Trimming the Fails

We had such an amazing adventure sailing Rodeless over 30,000nm that I decided to write a book. After much deliberating, I decided that the title “Trimming the Fails” accurately describes the ups and downs of our sailing life during the journey. “007”was definitely shaken and stirred as we explored the world.

THE DREAM

Happy Together
Beautiful Sunsets
Deserted Anchorages
Amazing Beaches
Relaxing Sail Down the Islands
Dolphins Leading the Way
Beautiful Mornings
Chilly but Beautiful
Going Nowhere Fast
Tell-Tales - Trimming Sails of Life

THE SPARK THAT STARTED THE FIRE

Chapter 1

Hobie Cat Sailing
Beautiful Sunsets
Harvest Moon Regatta
The Rum Could Not Wait

The Boat Interior

The Boat Exterior

THE PLAN AND THE BOAT

Chapter 2

1st Atlantic Crossing - Discovery 50
Prepping for the Crossing
Discovery 50 Cockpit
Tuna was Plentiful
Practicing Celestial Skills
The Plan
Our First Look at a Balance 482 - Annapolis Boat Show

BUILDING RODELESS

Chapter 3

Rodeless is out of the Mould
Inspecting the Build
Getting Closer
Final Stage - Painting
She is Finally Ready for Her Name
Rodeless Traveler
Cape Town Here We Come
Cape Town Arrival - May 2022
Table Mountain View from V&A Marina
Table Mountain Hike
Table Mountain View from the Top
Safari - In the Wild
Cape Buffalo
Too Close for Comfort?
Nocturnal Adventure
Rhinos
A Little Refreshment
Hiking Lion's Head with Friends - Not for the Faint of Heart
Cape of Storms was Renamed Cape of Good Hope
Getting the Best Shot
Penguins Galore along the Garden Route
Tom Cruise Was Here
Amazing Views Everywhere
Relaxing in Cape Town
Meg's Artwork and Creativity
Traveller - Great Car

GETTING READY FOR REALITY

Chapter 4

Balance University - Mallorca
Balance University - Cape Town
Swarthy Crew! - Jens, Nico and Josh
Launch Day - HAPPY
Shakedown Sail - Before the Mayhem
Table Cloth Over Table Mountain - Oh No!!
Reefing Chart
Ballie Rescued Rodeless from our Shakedown Sail
Happy to Finally Move Aboard
Wine Tasting in Franschhoek
Wine Buying for Ship Stores
The Blessing - It REALLY WORKED
The Christening

THE REALITY

Big Seas
Weather
Twisted Sister
Weeks "On the Hard"
Long Passages
TRAFFIC !!!
Bottom Jobs

Cape Town to St. Helena

Chapter 5

Get Away Day - Oct 22, 2022
Odd-Jib
Blofeld
MoneyPenny
Land Ho !!!!!!
Our 1st Mooring Ball - Poor Josh
Celebration for a Safe Passge
An Amazing Island in the Middle of the Ocean
Jonathon - 194 Years Young !!
St. Helena Yacht Club

Changes in Latitude

Chapter 6

Ashes
Citizen Scientist
Land Ho Brazil
Thankful and Happy
Apollon - A Lifesaver !!
Recife - Party on the Beach

Equator Crossing

Chapter 7

Rodeless Looks Good in Fernando de Noronha
And She has a Friend
Easy Riding
Pollywogs No More !!!
The Smell of Money - XOM Guyana

Facing Our Fears

Chapter 8

Catching Up with Peter & Corey on Catalyst and Ben Eastwood on Sage in Grenada
Lobster was on the Menu in Tobago Quays
More Lobster - But These Were Free
Basil's Bar - Mustique
Blowing Bubbles with Evan
Christmas in Puerto Rico
Starlink - A Game Changer
Hurricane Marco
Marco Getting Closer
The Calm Before TS Beta
Not Home Yet !!
Panta Rhei Means Go With the Flow

