It’s Arabella Demolition Day, folks! This week, I’m dismantling our on-deck nav station and engine control panel, and rebuilding one big station to house all of our gadgets and gizmos: the chart plott

This week, we?re setting out for a 4-day offshore run from Norfolk, VA back to Mattapoisett, MA?where we launched Arabella almost two years ago to the date! Our good friend George joined us for the p

Work on the dodger may be done, but before we can leave Okracoke, we need to install our new Garmin GMI20. The last one died halfway through our passage from Miami to Beaufort, and we had a replacemen

This week, Arabella makes her way to Ocracoke Island, at the south end of North Carolina?s Outer Banks. Robin and I have been looking forward to visiting the Outer Banks, and maybe exploring long-aban

If you're struggling, consider therapy with our sponsor BetterHelp. Click _x000D_https://betterhelp.com/acorn for a 10% discount on your first month of therapy with a_x000D_ licensed professional specific to your needs. After our offshore run, I promised Robin that I would wait for her in Beaufort so she could see the wild horses on Carrot Island, explore the shops in downtown Beaufort, and visit the Outer Banks before our run back North. While waiting, I tackle some boat maintenance projects, namely fixing our leaky deck. But more on that later? Beaufort was an interesting place to anchor. Because of the wind and tides, the boats in the anchorage all sit differently. We came pretty close to playing bumper boats with our neighbor. But I enjoyed a surprise wooden boat show by the harbor, and a pretty impressive farmer's market! The Beaufort experience was really a 10 out of 10! Beaufort was also a great place for me to tackle some boat work. First task: fixing our leaky boat deck. We've been getting some drips in the forepeak, and I think it all boils down to an issue with the way we pitched and waterproofed the deck in the first place. Basically, I think the pitch didn't make it deep enough into the grooves between our deck planks, which created a pocket of air. As we've migrated to warmer weather, my thought is that the air warmed up, ultimately expanding and causing the pitch to bubble, rupture?and leak. Pitch is an interesting substance. It's mostly solid at room temperature, and liquifies when heated (though, even in its liquid state, it's still 1,000x more viscous than water). I spent a few long, tedious days just hammering the pitch as deep as I could, identifying where more pitch was needed to fill the gaps. And then the rain came. And the forepeak stayed dry. What can I say: good deck work works ;-) Next up on the to-do list is fixing our windlass. We lost a set screw, and fortunately the local hardware store had just the key stock we needed for the job (and I had just the vice to finish the job). Now it's time to go play. Robin wanted to go explore Beaufort's downtown area, which is filled with shops and coffee?two of her favorite things. But, along the way, we found where the wooden boats get built?and we had to pop in to check it out. After exploring the town (and procuring coffee, of course), we set sail for Okracoke Island?and a beautiful sail it was. Join us next week in the Outer Banks, and stay tuned for our passage back to Massachusetts. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

This week, the journey resumes on day three of our offshore sailing passage from Miami, FL to Beaufort, NC. Along for the journey was my old college buddy, Dave, and my new friend, Jesse, who we met in Key Biscayne. On day 2 of our passage, we brought a Mahi up to the side of the boat?and lost it at the last second. On day 3, we don't make that same mistake. This time, when the line goes tight, we stay patient. We bring the Mahi up to the side of the boat, gaff him, slice off a little sashimi, and talk about all the delicious lunches, dinners, and, uh, breakfasts(?) we'll make from this Mahi. Even Akiva wants a piece! On the evening of our 3rd day, the wind dies off a bit in the afternoon, and we flip the motor on for a while. We even get visited by a flying fish who not-so-fortuitously landed on deck in the middle of the night. Dave explains the anatomy of a flying fish, and how their body allows them to "fly" for as much as 40' at a time. And what's better?they make great Mahi bait! The wind piped back up and clocked around behind us, so we ran wing-on-wing downwind for a while. And after 5 days and 4 nights of offshore sailing in the Gulf Stream, we finally get to yell: LAND HO! Also after 5 days and 4 nights of offshore sailing in the Gulf Stream, the boat needs a few repairs. Fortunately, nothing crazy, but-while the friction tape fix on the rudder feedback sensor held up fine enough-it does need a proper fix. We also lost the adjustment screw that controls the height of the tiller. The biggest loss from our passage was our 45# stainless steel Mantus anchor, despite my best efforts to prevent this. An expensive mistake? During this passage, we also had our scariest on-deck experience yet. During the middle of the night, we woke up to Jesse hollering that the autopilot wasn't working, and the sails were backwinded, the boat was out of control, and all hell was breaking loose. We took control of the tiller, but still couldn't command control of the boat. Next, we tried to released the preventers in order to allow the sails to jibe, but an improperly tied knot made it impossible. Thinking quickly, I let the jib fly to de-power the boat a bit, and scandalized the main sail?which set off a string of events that ultimately allowed us to get the sails down and regain control of Arabella. All that on my 40th birthday! I'll definitely be more careful about making sure our lines are properly tied off to the cleats onboard (or I'll add a jam cleat and a fairlead in front of all cleats on deck-we shall see). Another lesson learned on this passage: I need a light wind sail. I've been in touch with Robbie Doyle of Doyle Sails to figure out the right design for Arabella. I really want to be able to make miles in light winds, and it looks like a Genoa (or a ballon jib, per Atkin's plans) would allow us to do just that. Tune in next week, as I dive into boat repairs while awaiting Robin's return. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

