Well that was one for the books 😅 Aruba to Colombia is known to be one of the more dangerous passages. Unfortunately we are in the middle of windy season and only had a small window where the winds ‘quieted’ down to 20-25 kts. So 4 of us boats set off together. Overall, it wasn’t a bad sail. Uncomfortable. Big seas. Big winds. Relentless rolling. But nothing we couldn’t otherwise handle. The final night of the passage was where things got bad. As the winds started to gust up to 30 kts, we went to reef our headsail. That’s when realized the furler was completely jammed. There was no way to fix it in that moment, so we had no choice but to sail with the entire head sail out. From 2 AM to 5 AM, massive gusts would roll through, turning our boat up from the pressure and intensity. In that position we were sideways to the massive waves, and they would hit our boat on the side, knocking us over. We would get hit so hard that our lifelines dipped into the water and we were fully perpendicular. When we finally arrived, the chaos wasn’t over yet. We still couldn’t fix our furler so we had to drop the head sail in the middle of the bay. A fishing line got wrapped around our propellor and our engine cut out right as we were pulling into the marina. By some twist of fate, Mother Nature sent a breeze that gently guided us into a slip with no problems, and we managed to tie up. Very happy to be here in Colombia (first time in South America!!), but I would not ever want to do that sail again. Experiences like that give you a whole new lease on life. I’m so proud of Adam for his captaining skills and for Blu for being an absolute unit throughout it all 💙💨

We did it! 4 days / 3 nights at sea with our BFF’s Miocene always in our sight 🥰 Between UFO sightings, hooking a dinosaur (aka sailfish), hitting ELEVEN KNOTS, and several episodes of The Diplomat, it was one heck of a sail. We are so excited to be in this part of the world and to be exploring a whole different region. This is why we do what we dooooo. Time to explore! (and stretch) (and workout). ☀️💨

Furthest south we’ve been so far on Blu! One of our easiest overnights we’ve had - after a rough couple months heading south last season, this sail was a breeeeeeeze. Low swell, no storms or rain, and a pod of dolphins said hello right when I started my night shift 🐬🥹

It’s been a journey! 20 months sailing throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas and the US east coast, and we’re back to where it all began. We’re tired, proud, a littleeeee more skilled than when we left, and happy for this life. Final leg down to Grenada and I’m glad we made it back in one piece 🩷

A 48 hours of upwind sailing in 20-25 kts of wind. Lots of waves crashing over the boat, Adam caught a mahi solo, and there was a lot of sitting around and wondering why we do this. And then we arrive at our next destination and remember why we suffer for it all 💙💨

The thorny path didn’t feel so thorny today! We got really lucky with this weather window - pretty flat seas, wind right on the nose but not really causing any discomfort. Basically motored the whole way, minus a two hour stint at 2 in the morning. But we’re not complaining, and we are happy to be back in the Caribbean, off the dock, and feeling like sailors again!! Oh, and we caught our first tuna. A skipjack, but still a tuna!

Bahamas to Dominican Republic - our longest multi day sail yet! The winds were perfect. The waves were on our side. Lots of reading, back massages, Spanish practice and naps were had. So exhausted but v. happy to be here 💙🇩🇴

It’s been a hell of a time. Onto the next leg of our trip!