Project BlueSphere

Okay guys, I woke up before the sun today and just had to talk about the wonderful things happening on S/V Eleanor. I haven’t done much work to Eleanor since we got her. Carla and I have been putting our energy and Love into Splendid”s refit and restoration. I’ve had an idea in my heart […]

Like so many, as the new year approaches, I find myself reflecting upon time. 2018 marks 15 years of freedom for me, and 28 years of sailing. I left the United States on a little 28′ sailboat (Namaste) in 2003 to sail around the world. And 15 years later, not having sailed around the world, I […]

This is the longest I’ve ever gone in BlueSphere history without writing a blog, sorry :( I founnd a little time to write this morning as I’m on a ferry crossing from Almirante to Bocas Del Torro Panama (two hours). As most of you know I promised to replant my father on a beach as […]

All is right as rain! I’m sitting on Splendid, swimming in the sea, and listening to the monkeys in the trees from my hammock on the foredeck. Carla did really beautiful fiberglass, painting, fairing, and varnishing work in the aft cabin. If we can make the whole interior look like that Splendid will be one pretty penny! […]

Last September 14th Carla said something strange to me. “I don’t know what it is baby, but something big is going to happen in the states, something related to your family, someone is calling”. Carla and I live in total peace away from the hustle and bustle of western culture and we are very sensitive […]

Why would anyone choose to live on a micro income? Living with less is something I strive to do on a daily basis. My desire to live by minimal financial means funnily enough emerged when I was studying to be a stock broker and financial advisor. I took, and passed, my series 7 exam which […]

I have my wife back and we have discovered the CORONARITA!!!!!! Who would have known one wouldn’t need to make a choice between a beer and a margarita with your fajitas? I’ve been having a blast with my family since I’ve left New York. I had a great time with my cousin Steve and family […]

Two of my favorite quotes are: “The best navigators have no idea where they are going until they arrive” And: “All who wander are not lost” As soon as we unshackle our spirit from the idea that we must get up every day, work for the collective, and build wealth, our path unfolds. Like a […]

Eleanor runs like a top. The engine runs cool and powerful. I was surprised to see the diameter of her propellor when I first met Her. She pushes through a 2 knot current with ease and seems to barely notice. I can feel in my bones that Eleanor is happy to be upon the water […]

Rowing in the snow. It’s after midnight and I’m rowing in snow that is trying to be rain. It really is the worst state of snow as it is undecided, makes you wet, and cold to the bone. Eleanor’s light is behind me and every 30 strokes or so I turn around to check and […]

November 6th Well Eleanor has an engine once again. Still a bunch of work to do with the installation, but I’m hoping to be under way in about a week. I can’t wait to hear her roar to life for the first time! My friend Darryl (manning the engine) is building a new centek exhaust […]

Tao means way, or path. There is no right or wrong path, there is just the path! And every man has a very unique path to walk. I suppose if I were to choose a religion Taoism would be where my spirituality would connect with philosophy and community. Life is a river and we must […]

The wind is unhappy here. My spirituality it is my connection to nature, and I believe I have an ability my to see, listen, and understand it. I also believe the wind is unhappy here on the Hudson River. It’s not unhappy because it blows strong in October, it’s unhappy because nobody listens to it. […]

Wow, the last 36 hours have been rough. A violent Nor’easter really just ripped through my world. Three boats went adrift here at the club during this Storm. I experienced 60 knot winds for much of one night, and a hard gale for the rest of the time. I also had some damage to the […]

I couldn’t have started this journey without my brother-in-law Nico. Thank you for all the help brother (not in-law). Nico returned home yesterday, however he left me with a solid plan. This past week I felt like Neo walking through the matrix for the first time being guided by Morphious. Thanks for taking my hand […]

   I’m Back in the USA for the first time in about 7 years. Believe it or not I’m still happy after having  strangers ruffle through my personal belongings, pat down my privates, and radiate me with scanners 3 times upon entry. New York is my home, I was born at doctors hospital (Manhattan) on […]

We bought a new boat, a 1975, WestSail 42 “Rocinante” (Don Quixote’s horse), WAHOOOOOO!!!!!!! I don’t often use the label “God” because it causes so much commotion amongst people. Even though I strongly disagree with organized religion, I am the most spiritual man I know. I refer to God as nature, and God has spoken […]

But only for the next couple days. I have a very narrow opportunity to get into a slightly bigger and heavier boat in the next few days. Carla and I have been dreaming of Greenland, Alaska, and Patagonia. The truth is I’ve been thinking of steel, and heavier boats and we have a crazy possibility […]