This week, we're getting ready for a 600-mile offshore passage from Miami, FL to Beaufort, NC. Before we set sail, I took the chance to get some boat work done: scrubbing and oiling the decks, smoothing out the battens so they don't get stuck in the lazy jacks when we hoist sail, configuring a system to keep our Dyneema lines from slipping on our booms, installing tie-downs for our portholes, and adding an easy access point to our lazarette. High on the priority list is tightening up our rig before setting sail for a 600-mile offshore passage from Miami, FL to Beaufort, NC. To do this, I dig into my rock climbing gear for a Petzl Gri-Gri and a few slings, and rig an efficient system that gets the job done. Robin had to head back to Massachusetts for some family commitments, so I pulled together a crew of two guys to join me on the offshore passage: Jesse, a liveaboard we met in Key Biscayne, and my old college friend, Dave. Once in the Gulf Stream, Arabella settled into a cruising speed of around 8 knots, dipping the toe rails regularly as she plowed through 4-6' seas. The only technical glitch along the passage was a broken connection to the rudder feedback sensor, which I was able to fix almost immediately. When the seas settled down a bit, Dave put out a trolling line with the hopes of catching a Mahi Mahi?and the mission was successful, until we lost the fish at the boat. Bummer! Should have used the gaff? Join us for the rest of the offshore passage next week, and don't forget to like this video and subscribe to our channel to see more. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

This week, we start with a visit from the one and only Sam Holmes-a real, actual sailor! Sam regales us with tales of suffering and single handing his sailboat, and gives us some advice for the passages in our future. If you're not already following him, make sure to check him out out at @Sam Holmes Sailing. The real meat and potatoes of the episode, though, will be calibrating the autopilot, getting our navigation electronics working correctly again, and rewiring our ePropulsion electric dinghy motor to get rid of the connector that keeps leaving us stranded. Calibrating the autopilot was a piece of cake. Rewiring the electric engine? Not so much. But more on that later? I had a crazy idea while a few of Robin's friends were in town: I wanted to drop the anchor while under sail for the first time. I de-powered the boat by dropping a few of the bigger sails, leaving us to sail in under just the jib. Robin dropped the anchor just right, and loaded up the tender to test out the new battery connections?which, sadly, only worked for that one ride. Turns out the best way to repair the connection on an ePropulsion motor is to buy a gas outboard ;-) Our old friend George arrives with a brand new, reliable, but loud and smelly Honda. Dinghy motor issued, solved. And just in time to host another group of Robin's friends. Together, we explored Boca Chita Key, and Elliot Key?some of the cleanest, clearest waters we've seen since the Dry Tortugas! Back to the ePropulsion electric motor?after trying to figure out what went wrong, Steve realizes that the data wires are too short for the connectors. We're not giving up on the eProp, but getting the electric motor back online is going to require more time than we have at the moment, so we're going to put a pin in that (pun intended). Thank you to everyone who sent ideas and advice for our ePropsulsion electric motor repairs, and the autopilot installation. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

