Six years now Phillip and I have been sailing and sharing here at HaveWind, and-now, especially with our first Atlantic Circle complete!-we're often asked where all we have traveled by sailboat.  Well, this should explain it!  A six-year HaveWind animated-footage timeline as well as a graphic.  Check out Animated Annie!  : )   While Phillip and I work very hard to keep our boat and our bodies healthy enough to travel, another critical element of that is being able to work remotely and make remote income to fund our cruising. Although it does not always show from our many photos of cocktails, sunsets, kite-surfing sessions, sailing, and traveling, we do spend a good bit of time working remotely on legal matters (we are both attorneys), marketing, writing, and many forms of entrepreneurism. Our main goal at HaveWind is to share the entirety of the lifestyle with you (from the work, the commitments, and the sacrifices) to the infinite and incomparable rewards. Phillip and I have had a fantastic time sharing this inspiring, humbling, thrilling journey with you and we hope we've inspired some of you, as well, to pursue your own version of "the cruising dream" along with finding creative ways to fund it. It's all out there for you, you just have to be creative, a little brave, and a little bit crazy! (That's required.) Get inspired. And, get on board! We hope you enjoy the six-year show!

I know many of you have been very curious about our swap from a manual to a composting head, and I wanted to share with you the install process in detail. The ventilation system turned out to be the trickiest part (mainly because we wanted to utilize old, obsolete systems to hide as much of it as we could for aesthetic results). But, other than removing the ? smelly items, this was really a rather simple install, one I was able to handle primarily on my own while Phillip was tackling the rudder post reinforcement and other projects, and one we are very pleased with. Phillip and I have been weekend cruising for about six months now using the composting head and have found it to be a wonderful new addition to our life goal of keeping things simple. There is no more pumping after each flush, no more pumping-out at the dock, no more head smell in our boat, no more sloshing (could bust a seam any day) turd tank, and we've opened up plenty of new, now much more freshly-smelling lockers for storage. Oh, and we closed a thru-hull (the one for the macerator). So, we are down to only four thru-hulls now on our boat and thrilled about it. I told you our motto: K.I.S.S. If any of you are considering changing your manual head on the boat to a composting head, Phillip and I highly recommend it. I can tell you this: We haven't heard of a single sailor going from composting BACK TO a manual head. That should tell you something. As mentioned in the video, here is the link to the detailed blog post I put together laying out all of our research and reasons for swapping to a composting head: https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/09/15/shipyard-project-no-6-swap-to-a-composting-airhead/. This includes the pros and cons we found and the rationale behind our decision to go with an Airhead (https://airheadtoilet.com/), versus the Nature's Head or C-head. So, feel free to peruse that helpful source before you watch the install if you would like to know more about our decision. Then dive into this fun shipyard project video! It is our last from our time at the yard with Brandon and his hard-working crew at www.perdidosailor.com back in 2018. While Phillip and I have not yet cruised for months at a time, living on the boat and using the Airhead, we have been using it for extended weekend cruising for more than six months now, and we are very pleased with the Airhead. We were also super pumped about the many other perks of removing the old manual head: all the new (clean, fresh, non-stinky) storage it opened up, closing one of our thru-hulls (to get us now down to only four thru-hulls, just four - whoo hoo!) and no more trips to the dock just to pump out, in fact no more pumping out again ... ever! What a fantastic lifestyle upgrade. If you have any questions about our composting head, feel free to shoot them our way via HaveWindWillTravel. Enjoy the show! As promised: a link to the Squatty Potty unicorn commercial (hilarious): https://youtu.be/YbYWhdLO43Q And, a link to buy the Coco Bliss coco pith bricks for the composting head (which is roughly $4/brick and each brick lasts 3-4 weeks, we're told, for live aboard cruisers): https://www.amazon.com/Plantonix-Coco-Listed-Organic-Bricks/dp/B06ZZXZQWW/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=coco%2Bbliss%2B1.4%2Blbs&qid=1553795794&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr0&th=1.

