Blog posts by category: Travel

In Search of the Polish Navy

Submitted by nslavinski on Sat, 05/23/2020 - 11:41

A sentimental tribute to my dad, who inspired my sailing (among many other things).

My family always got a good laugh from my mother’s stories about the “Polish Navy.” That’s how she referred to the sincere but sometimes misguided attempts of my Polish-born father and his friend to launch their sailing dreams. Listing hulls, ugly figureheads, and unconventional ballast ratios: her stories were guaranteed to work us into side-splitting hoots of laughter. Now an adult and a boat-owner myself, I have a new appreciation for what the Polish Navy was all about - and I can’t help but wonder what became of the bold venture launched so long ago in New Jersey’s Raritan Bay. Read more here…

My German Engineer

Submitted by nslavinski on Sat, 05/23/2020 - 11:12

Lucky me: I have my very own German Engineer husband. He’s very sweet. He never barks orders. He’s the man on hand for anything that goes kaputt – or doesn’t, thanks to his diligent preventative measures. Just what you need for cruising! Read more here…

Interview - Cruising French Polynesia

Submitted by nslavinski on Tue, 12/19/2017 - 19:32

I was recently interviewed by Linus Wilson of the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast about cruising in French Polynesia. You can listen in to the episode here to learn about our favorite places, words of caution, and more.

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Pirates & Pieces of Eight

Submitted by nslavinski on Sat, 09/23/2017 - 18:35

At the heyday of Spain’s New World conquests, Panama’s Portobelo acted as a collection point for huge quantifies of gold and silver – the treasure chest of the Americas, so to speak. Read more here…

Island Escapes

Submitted by nslavinski on Sat, 04/01/2017 - 04:49

There are a lot of places we dream of going back to in the South Pacific, but one my mind keeps wandering back to is Urupukapuka in New Zealand’s Bay of Islands. Read more here…

A fun tradition

Submitted by nslavinski on Sat, 02/11/2017 - 20:08

Putting a new coat of antifouling on the hull isn’t always fun, but we started a tradition that helped make an occasion out of the job. We paint the lat/long of our position at the time of painting onto the hull first and snap a photo. It gets covered over soon enough, but we now have a nice collage from all around the world! See blog post here!

The Floor of Heaven

Submitted by nslavinski on Mon, 01/02/2017 - 19:41

“I spotted a lighthouse that looked as if it reached all the way to the floor of heaven.” That’s just one of many great lines in Jimmy Buffett’s romp of a sailing yarn, A Salty Piece of Land. And it’s absolutely true, as we discovered upon sailing to Amédée lighthouse in New Caledonia’s magnificent lagoon. *Read more here…

Magical Malta: the Crossroads of the Mediterranean

Submitted by nslavinski on Thu, 12/22/2016 - 15:43

It’s hard to cruise the Mediterranean and miss Malta, an island literally at the crossroads of Europe and North Africa. There, it’s as common to meet sailors heading east for the Red Sea as those heading west to Gibraltar, as we were. From the very start of our cruise two months earlier, we had looked forward to visiting this small island that straddles the centuries, and when we arrived… Read on here!

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Interview with the Slow Boat Sailing Podcast

Submitted by nslavinski on Sun, 09/04/2016 - 17:21

I was just interviewed by The Slow Boat Sailing Podcast about sailing to, in, and around the Galapagos and Marquesas. I hope you find it interesting and useful. Enjoy!

If It's Broke...

Submitted by nslavinski on Mon, 07/25/2016 - 15:13

It’s not that you shouldn’t try to fix anything that breaks; it’s just that you don’t necessarily have to fix everything that breaks. The key is knowing when to give in and get on with your cruise. Read more here…

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