This week's video resumes in the Dry Tortugas, where we're stuck on finding a solution for installing our auto helm. But that can wait?first, fishing! Our bait attracted a few good-sized Nurse Sharks and Goliath Groupers, putting on quite the show for Akiva! The Nurse Sharks are gentle, but they're still a bit disconcerting to see right under the boat. Another "must do" activity on the Dry Tortugas is visiting Fort Jefferson, which-after a week in the park-we still hadn't done. We put shoes on for the first time in days, and ventured into the centuries-old fort. There is so much history in Fort Jefferson, even though the fort never saw battle. We could have stayed in the Dry Tortugas forever, but we had to get back to Key West to meet up with Doug from SV Seeker. We worked out a potential solution for installing our auto helm, but we need access to Doug's floating metal shop in order to fabricate a stainless steel bracket to use as a mount. First, we needed to countersink two of the lag bolts on the boomkin so the bracket can be installed perfectly flush. Then, I marked up the piece of stainless, and headed back to SV Seeker where Doug's portable handheld band saw, plasma cutter, and array of metalworking tools help us bring our vision to fruition. We even factored a bow roller into the design for more ease in launching our stern anchor-bonus! We never expected to be working on Arabella, on SV Seeker! The piece fits perfectly (after a little refinement with the angle grinder) and the autopilot works perfectly! The auto helm is going to open a lot of doors for us. We have some big miles to get back north for the summer, and having the autopilot will make the long passages a lot easier to manage. Amazing teamwork this week! A huge thank you to Doug and Bob-we couldn't have done it without you. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

In this episode, we sail Arabella over to the clear, blue waters of the Dry Tortugas National Park, 70 miles west of Key West. Starting from the Ten Thousand Islands, we hit Key West for provisions, hot showers, and to pick up the parts we need to get our auto helm installed. It was a whirlwind stop-less than 24 hours, and it was time to get going for an overnight sail to the Dry Tortugas. The sail to the Dry Tortugas was magnificent, with a steady 10-15 knots pushing us right to the country's least-visited national park. As we approached Fort Jefferson, we were grateful to get hailed on the radio by a fan with some helpful information about anchoring in the Dry Tortugas. In the Dry Tortugas, the sound of nesting brown and black noddies, terns, and migrating Magnificent Frigate birds made for some soothing white noise, while the hermit crabs on land gave Robin a real delight. We anchored on the west side of Fort Jefferson, where we had plenty of privacy and easy access to shore. The snorkeling in the Dry Tortugas was second to none. First, we took Victoria over to Bird Key for some creative snorkeling-with such a strong current, we decided to stay tethered to the tender while floating the current on a paddleboard. Then we spent time over at Loggerhead Key snorkeling Africa Reef, which was abundant with marine life. We saw barracuda, about a million tropical fish, neon-colored coral, and even a spiny Florida lobster! With shifting winds, we decided to move the boat over to the east side of Fort Jefferson, where the anchorage was much more lively. Seaplanes come and go, the ferry arrives like clockwork, and? Goliath Groupers visit Arabella with regularity. The sunsets on the Dry Tortugas were so mesmerizing, that even Akiva took to lying on the side deck to take them in ;-) Being in such clear, clean water makes it a perfect time to get our Spectra water maker back online. The water maker has been offline since we were docked in Harwichport last winter. There are no resources in the Dry Tortugas-no water, food, or fuel-so getting the water maker back online allowed us to extend our stay in this tropical paradise, without worrying about staying hydrated. Another big project that we've been stuck on is the auto-helm. We tried to get this installed back in Boothbay before heading south for the winter, but didn't have the right parts. While it was discouraging to realize that we STILL didn't have what we needed to get the auto helm installed?we DID come up with a plan, and it's a good one that requires a little help from a friend. SV Seeker, SV Seeker, SV Seeker, this is sailing vessel Arabella?come back! Stay tuned to find out how we solve our auto helm installation issue? -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