Calling all boat project fanatics, this one's for you! Boy, did we have a time trying to get our engine aligned. While Phillip and I knew we had some kind of issue going on with our prop shaft, the key that fits in the shaft (which was always coming out and we were hammering back in, brilliant plan!), and our coupling, we didn't know it was quite as bad as it was. Watch along as Brandon, Shane, and the great team at www.perdidosailor.com help us diagnose and solve many issues relating to our prop shaft and how it seats in the transmission. We had a machinist re-engineer our old coupling and make us a new one. We also re-bedded the strut and replaced the gutless bearing. And, just as boat projects always do, the boat had a lot of extra hidden work in store for us in the form of a rotten engine stringer portion (under the raw water pump on starboard, no surprise) that we had to repair along the way. Fun, fun! Misery loves company! Give it a watch! More photos and write-up available at www.havewindwilltravel.com. I hope you all have been enjoying these shipyard videos while Phillip and I were off galavanting across the Atlantic Ocean. We'll have plenty to share from that adventure once we get our heads back on straight.  It can be hard, at times, to transition from offshore sailors back to full-time lawyers/marketing gurus.  But, the work is always worth it.  In exchange for all of those photos and videos of us out sailing and traveling the globe, enjoy seeing us here all grimy and greasy wedged down in the engine room on our boat!  You're welcome!  B.O.A.T., am I right?  : )

Hey hey crew! As I write from La Rochelle, I have a confession to make. I've been saving a treat for you! I was holding this for when I knew we would likely be shoving offshore, so you all would have a fun video to watch as we struck out tomorrow into the notorious Bay of Biscay. We're planning to head out tomorrow for either a short hop to a new port or a quick shakedown and turn-around. Either way, we'll get water moving under the hull, learn a lot about the boat and crew's capabilities and quirks, and hopefully make it to a new port in southern France or even Spain. The adventure begins! And, to celebrate the moment: a gift for you all! Your favorite, a (drumroll please) ? SHIPYARD VIDEO! : ) I know how much you guys loooove our boat project/shipyard videos. Misery must love company, although I will say Phillip and I are far from miserable when we're working on our boat. It beats sitting at a desk any day! This will be a very fun "catch-up" video for my folks who are strictly YouTube followers as these videos will bring you up to speed on all of the very cool work and upgrades we've been doing on our boat this past summer, as well as share our very fun announcement that Phillip and I will be SAILING BACK ACROSS THE ATLANTIC this November! I told you it was cool ... That's right! Phillip and I will complete our first Atlantic Circle this winter when we fly to France in November and help a couple of very good new friends deliver their brand-new (just left the factory) Lagoon 42 from La Rochelle, France to the BVIs. You'll meet Kate and Cyrus soon, a very fun, adventurous pair. I guess you have to be to willingly hop on a small boat and sail across the Atlantic, am I right? When we finish that voyage, Phillip and I will fly home to Pensacola, work for several months and then shove off on our baby girl to sail her as south as possible for hurricane season next year. Likely Grenada. We are not riding out another season in the corner pocket here in the Gulf. It is horrendous to see what hurricanes can do. I did a fun write-up on the blog with more detail about this rudder post project for you all that have not seen it yet on the blog here (https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/08/02/shipyard-project-1-reinforcing-our-rudder/), but I knew you all would love a video, too. and, I've got several more Shipyard Videos coming over the next few weeks so you all will have some fun things to watch while we are crossing the pond. Be sure to follow along on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/havewindwilltravel) where we will be posting via satellite through our Delorme. That way you can track us in real time across the Atlantic. Giddyup!

Hello HaveWind followers! Quick fun video for you here showcasing the stunning port we are staying at now waiting for the Lagoon 42 we will be delivering across the Atlantic to be completed. Not a bad place to wait, I will tell you. Stunning views, amazing fromageries, and some pretty darn good wine to boot! We should be able to board the Lagoon next week and startnpreparing to set off across the Bay of Biscay! I posted a fun write-up of our travel plans--how we met Kate and Cyrus and connected, and why Phillip and I changed our own travel plans to join them on an epic Atlantic crossing--today at www.havewindwilltravel.com. I've also been holding a fun shipyard video in store to share with you all when we cast-off so you guys will have something fun to watch as we head out across the ocean. Follow along in real time via our Delorme posts at www.facebook.com/havewindwilltravel. Enjoy!