I’ve been spear-fishing for about 20 years, maybe a few more. I can hunt around 40′ deep and hold my breath for about a minute and a half, nothing special. I always manage some food (fish/lobster) unless I’m being lazy and just don’t want to clean smaller fish, the big fish lay deep. However put […]

I’ve never really written about health onboard because I’ve always been quite healthy for the most part. I did have a battle with malaria in Colombia a few years back but aside from the occasional flu, and dealing with my asthma in a moldy environment (rain forest humidity on a boat) life has been pretty […]

As most of you know, you won’t just read of beautiful beaches, palm trees, and sugar-plum fairies here at my blog. I like writing about real life, and real life voyaging abroad. Losing Robin Williams to suicide has really affected me, and given me strength to write about some things that are difficult for me […]

Arrrggg! I have a rat on board. At least I think it’s a rat, some kind of rodent for sure. It must have swam and climbed the anchor chain while I was gone. I’ve set two snap-traps, and a glue trap. It keeps taking the food without triggering the traps, and stole food from the […]

Sorry for the long delay in a blog update. I’m finally home after a 6-week stint trying to deliver a boat to Nicaragua and I have so much to talk about! The past 6 weeks have been tough as the boat I was to deliver had been severely neglected. The rudder post was broken as […]

It was a slow morning today. I woke up a few times in the night to thunder, lightening, and rain hammering Splendid’s decks. I love the squally weather, I always have. In the height of the worst squalls and lightening I stand on the foredeck and let the cold rain sting my bare skin, it […]

Carla went to the States this morning for a few days to see here niece’s first birthday party. She is bringing back a ton of bits for the boat, and hopefully a treat or two : ) We have a charter in a few weeks then we’re immediately off to Linton where I will leave […]

Carla and I are really enjoying the charter boat life. My old friend David and his wife Cindy came for a week visit and we picked up the wayward Charlie and his daughter Monica. We all had a wonderful time swimming, eating (lots of lobster), snorkeling, exploring islands, and and drinking wine ;) David is […]

I just love this photo I grabbed during the first rain of the season. I never thought I’d ever conjugate a sentence using the words “young-people”, but hell, I’ll be 49 in July. My last charter, Jared, is only 20 years old. He is really a great kid. All he really wants to do is […]

Carla’s sister (Juli), husband (Juano), 4 year old (Ramiro), 2 year old (Celeste), and 3 month old (Sol) left this morning. They live in the mountains of Patagonia and have never experienced something like San Blas. I must say, I think the 11-day holiday on Splendid was a success! I don’t know if you remember […]

Well I got my new Icom IC-M802 SSB radio and I must say I’m more than excited! I’m looking forward to simplifying my life of paying for wi-fi, mobile data, cell phones, pre-paid phone cards, 12v DC chargers, and AC (whatever country I’m in) chargers, stressing that there is no coverage in a given anchorage, […]

I’ve had such a big response to my “Minimalist marine electronics” series of blogs I feel I need to expand. I will be compiling all of the “Minimalist marine electronics” blogs into a video, and incorporating with another series of blogs and video I’m working on, “The marine SSB”. I’m forging the two together because […]

My ships clock was on the blink and needed attention. I met a great sailor who specializes in repairing ship’s clocks and wanted to share his information as he is just opening a shop. I have an old Chelsea and really miss hearing the ships bells. There is just something about a proper clock playing […]

Go minimal! I’ve been writing this blog for over a decade now, and many of you know I research, research, research before I buy or build anything. I travel the world with far less financial means (less than 8k a year) than 95% of the sailors I know. And when I do buy something for […]

It’s 4:30 and I’m wide awake. It’s normal for me to be up so early, as this is my day-dream time. My days have a definitive pattern. I wake up quite early. My day-dreams run wild like a broken tap in the early hours of the morning and are usually connected to my night-dreams. I […]

  TEAM SPLENDID: Bart, Danja, Thomas, and Sabine. Thanks for an AWSOME time! We had a beautiful week providing a 5 day kite-boarding charter which we landed through, and shared  with Nirvana charters. We had a lovely crew from Belgium, Switzerland, and Holland. Two couples on Splendid and six guys on Nirvana’s boat. Carla and […]

So Carla and I have returned to the San Blas after being away for 10 months. We have only been here a few days and the decompressing magic of the islands is saturating deep into my soul. The last 3 days have been filled with the silence of the Caribbean sea crashing against the reef […]