In this week's episode, we say goodbye to Sanibel Island and the beautiful "Ding" Darling Wilderness, and we set sail for Florida's Ten Thousand Islands, an archipelago just north of and adjacent to the Everglades. It felt great to raise the sails after so much motoring. We enjoyed a lively, adventurous sail for the full 70-mile journey south, and even got a surprise burst of wind that carried us right into the Panther Key anchorage at the end of the day. Arabella isn't the only wooden sailboat we have access to-our tender, Victoria, also has a sail rig?so we sailed her over to Dismal Key in search of some ancient Calusa shell mounds. It took us some time to find a spot where we could safely get to shore, but we eventually found a faint trail that led us up past an old shelter and provided a path through the harsh island environment. No sign of rattlesnakes, fortunately! From Dismal Key, we sailed Victoria to a few private white sand beaches, and to a sandbar for Akiva's running and playing pleasure ;-) Eventually, the time was ripe to break out the saltwater fly rod and try our hand at catching a few fish. We have no idea what they were, but we caught-and-released a few small fish. Sailing to the Ten Thousand Islands was a unique experience, and we enjoyed a few days of total relaxation in a breathtaking location. 10 out of 10 would recommend. -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

Along our journey south, we decided to drop the anchor in North Captiva and stay a few days. We totally fell in love with this sleepy island town. From walking along the shell-covered white sand beaches to checking out the wildlife, there was so much to love about North Captiva. Don't miss the conch fritters at Mainstay...they really are too good to share! View the full episode here - https://youtu.be/2S-qo288Nx8?si=Sjgq9gBn6V8Yarkh -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

We took Arabella to Boca Grande for a week to get some boat work done...but we had to spend some time adventuring, too. We paddle boarded over to Three Sisters Island, took Victoria out sailing (after repairing her transom), wandered around the "Old Florida" back roads, had lunch at the Pink Flamingo, and tried all the tasty treats! Even Akiva got to devour a "pup cup" from the local food truck... Want more? Watch the full episode - https://youtu.be/2S-qo288Nx8 -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code ARABELLA at checkout. Download Saily app or go to https://saily.com/arabella -------------------------- We've sailed our beautiful wooden sailboat all the way from Maine to Boca Grande, where it's time to stop and give our tender, Victoria, a little TLC. Her transom is in dire need of repairs. Remember, she was built with 100-year-old Honduran Mahogany from a boat we salvaged during the boatbuilding process, and some of that wood is starting to give up the ghost. I was able to not-so-easily remove her knees using my pole saw and a hacksaw blade. Then, Robin and I hauled her out and propped her up against a palm tree where I could do the rest of the repairs and fiberglassing. Without the knees in place, you can clearly see the transom is pulling away from the hull. We also have a few cracks in the transom from where our tender motor sits. I'm going to reinforce that part of the transom, apply TotalBoat Thixo, and fiberglass over it. That should get Victoria ready for whatever adventures lie ahead! While the Thixo and fiberglass cure, I give Victoria a good bath-and Robin hits the Boca Grande bike path for a run with Akiva! They both need it! Beyond being a great place to do Victoria's transom repairs, Boca Grande is a hot spot for wildlife viewing. From the boat, we spotted pelicans and Ospreys, and from our paddle boards we spotted iguanas, manatees, rays, and about a million tropical fish! Perhaps even more beautiful than Boca Grande is the quiet island of North Captiva, which me, Robin and Akiva were excited to explore. First stop: hiking Captiva's beaches and nature trails, and passing a pod of about ten manatees soaking up the mid-day sun! The destruction from hurricane Ian is still very evident on North Captiva, where not many homes made it our unscathed. Some have been rebuilt, but many have not. The next stop for us is Sanibel, provided we can make it out of our anchorage without running aground. I think we've finally gotten to the fun part of cruising and living about Arabella! -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

Four months ago, we left Maine on our hand built wooden sailboat. Join us in Southwest Florida, as we adventure our way through Cabbage Key and Cayo Costa. We set out on paddleboards to find the elusive "Tunnel of Love," a natural mangrove tunnel that leads into a lagoon on the back side of Cayo Costa. We found it...along with sugar-white sand, a trillion seashells, and the kind of tropical, turquoise water you dream about. View the full episode here - https://youtu.be/BerVXBbMJAs

