All posts by : Jessica

This year my birthday was spent enjoying our last full 24 hours on our boat before we handed her over to the new owner and walked away forever.

I could make this post all sad, and talk about how I was kicked out of my home on my birthday….but since I asked for this, I was just as delighted about it as I was sad.

But yes, the moment has finally come where we hand Elements off to her new owner. After getting one last little trip in as we headed down the river and into the town of Falmouth, we had one full day left on her before packing up and walking away. And as many emotions as we had running through us at the time, we tried not to let ourselves think about it too hard. Not while we were still there.

The good news is, passing her over to her new owner Brice, was so incredibly easy, and it was really nice to have a face to go with the long conversations we’d been having over the previous month. We know we’ve left Elements in great hands, and it’s time for both parties involved to begin their new adventure.

Much love from Cornwall!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

S#*t is about to go down, and we’ve got a front row seat.
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After completing the bill of sale on our boat and spending a few days relaxing (and packing) while up the River Fal, we come back to town to wait out a nasty storm coming our way, only to find out the marinas are packed full. The only safe place we can now be….is the same spot we just came from.

Expecting 50 knot winds, and dealing with 18 ft tides, we let out 175 ft of chain right in the middle of the river (we had the harbour master’s approval for this), since this was the only spot that would offer us enough swing room. But, as boats kept pouring in to find a secure spot, it was obvious that things were going to get tight.

Thankfully we did not encounter any issues through the night, but as we watched the boats around us, we found out they were not as lucky.

Much love from Cornwall!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Get the family off the boat, because Falmouth Boat Company is coming to tow it away!!
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After a month off the grid, we head into the town of Falmouth, not only so we can fill our cupboards with food again, but because we need to get Elements ready for her survey.

It’s the perfect motor in (no wind for sailing though, unfortunately) where we had sun, warmth, and even dolphins to greet us on our way! Once we had a slip secured though, it was time to get to work. Running ALL over town, we hunted through hardware stores, auto part stores, and chandleries to get all the little necessities to make Elements 100% ready for her survey.

When the big day came we weren’t allowed to be there for the tonnage portion (COVID restrictions at the marina), so the three of us hung out at the harbour until it was time for the onboard survey. Which, lol, I did no filming of because I assumed the guy would not want a camera following him around as he worked. Darn it. Hindsight is 20/20, and I should have just asked. 😉

Well….I think you all know the outcome of how things went there!

Much love from Cornwall!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

There’s a brand new catamaran design being launched, and we’ve just added to our list of contenders. The Max 42 by Max Cruise Marine. http://maxcruisemarine.com/

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Our goal is to spend the next two years building the perfect catamaran for ourselves. Originally we had narrowed it down to the Oram 45R; the Grainger Raku 44; and the Schionning Arrow 1360. But along the way we began talking to another company which is coming out with a brand new catamaran design. Unlike the other choices, which are foam core flat panel kits, the Max 42 is comprised of 3 dimensional modules. The exterior will arrive to us with a gel coat finish, which means we wouldn’t need to spend nearly 10 months of our time sanding and faring ourselves, preparing it for paint.

We think there are a lot of great options with the Max 42, and it easily made its way into our list of contenders of build we be starting this year. Just make sure to stay tuned in the next few weeks when it goes in a head to head battle with the Schionning Arrow 1360, and we pick a winner!

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While in the Helford River, we knew that we were getting Elements scheduled for a survey in Falmouth, and if she sold, this would be our last time out fully enjoying the cruising life. No schedules, just bumming around with friends, and sitting around enjoying sunsets.

We take a stunning hike ashore in the afternoon where everything is SO GREEN that it almost feels unreal. When we get back to Elements, there are some bad swells rolling in due to the exposed nature of the anchorage, and so we happily take a few hours to get off the boat by having a bonfire ashore with our new friends on Polaris.

Going from glass calm our first night to rocking and rolling all over 48 hours later, I don’t think it’s the kind of tranquility either of us were expecting when we first arrived!

Much love from Cornwall!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

There’s a heavy North Atlantic storm blowing over us, and our neighbor’s anchor chain wrapped right around ours!

We prepare ourselves for a restless night as we know a bad storm with sustained winds in the mid 30’s and above will be blowing over us. But just as it’s getting started, (around midnight, as always) we hear a bump-bump and realize our neighbor has dragged into us! They managed to get off without issue, but a few hours later a pan pan is put out and St. Mary’s rescue boat heads into our anchorage to assist another boat in need.

36 hours later, after the storm has passed, it’s time to head back to the mainland. We get the anchor up just after dawn, and leaving in some very sloppy seas, make our way to the Falmouth area. The start may have been a little rough, but the sights greeting us when we arrived are nothing short of heavenly.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from the Isles of Scilly!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Does our boat do well drying out at low tide? We’ll pretty much find out!!

We chose the spot we anchored in because we knew we could get in with a shallow draft, but what we were not expecting was for the tide to fall so low that we’d be sitting in 2 feet of water! But, since we had the opportunity, we used that time to inspect our bottom paint we applied last spring to see how it’s held up over the past year without a single cleaning.

Using the beautiful sunny day we had, we took the dinghy, as well as Georgie, over to the neighboring island of St. Martin to enjoy their white sand beaches. Looking around, it was hard to tell we were sitting in a corner of England. It looked way too Caribbean to be so far north!

Lastly, we went to the posh island of Tresco to spend a few days. Beautiful hikes awaited us, and a secret little lookout over the sound and all the boats anchored there. Definitely an island group that is a little slice of paradise and we were pretty sure we could spend months there exploring it.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from the Isles of Scilly!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

We can’t hold this news in any longer … WE’VE SOLD ELEMENTS!! Without ever officially listing her, we’ve had a few interested buyers. There was one person in particular who was sure this was going to be his new boat, and we wanted to make sure that happened for him!

Stay tuned to find out how this all came about, and what the future holds for us.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

There’s never much spare room on a boat, and we have a number of things that need to go!

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Picking up in St. Marys, we clear the boat of some unused ‘junk’ and are quite happy for the extra spaces it leaves us with. Once on shore, we walk the fortified grounds of a fort and pass by a castle built in 1593.
When it’s time to head off to the next island of Teän, we make sure to leave on a rising tide as there is quite the tricky route to pass through. Between the islands are many spots that dry out at low tide, and keeping yourself on the proper track is of the utmost importance!
Meeting us at the other end though is a quiet and protected anchorage at an uninhabited islands, perfect for strolling and watching the black backed seagulls that soar above our heads.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from the Isles of Scilly!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

With crystal clear waters and white sand beaches, one might think we’re in the Bahamas….instead of much further north in England.

After arriving to the island of St. Agnes, Matt and go on a circumnavigation, and at times are hard pressed to tell if we’re in the Bahamas or in England. It’s the perfect mix of clear turquoise waters, white sand beaches, and cute stone cottages next to looming rock formations.

We also enjoy a BBQ on the beach with our friend Walter, who happened to make the trip over from Plymouth at the same time as us. Getting back to our tenders in at dusk was fun…especially when they pulled out their extra bright headlamp to light our surroundings.

Before it was time to leave St. Agnus, the two of us stopped into the Turk’s Head for a pint of Cornish beer. Not only does it have beautiful views of the harbour as you sit in their outdoor garden, but it also happens to be the southern most pub in England. A pretty cool thing to check off the list of places we’ve visited in our lives.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie