Author: Andy Crowe

We returned to Gratitude in the British Virgin Islands shortly after Christmas, and on December 28, we received our dear friends, the Ranks aboard. We wasted no time getting underway. In the BVIs, there are a few “must sees”, and we made that circuit, hopping from Willy T’s off Norman Island, snorkeling at The Caves,…

As we beat our way east along the Thorny Path, we were reminded what a bad idea it can be to try and sail to a tight schedule. Ideally, you adapt to enjoy wherever you are and then wait for desirable winds and seas. Whenever those elusive conditions present, regardless of whatever else you have…

Ok… It’s been a minute, hasn’t it? We glided into Charleston Harbor in mid May to wait out hurricane season. Charleston is not completely immune to hurricanes, but we’re in a reasonably-protected spot, and it makes our insurance happy, so it’ll have to do. Since then, we’ve been back and forth between home and the…

Since it’s been a minute since our last update, here’s a recap. Karen and I had to rush home recently to help coordinate care for my dad, which meant leaving Gratitude hanging on a mooring ball in Key West. This was far from optimal for several reasons, but we didn’t have a host of great…

After living at sea for a couple of years, around Halloween 2020, I decided to step a bit out of my comfort zone and pursue my US Coast Guard Captain’s license. It strikes me as a bit odd that you can buy a large boat, climb aboard, and go more or less anywhere in the…

When last we left you, we were aboard Gratitude in Islamorada in the Florida Keys. Our anchorage in Windley Key had good holding, nice shore access, and the water was clear and beautiful. My friend, Dan, and I got some spectacular fishing on a patch reef while we were there. (Karen: You can hook-n-cook at…

We need to talk about Hurricane Isaias, which blew over Gratitude, as well as a few other topics (it’s been a week.) But before we go there… We are in Charleston, South Carolina, the Holy City, docked at the City Marina. Weeks ago, when we were in Florida, our wind indicator instrument quit working. It…

Fort Lauderdale, Part 1 (Andy) We limped into Harbour Towne Marina in Dania beach on one engine to have some repairs and upgrades made to Gratitude. There were quite a few small repairs we were having done by the qualified team at Just Catamarans under Laurent’s supervision. We wanted to upgrade our house batteries and…

At Velociteach, we have a tradition where all the employees draw a name for a Secret Santa each Christmas. The only real rule is that you are not supposed to spend any more than $15 on the person whose name you draw. That keeps the playing field more or less level. This year, I was…

We transplanted our lives to live aboard Gratitude 365 days ago today. It’s hard to believe. We would not trade this year for anything. Having a catamaran is like having a condominium that you can take just about anywhere there is ocean. There is incredible freedom. Don’t like where you are? Pull up the anchor,…