Use this link to subscribe and save $20 off your first subscription of AG1 https://drinkag1.com/acorntoarabella -------------------------- This week, Arabella exits the Caloosahatchee River and sails towards the Gulf of Mexico, dropping anchor in Cape Coral to provision the boat and head in to Rumrunners for a nice dinner on the water. We're excited to be able to sail again-it's been a while since we've enjoyed a good sail! While anchored in Cape Coral, we heard a new and unfamiliar noise, a crackling or popping sound. At first, I thought it was an electrical shortage, so I turned off power to the boat?but that wasn't it. Then I thought maybe something on deck was making the noise, but that also wasn't it. After a quick Google search, we found out that what we were hearing was pistol shrimp! The pistol shrimp is a small yet powerful marine creature renowned for its loud snapping sound and intense heat generation. This unique ability has disrupted military sonar, inspired clean energy research, and appeared in popular culture. And now we're hearing it on Arabella. Heading out of Cape Coral was an adventure in and of itself-I've never seen more boats on the water! There was a line of boat traffic as far as the eye could see in both directions. Fortunately, our destination was a lot less crowded? Cabbage Key is a small, under-developed 100-acre island off of Pine Island in Charlotte Harbor. It got its name because of the plentiful Cabbage Palm trees that grow on the island. Not only is Cabbage Key a hidden tropical paradise, but there are bayous and keys all around that are fun to explore via paddleboard or kayak. And that's just what we did? Robin found a paddleboard route that goes around the back of Cabbage Key, into Murdock Bayou, through a natural mangrove tunnel called the "Tunnel of Love," and into a blue lagoon on the back of Cayo Costa. After breakfast at the Dollar Bill Bar on Cabbage Key, we set off on our adventure. We landed on a shell-covered white sand beach on the Gulf side of Cayo Costa where a long walk on the beach did our souls some good. The next day, we hit the island's small network of nature trails, fawning over the new-to-us flora. We left one small reminder of our presence, and headed on to the next anchorage-where we tied our stern off to a few mangroves, and set a trip line for the anchor. Join us next week, where I'll be making some repairs to Victoria, getting her ready to be ridden hard in the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Preserve. -------------------------- Episode 339 -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

We spent 4 days cruising the Okeechobee Waterway in our handbuilt wooden sailboat, and this is what we saw... ? Watch the full episode - https://youtu.be/jQGzQfXn3Es -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

Join us (and a tree full of pelicans) as we begin cruising east to west on the Okeechobee Waterway. Not many sailboats our size have the ability to cruise the Okeechobee Waterway. Because we are gaff-rigged, our masts are shorter, giving us the clearance we need to pass under the many bridges and power lines along the route. Before we jump into the St. Lucie River from Fort Pierce, Robin tries her hand at dropping the anchor using our windlass. I explain some of the factors I consider when choosing where to drop the anchor, especially in the ICW where sand bars can take you by surprise (as we learned up by Daytona). We do some provisioning in Stuart before jumping aboard and heading into our first of five locks on the Okeechobee. The St. Lucie South Campground, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers, is just past the first lock, and they have a few slips available for cruisers on the Okeechobee. We booked two nights, but Arabella was too big for the slip, so we ended up anchoring with the alligators across the way. The campground showers made paying for a slip worth every penny. Bug-o-clock hits hard in Florida-it's like something out of a horror movie. We quickly get the bug screens into our portholes to save ourselves (and our skin). After a rainy day, we're excited to explore the St. Lucie Nature Trails before getting underway again. We make our way to the Port Mayaca lock and into Lake Okeechobee. I finally got to raise the sails and turn off the motor for a while. Lake Okeechobee is filled with beautiful birds, 'gators, and incredible flora-from Cyprus trees to mangroves. Through the Moore Haven lock (where we leave our mark), we're officially west of Lake Okeechobee in the Caloosahatchee River. We head to an anchorage called "Lollipop" near the Ortona Lock, taking Victoria through a network of wild canals to the dock at the Ortona Tavern for a bite to eat?and an ice cream sundae. Cruising the Okeechobee Waterway by sailboat is an experience we never expected to have, but are so glad we did. Join us next week, as we explore some of the keys of Southwest Florida. -------------------------- 00:00 Intro 01:30 Robin Learns the Windlass 06:18 Re-checking the Charts 10:35 St. Lucie Lock 12:19 Gotta Stop Sometimes 14:38 Arabella's First Gator 16:20 Down the St. Lucie Canal 18:13 Into the Lake 20:51 Moore Haven Lock 21:45 Anchoring in Ortona -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

