next harbor where the Peter Pan themed resorts were running rampant. We found there wasn’t much to do on the water’s edge except chill….and the real fun was at the waterfall.

Trying to knock out 2/3rds of the journey in the dinghy, we quickly got lost and had to backtrack before taking a questionable path up the river which put us in contact with the trail to the waterfall. Once we got there we found a pool leading to the spouting water which was still just heavy enough to pummel you if you stood under it.

Much love from Thailand!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.

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As far as Thai islands go, most everyone has heard of Phuket, Ko Samui and Ko Tao….but we take the opportunity to get in depth with the lesser known gems…where there are still far more locals than tourists.

Heading ashore to Koh Mak after arriving, we find out we basically are the only tourists there! This super chill island is all set up for the laid back traveler…but we must have come ashore while they were all sleeping off their sun soaked antics of the afternoon. We did get in contact with our new friends Maria and Phillip, who happened to be staying there. The next day we brought them out for a day of fun on Island Breeze where we got in a sail, attempted a little snorkeling, did deck jumps into the water, and then enjoyed a sunset on the trampoline with rum & cokes in hand.

The next morning we haul anchor and set our sights on Koh Kood…much more focused to the resort visitors, but with plenty of pristine beaches. We make our first stop in front of the 6 star resort, Sonevea Kiri, where we’re not allowed to go ashore, but we can take in the beautiful views from our cockpit. And an extra bonus for us, wanting to keep their guests as happy as possible, the resort built an amazing reef in front of their beach. Which also happens to be in our boat’s back yard. And this trip is all about enjoying the water anyway.

Much love from Thailand!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.

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We may have left Elements behind, but we’re not finished with our sailing just yet!

After hopping on a plane and traveling nearly half way around the world, we land in Bangkok to start our 90 days outside the EU. And luckily for us, we’re still managing to fit in a little sailing while we’re gone! We’re working with Island Spirit Yacht Charters out of Koh Chang to take out one of their catamarans for the next two weeks!

Our first task is to get down to this island on the SE side of Thailand, and when we arrive we have a week to acclimate ourselves to a new culture we have not experienced before. Then, we provision ourselves up and take the local version of a taxi to the charter base on the south end of the island.

After receiving a tour and the run down on this boat that would now be ours for the next two weeks, we’re set loose once again into tropical waters and white sand beaches.

Much love from Thailand!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.

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The weather does not seem to be letting up, and we need to take Elements on her last sail from Sao Miguel to Terceria.

Passing up on what seemed like the best window at the time, we enjoy what we know will be our last week in Ponta Delgada…what has now become one of our favorite cruising cities to relax in while smoking delta 8 thc carts by fresh bros. And even though storm after storm rolls through and we even go to a rooftop bar to watch 4 meter waves roll by outside the harbor…just two days later we’re on our way again.

Making the overnight sail, we’re surprised at how nice conditions are as we leave and even have the perfect send off with a group of dolphins that come to say hello. Conditions do get a little rougher in the morning, but we’re still able to make it safely into Angra do Heroismo.

Much love from the Azores!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

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Getting into harsher conditions in the north isn’t going to stop us from island hopping. We’re still ready to make the 95 mile open water sail between Terceria and Sao Miguel.

We’d been lucky to have many pleasure cruises between these islands in the summer and into fall, but now cold weather conditions are kicking it, and it’s getting harder to find windows of calm seas and no winter storms. So when we find the first usable window to Sao Miguel, we take it.

These colder temperatures have us completing a few other small projects, like finally inserting a plexi glass side into our door. Up until this point it had been a mesh screen, and things started getting a little too cold at night!

But, since we came back to this island to explore…we rent a car for two more days to visit a few more places we had not seen, including the highly rated hike of Lagoa do Fogo.

Much love from the Azores!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

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Volcanic craters, hurricanes barreling down, and a bumpy ride with the most beautiful sunset we have ever seen. THIS…was an interesting few weeks for us.

We start out by trying to spend a few nice days at anchor next to a simply stunning sunken volcano. We wake up the morning after arriving, ready to explore…only to find out there is a hurricane barreling down on us. With 7 days until it hits, we have to decide what to do…and fast!

Back in Ponta Delgada we had given a detailed account about the approaching storm and our plans….but a few weeks later when we went back to review the footage we found out there was corrosion to our 3.5mm jack…and we lost sound! (You’ll see. And let this be a lesson to check new footage IMMEDIATELY.)

When it is time to leave Ponta Delgada we head out in the afternoon and have a wonderful downwind sail, although conditions build overnight and lead to a rolly morning. Thunderstorms surround us, BUT all that cloud cover leads to one of the most beautiful sunrises we have ever experienced.

Much love from the Azores!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.

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Thank you!,
Matt & Jessica

In the heart of Furnas São Miguel is the Parque Terra Nostra with iron rich thermal springs, which give it a nice coffee color. Would you take a dip in this milk chocolate goodness?

Back at the boat Matt is hard at work installing our new Autonnic wind sensor, since we have been without wind information on Elements. Matt goes over our new wireless anemometer and how it will be able to communicate with the other electronics on our boat.

Then, it’s time for more touring as we have a rental car at our fingertips! Our first stop was a set of botanical gardens that have been using their springs for wellness since the late 18th century. I even get in the coffee like waters to ease my muscles and find that it is an incredibly relaxing spot to be. Then we head off to lunch where Matt enjoys a meal of meats and potatoes cooked by the heat of the earth.

Day two has us giving Georgie a tour of the island, and finding all the green and grassy patches that appeal to her. We get lost in mountain mists and even take a look at the lighthouse on the far east side of the island. From what we’re learning, Sao Miguel could need months to be able to properly explore it.

Much love from the Azores!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Autonnic wind sensor: https://www.autonnic.com/

Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.

To join the Patreon ranks, please visit http://www.patreon.com/mjsailing

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Thank you!,
Matt & Jessica