Ahoy crew! We've been saving this fun announcement for you. Many followers have asked our cruising plans this winter, and it's likely not at all what you would have guessed. We're going to complete our first Atlantic Circle! I mean ... life is very full for me and Phillip at HaveWind! We will be flying to France in early November to meet up with some new sailing friends, Kate and Cyrus, whom you all will meet soon, to help them deliver their being-built-now Lagoon 42 from La Rochelle, France to the BVIs likely via the Canaries. How exciting is that! When we crossed the first time in 2016 from Florida to France we were going against the trade winds. This time it should be a smoother ride, but we have no idea what the boat and the great big ocean has in store for us. Many lessons I'm sure. What better reason to go! We will be posting on HaveWind's Facebook page via the Delorme so you all can follow along and track us in real time as we cross the pond. www.facebook.com/havewindwilltravel Shipyard Annie also wanted you to know she's been working hard filming this past summer while we were hauled out at the Pensacola Shipyard with Brandon at www.perdidosailor.com, and I put together several videos before I left so you all would have some very cool stuff to watch at HaveWind while we're offshore. So, be on the lookout for those and enjoy the boat project videos! Phillip and I feel very fortunate that we have the health and flexibility to seize opportunities like this when they come along. While a ton (and I do mean a literal TON!) of behind the scenes work goes into being able to step away and shove off for a six-week adventure, it is all totally worth it. We LOVE going offshore. We're super excited about this upcoming adventure, and hope you all are too. We'll have much to share when we return! And, our end goal is to still sail our baby girl down to Grenada in the spring to keep her there for hurricane season. We're going to be busy this cruising season! Enjoy the show! Write-up and more details available at www.havewindwilltravel.com.

If there is one thing the steady north winds in the Bahamas are good for, it's flying the chute, headed south to Little Harbour! Ahoy followers! In Bahamas vlog time, we are just wrapping our stay at beautiful Hope Town, Bahamas (where we got lucky enough to snag a ball inside the harbor our first night there!) and sail this badass boat south to Little Harbour. Under spinnaker! I mention in this video another video we put out last year showing exactly how we rig and hoist the spinnaker on our boat for any of you just launching yours (don't worry, it took us years before we were brave enough). Here's the link to our spinnaker trainer video -- https://www.facebook.com/havewindwilltravel/videos/1291948950916224/. Little Harbour turned out to be a fascinating little hurricane hole at the south end of the Bahamas. We had some friends from Pensacola who were there at the same time on their Katana catamaran, so we got to rendezvous with them at the fantastically-fun and quirky bar, Pete's Pub, and meet the infamous Pete, himself. Pete is the son of Randolph Johnston, an American teacher and bronze sculptor who first settled with his family in Little Harbour in the 1950's. Some fascinating history there. Enjoy the video and photos on the blog at https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/06/30/bv18-flying-the-chute-south-to-little-harbour/.

