July 6, 2019 Day 241  Noon Position: 46 39N 53 01W Course(t)/Speed(kts): NE 6 Wind(t/tws): E 4 Sea(t/ft): — Sky/10ths Cover: Fog/10 (viz = 200ft) Bar(mb): 1013+, falling Cabin Temp(f): 68 (engine heater on) Water Temp(f): 46 Relative Humidity(%): 52 Magnetic Variation: -17.6 Sail: Motoring  Noon-to-Noon Miles Made Good (nm): 112 Miles since departure:, Read More

Eight months following wind and sea succeeded by one month tethered ashore. Neither seems real; in both cases, time has flown. This morning, Mo tugs gently at her anchor. She is happy enough here, as am I, but she knows we must move on. Much has been accomplished but not yet the goal. The, Read More

As I ready Mo for her jump from Halifax northwards, I am reminded of her first Northwest Passage attempt, summarized here by Clark Stede in a 1991 article in Yachting Monthly.  Posted by The Figure 8 Voyage on January 17, 2017 Aboard Moli is a small hardbound book titled Rund Amerika, the story of my boat’s initial, Read More

Having done with the greasier mechanical systems, I moved on to restoring Monte. Soon after our Halifax arrival, I reattached the vane pendulum* and went for a test sail to see how the frame, bent upwards on starboard when wrapped by the drogue bridle in a gale, affected the vane’s functionality. Could Monte sail, Read More

“Can you please write a blog post?” asked my wife. “I’m busy,” I say. “But it’s been four days with nothing from you. You’ve posted every day for almost a year. People expect an update.” “After such a flood, I’d think those people would like a break.” “Then stop thinking and write a post.”, Read More

Note from Joanna: Hey folks. We’ve got a fun giveaway for all of you. If you’ll remember, a dear friend and supporter of the Figure 8 Voyage asked if he could name his ink after Randall and his journey. You can read about this amazing ink and the story of why it inspired the, Read More

As of yesterday, provisioning for the next leg of the Figure 8 Voyage is complete. Foods have been purchased, loaded aboard and neatly stowed, and once again, Mo’s lockers are full-up. This time around, provisioning was largely a function of re-establishing par levels for core foods. Having done that, I sat down this morning, Read More

Here’s the set-up. Two friends from San Francisco, Ben Shaw and his wife, Lauren Keane, just happened to book a cruise on Ice Bear, 59 North Sailing’s newest boat, that put them in Halifax the week of Mo’s arrival. I learned of this via a text that read, “Hey, we’re in Lunenburg. Can we, Read More

Sure, it’s a nice town, but it became fabulous when my wife arrived on Friday afternoon. Her flight through Philadelphia canceled; the resulting connection grounded her in Dallas. That she came trundling out the gate of Stanfield International at roughly the right time proved a stroke of luck; that she pushed before her two, Read More

Each day starts with a renewed attack on the work list, and each day that attack is blunted by visitors. Rich, John S, Sebastian, the owner of Comet, Bob, James, Rob, Ben, Sandy, Phil…the names go on. These interruptions, “the many snares of popularity,” are not the least unpleasant, and some even mature into, Read More

As referenced in a previous post, John Harries, author of the well-known voyaging website, Attainable Adventure Cruising, came to visit Mo at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron last week. John has long advocated the use of the Jordan Series Drogue and so was interested to explore the issues Mo had with the drogue, Read More

June 7, 2019 The Royal Nova Scotia Yacht SquadronHalifax, Nova Scotia I noticed barnacle growth before our first pass at Cape Horn, just one or two, spied going about their business in the eddies off Mo’s transom. And then, over the course of the Southern Ocean circuit, each time I hung myself over the, Read More