Carla and I have been working like dogs! A few weeks ago I opened the cockpit floor to install a generator and found that I really didn’t like how the cockpit floor was constructed. Somebody during the life of Splendid moved the binnacle forward 18 inches which was the right thing to do, but they […]

Well, we got an opportunity to do a 5 day, 2-couple charter in a few weeks. Which means we are off to the San Blas next week. Carla’s sister, husband, and 3 kids are also coming to visit us from Patagonia in March. I’m really excited about them coming as they have never experienced something […]

All I can say is WOW, I feel like I’m floating on happiness! Splendid’s refit is at the point of making her pretty. Carla and I have been discussing various painting configurations for hours on end and we FINALLY found the right way to paint, not to mention the right paint itself (Sikkens two-part polyurethane). […]

Once again I find myself facing a new year and my own reflections. This is the time of year I keep myself in check to make sure I don’t slip from my objectives and loose sight of my path. How was my 2013 I ask myself? Well, quite honestly it was F’n amazing. I spent […]

Carla and I have been burning the midnight oil, and from both ends. The Pacific is in our thoughts and dreams daily! Carla wants to go surfing. We accepted a small loan to get Splendid into real shape for chartering. Her hull looks like crap and it’s time to change that. I have some good […]

  Since I unplugged in 2003 I’ve learned so much of the world. The heavy fog of judgment & ego has slowly given way to peace & understanding. The deafening voice of the system has quieted over the years and I was finally able to find what I was looking for! The pursuit of Love […]

In 1962 Tony Bennett  sang “I left my heart in San Francisco” for the first time. Today…, if I was able, I would sing that I left a piece of my heart in a small cabin in the mountains of Patagonia. As most of you know I am somewhat of an anarchist. I believe I […]

I don’t know where to start. I LOVE Argentina, not to mention Carla tambien! The first thing Carla and I had to do as soon as we got to Buenos Aires is to go to a government office and apply for our wedding. As soon as pen touched paper we realized this thing is really […]

Well guys I’m on a plane for Argentina in a few hours and I’m having major separation anxiety (Splendid). I love to travel but I’m a home-body at the same time. Kind of like a wondering turtle with his house on his back. As you know the sea has been calling me hard for years, […]

This picture was taken by my friend Nick the day I left Mystic, CT. (2003) for the world. I refer to it as the “Day number one” picture. When I think back to who I was then, a decade ago, to who I am now, time stops as I could ponder the differences for an […]

So Carla and I are busting-ass getting out of the Bambu house, finishing the Dinghy, and preparing for our trip & marriage. As most of you know, I don’t like moorings & docks. Well I’m a big fat hypocrite because I’ve just put down a mooring. I hired a few local guys to fill 4, […]

I’m going to Argentina at the end of the month and I’m freakin’ as to all the work I have to do. The dinghy project is at the top of the list. Rebuilding the Dyer midget, as usual, was/is more work than I had expected. Carla and I are sooooo excited to have her finished […]

Well its been big family fun around here lately. Carla’s brother, wife, and 3 month old daughter came for a few weeks and her mom is here for a few more days. Carla is really close to her family and I’m gaining so much from this relationship, really AWSOME people. I’m so excited to go […]

Life has never been better. I proudly have .62 cents in my bank account. I’m waiting on some cash from running the house and some insurance money for saving that boat from sinking a few months back. But at the moment I have .62 cents in the bank and $38 bucks in my pocket. Guess […]

It’s 4:30am and as usual my brain tugs at my sleep, my thoughts a thorn in the night. I’m getting married in a few months. For the first time I’m in a relationship that works. We both have the same dreams & life philosophy. We are both travelers, independent thinkers, students & teachers. We know […]

The “light at the end of the tunnel” is blinding me! As you guys know in 2007, on the island of Tahiti, I made a decision to trade “Namaste” for a larger boat that I could grow old and retire on. My plan was to buy a fixer-upper, and take 2-3 years off of sailing […]

Adventure is where you find it. Although I’ve been spending more time off the boat in the last month than I ever have I’ve been buying boat stuff, supplies, and still finding some time for fun. Carla and I took a jungle tour with our friend heather the other day. I find the jungle covered […]

This is Lucky. She is an old mutt that Carla and I inherited with the Bambu house, she is our dog until November. She prefers the boat to land and loves to drive with her head out the window and stand on the front of the dinghy with sea spray in her face. She smells […]