That's right ... VIDEO ANNIE is here! As in live, on camera, and here to give you an update and share some very exciting news. If you can't wait, just go to my new "Speaker Annie" website here -- www.anniedike.com. You won't regret it. I know you all have been wanting to hear from us (not via text in the videos or even voiceover, but real, live HaveWind face-time). Well, you got it! I recorded an intro blurb here for you all talking about why we had to take a break from the cameras during our Bahamas trip, what we've been up to, and what we have in store for you this summer (we're dropping the rudder folks! and may be putting in a composting head, with detailed project videos to come). Annie also has some exciting news. Inspired by Pam Wall, I recently took up inspirational speaking. I mean, I guess I've been "speaking" (and writing and filming, and sometimes even singing) to inspire at HaveWind for a long time (five years now! : ) but this would be professional, in-person gigs, where I can really impact people looking for work/life balance, happiness, and motivation. I'm excited! You can check out my speaker website here -- www.anniedike.com -- and if you or your organization is putting on a big event and looking for a keynote speaker, feel free to reach out. I was also recently selected to have my speaking clip (about the time we had to hacksaw the dinghy off!) critiqued by a real Hollywood story-master, Michael Hague. SpeakerMatch will play my clip and you can hear Hague's critique of it live if you would like Thursday, July 12th at 12:00 p.m. CST by registering to listen here -- https://www.anniedike.com/storytelling-competition. I also added some more voiceover to the upcoming videos for you so you can hear more about the cool things we explored and did in the Bahamas. Our stop at Green Turtle Cay, where we were bombarded by the "Bucketlusters," is one of our favorite stories to tell from our trip to the Bahamas. Green Turtle Cay was a quaint, picturesque resort ? until 34 boats came to the marina, bringing 340 party people. We were bombarded by Bucketlust, and no amount of foul weather would stop their non-stop party. These people were WiLd, sporting different-themed costumes each day (think WWF Spandex, Unicorn tights, fuzzy vests, fanny packs, you name it) while drinking, dancing, and drinking some more from sun up until ? well, sun up again during a wicked 3-day northern front. Bucketlust is a private boat charter/group vacation (primarily for the young wealthilites who have a smooth 10k to blow on a vacay), and boy were they entertaining. Tiring, filthy, and loud at times, but still entertaining. We also had a fantastic time feeding (and dodging) the rather aggressive Abacos swimming pigs at No Name Cay, celebrating Junkanoo with the locals at New Plymouth for New Years, even getting in on a little hand-stand throw-down at the Tipsy Turtle. Fun video for you all here, with photos and a blog post here (https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/04/25/bv12-green-turtle-cay-handstands-hogs-one-helluva-party/), from our colorful stay at Green Turtle Cay. Enjoy!

Maybe they should change that B.O.A.T. saying to "bonded or about to." The hardest part of our rudder drop was getting the stinking quadrant off! Heat, impact, cheater bars, nothing would work. So, the creative guys at www.perdidosailor.com had to come up with a different fix, and boy did they! Ahoy crew! Shipyard Vid #2 coming at you from Cascias, Portugal nonetheless!  I put this video together a while back so you all would have something fun to watch while we were embarking on our second Atlantic-crossing helping deliver a new Lagoon across the pond from France to the USVIs!  I know how you all LOVE boat project videos, so here's another one for you from our interesting work at the shipyard this past summer.   While I wrote about this project several months back here (https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/08/14/shipyard-project-2-removing-the-quadrant-bonded-bolts-and-other-obstacles/), some of my followers love to see the video!  So, this one's for you! Phillip and I always enjoy working alongside the guys at the yard because we learn so much. They point out problems we didn't even know we had and teach us fixes we didn't even know were possible. Watch here as we (finally!) get the quadrant off and make the necessary modifications to do that, check on our G-flexed keel seam from 2016, replace the cables for the throttle and shifter (because, according to Video Annie, they sounded like "Grandma's panties coming down"), and shared some fun lighthearted joshing at the yard! We hope you are all enjoying the shipyard videos and having a great time tracking us along while we are sailing back across the Atlantic Ocean. Follow on our facebook page at www.facebook.com/havewindwilltravel for real-time updates and locations via our Delorme! Life is short. Fill your sails!

Life is swell in Spanish Wells! Or breathtakingly beautiful at least. Phillip and I were happily shocked to find our favorite beach from our entire Bahamas trip tucked away on the north shore of what we thought was going to be an industrial little fishing island near Eleuthera. We were also really excited to make the jump to this island because it would be the first time we were back offshore since crossing the Gulf Stream to get to the Bahamas. We love to travel offshore. The sunsets underway are just indescribable. I love when they bathe the boat, and everyone on it, in "sunset." Fun video for you all here, and photos below, from our sail down to Spanish Wells and the beautiful north shore we paddled there. Lobster, cannonballs, and starfish await! Dig in! https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/07/19/bv20-overnight-sail-to-spanish-wells/