Gunkholing the Islands

Chapter 9

Our Christmas Tree
My Beautiful Sister - Enjoying the Cruising Life
The Sights of St. Johns
Finally on Our Own
State Park Mooring Station
My SUP Skills Need Work
My Favorite Bay - Marigot on St. Lucia
Pizza Pi in Christmas Cove
Chris Joined Us in St. Lucia
Someone's Breakfast
Conch Shell Collection near Anegada
Not a Bad Haul !
Balance Rally - Jan 2023
Rodeless Crew
Phil Berman in His Happy Place
Chillin on St. Barts with Kari & Harald
SuperBowl in the Cockpit - Thanks Elon
Meg & Debbie had to Find a Bigger Chair
Tony & Debbie About to Take a Bath in the BVI's - IYKYK
The Baths
The Wine Knot Crew Arrived
Diving in 37,000 ft - Not my Idea of Fun
I Needed a Knife to Cut all This Line away from the Prop
Lots of Rope
Robert Best Floats While Drinking A Beer!
Obudeke Makes a Mean Steak
Cindy & Chris in Georgetown
Thunderball Grotto
Swimming Pigs
Meg & Cindy with Rodeless Anchored Nearby
"The Musician" off Rudder Cut Cay - The Acosutics Weren't Great
Picking up the Girls
Meg Ain't Ascerd of a Few Stingrays
One Last Beach Day before Sailing Back to The USA
The Old Man on the Sea - Perspective is Everything
Happy to Have Janet Aboard

Back in the USA

Chapter 10

St. Augustine Arrival - April 14, 2023
The Rabley's
Amazing Sunset
Scooby Doooo!!
Helga Joined for Sail up the Coast
The Outer Banks
I think I Bit off More Than I Could Chew
Haulout at Zimmerman's
East Coast Crew - Heath, Dawn and Tony
Beautiful Sail
Bike Ride Around Nantucket
An Eerie Arrival to Monhegan Island
An Artist Paradise
Maine Coast
Henkley Yachts in SW Harbor
Acadia National Park
Scott's House near Pemaquid Point
Chris is Back
The Prehistoric Sunfish
We Anchored a Little Too Close
Is it a Boat House or a House Boat?
Looking for Lobsters
Lobster Needed to be Set Free
Plymouth Rock - Not as Big as I Expected
Rich & Alexandre Gave us the Duxbury Tour
Westbound on Cape Cod Canal with the Flood Tide
A Concert on the Lawn
Newport - The Sailing Mecca
Passing Under Throgs Neck Bridge
New York New York
Rodeless Has a View
Even Better at Night
Hot Dogs for Dinner
Freedom!!
A Quick Ride Around Central Park
Central Park Ride
Welcome Mr. Boggs for the Ride South

Sunfish off the Maine Coast

The Caribbean Again

Chapter 11

MJ Sailing - Welcomed an Inspection of Their New Boat Build
Great Crew - Paal & Jeff
Bermuda - Back to Blue Water
Another Fort !!
Sissel Joined Us for Bermuda to Antigua
Fish ON
Illegal Landing on Barbuda
Entrance to English Harbor
Falmouth Harbor
Now - This is a Yacht !!
Scott & Amy from Zephyr on Barbuda
Pink Sand Beaches in Barbuda
Anchor Drag Track in Guadeloupe
We Were Lucky that We Did Not End Up Like This Guy
Guadeloupe - A Beautiful French Isle
Blowing Bubbles with Apollon in Dominica
Mama & Papa Fall
Floating in Dominica
Apollon Brought Rodeless Shirts !
Martinique - A Volitle French Isle
Apogee Crew Meet-up
Getting Ready for Carnival
All in for Jump-up
What A Beautiful Rainbow
Checking for a Signal at Some Island Somewhere
More Diving in Antigua - The Sharks Were Out
Pushing Rock - Seems Like the Story of My Life
Approaching Montserrat
Getting a Tour of Forbidden Side of Montserratood Tide
Nevis with Montserrat in the Background
More Nevis
Lles Saints - Another French Isle - Yummy !
Scott & Missy Joined Us in St. Croix
Tried Foiling for 1st Time - Probably Only Time if I am Honest
Bo & Amanda in the BVI's
Another Beautiful Sunset off Some Island Somewhere
Rick & Alice in St. Johns for a Crooked Pic
Needed Crew for Passage from USVI to Turks and Caicos with Particular Set of Skills
So I Invited Renato & Chris
Sailing Over Bahamas Bank
Looking for the Blue Hole in the Abacos
Found It !
Meg Having Fun
Vince & Anne from Aurora Helped Us Find the Blue Hole
Rodeless Looks Pretty Laying at Anchor in Hopetown