I threw a party for Carla and my birthdays last night. Carla is on July 11th, and I’m on the 14th. I invited 7 of our friends. Believe it or not, two of them had birthdays this week as well, so it turned out to be a quadruple birthday party, man do I have a […]

I’ve always wanted to have a restaurant & bar and the next 5 months may satisfy that urge. http://panamaguesthouse.com/ Our first week at the bamboo house has been work, work, work. I think its funny when people say a boat is a “money pit” or a “hole in the water you keep pouring money into”. […]

I’ve become afraid of writing out to do lists as they can be intimidating. My daily routine consists of waking up each day and playing with my charting program, pouring over world charts, and dreaming of where to sail. This acts as my inspiration to break out the tools and work for 5 hours or […]

If you’ve been reading me over the years you know I have a simple altruistic perspective on life. I really believe in living small, green, free, while helping others along their path. I know it’s a good philosophy as my karma is rewarding Carla and I ten-fold. It may seem that I don’t worry about […]

Sorry I’ve been quiet, but either Carla or I have been sick with the Flu for weeks. It was a particularly tough battle as I got it twice. We are just coming out of it. NO FUN! I’m really looking forward to getting back to working on our new gourmet galley, especially as our stove […]

These past few weeks have been riddled with hard work, living in a disaster area, fresh water, Love, and a change of season. The rainy season is here once again. The steady trade wind has made way to variable squally-wind, lightning, thunder and rain. All that being said it’s my favorite season. I sleep well […]

After years of scrounging parts, re-building pumps, and designing a watermaker system we are making water (22GPH)! If you were to go out and buy a system like this you would be looking at eight – ten grand for an off the shelf watermaker. Water makers are pretty simple. You need to push sea water […]

On Splendid, the galley is the center of our home. Both Carla and I are food people and believe the key to health is the food we consume. Many people treat food as just fuel and are more than willing to open and heat a store-bought can of something and consider it food. Not on […]

Well, we have been back in civilization for a few days now and I’m knee-deep in boat projects. The two major ones I’ve started is building a new dash and re-wiring the engine. I’ve got a set of new Faria gauges which will look pretty sharp once I’m done. The big job however is building […]

No images today, just words. Carla and I were watching a movie last night (No strings attached). It was shot in LA and Santa Barbara. I lived in Santa Barbara for four years while attending college and spent my adult life in Southern California. The movie got me thinking of how far, and for how […]

I’m back after 10 days of chartering, and yes, I have 10 people in the dinghy. I got a call from an agency that needed help with a charter as they were a family of nine. Actually two families. One with two kids, the other with three. I got the family with two on Splendid […]

Hummmmm, here’s a fresh topic for Project BlueSphere. Carla and I have been together for 14 months now and have decided to take our relationship to the next level. We are planning to be married in Buenos Aires Argentina on November 23rd, 2013. No church, just a simple afternoon tea-party with a judge, family, and […]

Peter and Kathy were fantastic guests to have for a week. We had very strange weather the first few days resulting in rain and 47 knots of wind. The local weather men are still scratching their heads. Peter and Kathy were happy to have the weather as they are considering buying a boat in the […]

Okay guys, I have to go on a little more about how cool my girlfriend is. She’s like Da Vinci with a Sailrite sewing machine. Carla is turning into a total pro when it comes to canvas work. She doesn’t like handling large projects like dodgers & sails, but when it comes to cushions, winch […]

I just want to say how happy I am with my Sea Breathe hookah system. Talk about a piece of gear that pays for itself. I’ve been using my sea breath for 5 years and have really grown to rely on it. I’m out of bottom paint so I’m cleaning the hull every month and […]

ARRRG, THE BILGE! The bilge on any boat is a horrible ship-hole. A stinky, oily, mildewie hole, and in my case, my bilge is 40 years old. All the paint has chipped away and it catches every piece of gunk that falls through the floor boards, and has been doing so for four decades. Whenever […]

We are gearing up to launch “The Minimalist Sailor” soon and I want to explain a little about what it actually is. The Minimalist Sailor is a philosophy, and one geared for developing a life-path towards freedom while voyaging the world. I was recently talking to a Kuna about the changes I’ve seen here in […]

Well, it has been an interesting week. We had some friends visit for a few days. Jean (France) and Ivonne (Germany). Jean is a sailor in Europe and I finally got to sit down and talk to someone about the reality of sailing the Med. I’d love to visit Europe but I always hear the […]