High times at Harbour Island High!  Ahoy YouTubers!  While Phillip and I have hauled the boat out and are preparing for this monster named Micheal to bear down on the Florida coast, I thought you all could use a fun video I put out a couple of weeks back at HaveWind.   These high-flying kite-surfers were also at Harbour Island on a boat when Phillip and I were there, back in March of this year, only their boat was just a smidge bigger.  Owned by a billionaire.   Yes, with a B.  It's amazing the potluck of people you meet while cruising.  But, they were super humble and a lot of fun to "hang" with ? get it? : )   From Spanish Wells, Phillip and I decided to hire a captain to help us navigate through the treacherous coral-ridden path, known as the "Devil's Backbone," into Harbour Island, and we spent a fabulous three days exploring ashore, kiting our a$$es off (with the billionaires!), and hiking the south side with Brett and Kristen from Life in the Key of Sea.  As we share work from our time in the shipyard this summer, it's also fun to remind ourselves what all of that hard work is for.  Flash back to one of our last stops in the Bahamas this past March with a fun video and photos for you below from our time in Harbour Island.  Enjoy! https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/09/23/bv21-to-harbour-island-via-the-devils-backbone/

"Never cross with a north wind!" Can you hear it? Pam Wall's little energetic voice? She repeated this warning many times when we first saw, heard and met her at the Miami Boat Show back in February, 2015. I had no idea that amazing little enthusiastic woman would soon thereafter change my life, by encouraging me and Phillip to sail our boat to the Bahamas. But we did! This past December (Merry late Christmas!) And it was amazing. While crossing the Gulf Stream (that wicked current that rips up the east coast) was definitely one of our biggest obstacles in getting to the Bahamas, and we approached it with a healthy fear, we were thrilled to make it safely across when we checked into West End and realized we had just done it. All the work and prep and planning and we had done it. Sailed our boat to the Bahamas. Fun video for you all here from our crossing along with a blog post and photos to boot -- https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/01/29/bv4-video-across-the-gulf-stream-to-west-end/ Enjoy!

Enough with this maintenance in Marsh Harbour! It's time to get sailing and set our hopes on Hopetown. This was one of our favorite stops in the Abacos. Many cruisers live here full-time on a ball in the harbor which gives the place a very welcoming, community feel. There are lots of quirky little shops, beautiful flower-lined roads and bike paths, great restaurants and the stunning Hopetown Lighthouse, one of the oldest manual Kerosene-lit lighthouses in the world. Lots of pictures of Hopetown for you all in a fun blog post here -- https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/06/23/bv17-marsh-harbour-to-hopetown/. Phillip and I were incredibly fortunate to score a ball in the harbor our VERY FIRST night there (some people have waited years for one) and we enjoyed a stunning three-day stay at Hopetown. Enjoy the snorkeling in Marsh Harbour and the sporty sail over to Hopetown, and stay tuned next time for a trip to Little Harbor, a little-known hurricane hole at the south end of the Abacos where we were welcomed by friends who had just built an amazing little bungalow there. Plenty more to come! If you're more into boat projects, we got plenty going on currently at www.havewindwilltravel.com with our 2018 mini re-fit -- https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/08/02/shipyard-project-1-reinforcing-our-rudder/. Gotta balance all this play with all kinds of work, but we love it all. Enjoy the posts!

Have any of you ever wondered this? "How do they change their oil when they're sailing around the world?" I'll be honest, when we were first boat-shopping, I wasn't even entirely aware the boat had an engine, much less one that had oil that needed changing, or that we (Phillip and I) would be the folks to do it. I was so clueless in the beginning! I put together a detailed, informative video for you all here from our "Maintenance in Marsh Harbour" post (blog link here -- https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/06/10/bv15-maintenance-in-marsh-harbour-how-we-change-the-oil-on-the-boat/) and some photos there showing you how we change the oil on our boat, as well as the primary fuel filter and zinc. I also included one way, in particular, how NOT to do change the oil on a boat. You're welcome! Watch and learn and we'll hope an oil spill on board never happens to you. "Better get some towels," the captain said. *gulp* Enjoy the boat project video. We've got a ton of posts and write-ups on Facebook and the HaveWind blog right now covering our summer projects in the shipyard. Think rudder reinforcement and removing and realigning the quadrant. If you're a boat project junkie, go check out the goods!