This week, we continue cruising the Intracoastal Waterway down the east coast of Florida. We miss sailing, but offshore waters were calling for sloppy seas and light winds. With few safe harbors to duck into in the case of emergency, we decided to stay grounded in the ICW. And when we say "stay grounded in the ICW" we REALLY mean it. That's right, despite following channel markers and using a Garmin chart plotter?we ran our sailboat aground on the way from Saint Augustine to Daytona. The shifting Florida sands can be hard to anticipate. Fortunately, a new friend we met in Saint Augustine was nearby and happy to come to our rescue?James Bond style (but with better music)! We tried twisting her off the sandbar. We tried pushing her off the sandbar. We tried kedging her off the sandbar. We kedged so hard, but to no avail. It wasn't until a Tow Boat US boat happened to cross our path that we had the power to get our 27,000' wooden sailboat floating again. Boy, did we put on a show. All of this motoring requires a lot of fuel, and our Keenan Filter system comes in handy for consolidating our fuel, ensuring we have enough gas to get where we're going without having to switch between fuel tanks while underway. We can't speak highly enough about Keenan Filters-and we're not getting paid to say that! Another mechanism we've been really happy with is our manual windlass. We've been anchoring pretty much every night, and dropping and weighing anchor is easy-peasy-even when caught in an afternoon rainstorm. In Fort Pierce, we stopped for provisions and fuel (and Robin hit the local coffee shop?of course). We also got to watch a wrecked wooden boat get torn apart by an excavator! Then, we got back to it, making way towards the Okeechobee Waterway and Lake Okeechobee. -------------------------- Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat: Episode 337 -------------------------- 00:00 Intro 00:27 St. Augustine to Daytona Beach 02:35 Stuck In The Mud 09:16 Why We're Not Sailing 13:00 More Love For the Keenan Filter 18:42 Anchors Aweigh 21:32 Its Raining in Titusville 24:30 Fueling Up, Movin' On -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com

Farewell, Annapolis. It's time for this handcrafted wooden sailboat to keep cruising South towards warmer weather. After visiting a few quiet anchorages in the Chesapeake, Robin, and Akiva stop for a few days in Seaford to get some "life stuff" done...but not before getting the boat stuck in the mud. Fortunately, "Southern hospitality" is a real thing, and there was no shortage of helping hands to get Akiva to shore and help pass the time waiting for the tide to rise. Planning around tides is tricky business when the days are long, but the daylight is short... Prior to heading into the Dismal Swamp Canal, Steve rigs a 45 lb. Mantus anchor on the stern-or, as he likes to say, he "gave Arabella some brakes." Using a stern anchor will help them safely anchor in tight, congested areas, preventing Arabella from swinging where she shouldn't. After a quick, Christmassy visit to Colonial Williamsburg, Steve and Robin head out of Seaford (at high tide, this time), navigating a very foggy Chesapeake River, and making their way through Norfolk, VA, one of the busiest shipping corridors in the United States and the largest naval base in the world. A few bridges, and voilà...Arabella makes it out of Norfolk and into the Swamp. But more about that next week... -------------------------- Sign up for our email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hn3Qyv Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva. -------------------------- If you are interested in supporting/helping here are a few ways: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/how-to-help Acorn to Arabella's wishlist: https://www.acorntoarabella.com/wishlistpriority TotalBoat supports A2A! Please consider using our Total Boat referral code. Click here, then shop: https://www.totalboat.com/acorntoarabella They'll kick 10% our way! To offer recurring support via Patreon, CLICK BELOW. Just $5 a month gets you an invite to our monthly patron-only livestream Q&A sessions! https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Original Soundtrack available at benfundis.bandcamp.com FOLLOW US: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/acorntoarabella Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/acorntoarabella/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/acorntoarabella Website: http://www.acorntoarabella.com