kateandjohnsail.boats

In anticipation of spending several months sailing in Greece, it seemed right to prepare with intentionality. Here is the regimen we followed: 2. Savour olives. Shockingly, neither of us cares for olives. But in recent months we resolved to try to get over disliking them by forcing ourselves to eat them. John is doing much…

It’s not every day that you can look in the evening and see the route you’ve traveled since dawn, but one day we found ourselves able to accomplish this. A generous part of Montenegro’s coastline is the Bay of Kotor, an enormous, fjord-like natural harbor sitting under majestic mountains. After spending a few days in…

Okay, so it’s just a crane in a boatyard in Montenegro, but I couldn’t not share how my crazy brain saw it…

Slap is Croatian for waterfall, and they know how to do waterfalls in this country. Having visited the other major national park, Krka, last spring, we were ready to make the effort to visit Plitvice Lakes this fall. We had to leave Quintessa in a marina, ride a ferry, take two buses, rent a car,…

On the quay in Zadar, Croatia, there is a work of public art known as the Sea Organ. From the seaside walkway there are steps down to the Adriatic Sea, and in the steps there are special holes and chambers that allow the water to flow in and out through tubes that have openings like…

We have established the definition of sailboat cruising as “boat repairs in exotic places.” Even the well-equipped Quintessa is no exception, so invariably when we return to the boat from the US, our two “free” pieces of checked luggage each contain 50 pounds of boat tools, parts, and accessories. We’ve even learned that the airlines…

As you may recall, the European Union invites visitors to step away from its shores after they have visited for 90 days. Luckily for us, June, July, and August are arguably the most pleasant months in the Pacific Northwest, and weather-wise, this summer was perfection. We are also realizing just how much it means to…

Okay, Quintessa-watchers, we’re back in the game. Travel and that first week of boat projects are always too hectic for updates, but we’ll try to keep you (intermittently) posted from here on in. If you are one to track us, you will see that our track begins not in Venice, but near Pula, Croatia.  That’s…

On John’s birthday (in May) we visited Dubrovnik, and we were just culturally ignorant enough to not know that a monster part of that city’s tourist draw is its connection with the filming of Game of Thrones. But strolling the ancient streets, we immediately noticed that every souvenir shop outdid itself touting Game of Thrones…

We have attended major boat shows, including the big daddy one in Annapolis, and it tends to be a big stinkin’ deal.  When you learn the event dates, you figure out if your schedule even allows it. Then you come to terms with the location of the show, how you are going to travel there,…