Crossing to Europe

Chapter 12

A Quick Rigging Inspection Before the Big Crossing
Great Crew - Devon & Jim
Just a Little Tear - What Could Go Wrong?
Leg One to Bermuda Complete
The Weather Got Spicy
Settling in to a Rhythm
Big Seas but Good Sleep
It Was a Bloody Big Fish
Check Max Speed - Devon Hit 23.1kts, A Rodeless Record the Next Day
Sailing into the Azores
Swarthy Crew Ready for a G&T at Peters Cafe Sport
Horta Harbour
Didn't Take Long to Find Peters
And There We Are
Sailors Always Leave Something Behind at Peter Cafe Sport
Leaving Our Mark
This Should Last For a Few Years
Miles of Memories
Horta Tour - That is New Land Behind Us Created by Capelinhos Volcanic Eruption in 1957-58
Beautiful Faial Island
New Land
On Our Way to San Miguel - Picture Compliments of Fellow Sailor
A Wonderful Reunion with Arlo
The Night of Surprise
No.2 Is On The Way
Hanging Out With Lauren
Lots of Volcanic Activity
Rob & Lauren
Teaching Arlo to be a Cruiser Early
Some Mom Time
Hoist the Jib Arlo !
Afternoon Sail
Welcome New Crew - Darden & Paul
Big Seas on Way to England
MoneyPenny Got a Little Twisted
As I Said About Fishing Earlier, Perspective is Everything
A Little Traffic as We Approached England
We Made it to England
Fantastic Reunion with Ian & Jane

Land of the Midnight Sun

Chapter 13

Sailing Past the White Cliffs of Dover on Way to Norway
Flying Blofeld 2 Delivered Just in Time for Crossing the North Sea
An Early Morning Arrival to Norway
Sailing into Arendal
Jens Provided a Great Escort to 'The Rock'
APL Buoy - IFYKYK
Good Times - See Rodeless in the Background?
Not a Bad Moonrise at About 11PM
Hytte #1 - The Rock
A Tight Squeeze Up the Fjord
Jens & Anne & Reker med øl for Lunch
Typical Summer Day in Norway
Hytte #2 - Qvist Family
Qvist Visit on St. Bart
Same Qvist but a Much Different View from St. Bart
Frokost i Norge
It's Always 5 O'Clock Somewhere
Running Into an Old Friend at Verden's Ende (World's End) - You Can't Make This Up
Sailing Up Oslo Fjord with Ketil
The Brechan's Joined Us For A Great Sail
Vigeland Parken in Oslo - Looks Like Me on a Bad Sailing Day
What a Beautiful Country
Snekke Tur with Ketil
Snekke Tur Continued
A Cold Water Swim
So Many Memories of the Same Snekke Turs, But with More Gray Hair
Hospitality from the Millmaker's
Heading South Down the Oslo Fjord
On Our Own Again
A Visit from Kjell Peter and Anne
Reliving Old Memories in Arendal with Frederik
One Last Snekke Tur
Sailing South to the English Channel - Just a Little Traffic
Approaching the English Channel - Frogger Anyone?
And Weather
Lot's of Sailing - Not Much Progress
Rodeless Finally at Dock at Low Tide - Need Shower and Sleep
Richard from SV Qila - Helped Us Recuperate, Fix Sails & Rigging !
Departure from Guernsey - Got Out Before Low Tide
Dead Reckoning Followed by a Sun Sight
Taking a Sight at Sunset on the Bay of Biscay
Sailing Down the Spanish Coast - Delirium Had Set in at This Point
The Rock of Gibraltar - Finally Made it into the Med
Brian was the Sole Surviving Crew From This Challenging Passage - Letting His Wife Know That he Was Alive