Kiting in winds of 25 plus! Dancing with party-people all 25 and under!  Eddie the nipping cat at Nippers.  Bucketlusters, kite-surfers, Vladimir Platypus (my winter, wet-suit alter-kite ego) and "Bahamas Boys" looking for some cheebah?  Or bitcoin crypto ... I believe they're the same.  If anyone knows what those are, feel free to chime in below.  We've got it all for you guys in this very fun video from the stunning island of Great Guana Cay, along with my favorite photos at https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/05/03/bv13-great-kiting-at-great-guana-cay/.  It was so hard to choose any, though, they were all so beautiful. Guana Cay offered us great kiting on the Atlantic shore, never-ending entertainment at Nippers, a chance to star-gaze at the many stars who allegedly own houses on Baker's Bay (think Cher, Beyonce, Sting, etc.), a beautiful sunset anchorage, and fantastic fine-dining dinners at Sunsetters at Orchid Bay Marina.  We loved it!  Hope you all enjoy the video!

Like wet silk perhaps? Or running your fingers along the top of a pan of jello? No, it's softer than that. I'm trying to think of how to describe it. The silky smooth belly of a stingray. While I'm not sure any words can quite capture it, I'm proud that I can say, now, I have experienced it. And, it was all because of the "Stingray Whisperer." Ahoy followers! We're back on Bahamas blog time, having just wrapped our "magic moments" at stunning Powell Cay (https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/03/22/bv10-magic-moments-at-powell-cay/) in the Abacos and weighed anchor headed for Manjack (pronounced Nunjack) Cay where we kitesurfed, chased turtles and stingrays, and cracked our first coconut (and I honestly can't tell you which was more fun). Fantastic video and photos for you as well at https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/04/12/bv11-fly-like-an-eagle-at-manjack-cay/. Enjoy!

"I'll bet seeing that from the air while making a landing on the runway wouldn't be a very comforting sight," Phillip mused as we motored our way over to it. The dock master at Spanish Cay had given us some very good advice insisting we dive the sunken airplane on the other side of the island before leaving Spanish Cay. "It's just a few hundred feet out from where the runway ends," he said. Can you imagine being a pilot coming in and seeing the guy who came before you sunken in the water? While that's probably not how this plane got under the water (our guess is it was sunk as a fish and tourist attraction), I don't think that would make me pucker any less seeing that sight from the air while coming in for a landing. But, I'll bet you would prefer to see it from under the sea. So did we! Take a trip with us folks, and dive a sunken airplane at Spanish Cay! It's an octopus's garden in the sea! Fun video for you here, followers, along with photos and a travel log for you here -- https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/03/09/bv9-video-spanish-cay-zee-plane-boss-zee-plane/

"Time to go explorkeling!" shouts Scuba Annie! Yes, Phillip loves cruising with me. This was our first stop after we wrapped our "holiday on the hook" at Pensacola Cay. I could write about what we found at Hog Cay but this footage encompasses a thousand words. The beauty of coral and marine life speaks for itself. Some very awesome underwater footage for you guys here, from our first snorkel in the Abacos, at Hog Cay! And, a very awesome underwater soundtrack, too. Phillip chose the music: BØRNS 10,000 Emerald Pools. "You're all I need to breathe." Ahhh ? perfect! Enjoy!

Ironically, it wasn't a great "sail" at all to Great Sale Cay, but it was one of the most memorable trips Phillip and I have made on our boat. Visually, the most striking, for sure. As Phillip put it: "It was like motoring across a swimming pool." AND IT WAS. Fun video for you all here, along with photos and write-up for you on the blog here -- https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/02/13/bv6-great-sale-cay-like-motoring-across-a-swimming-pool/. Enjoy!

"First you start wit da coconut rum ... " Those were our first words from our first Bahamian bartender and boy were they true. Every drink in the Bahamas starts "wit da coconut rum!" Fun video for you all here from our cruise across Little Bahamas Bank to our first anchorage in the Abacos. It was like motoring across a swimming pool. Just stunning. Fun write-up and more photos for you on the blog as well here: https://havewindwilltravel.com/2018/02/07/bv5-video-west-end-to-mangrove-cay-first-you-start-with-the-coconut-rum/. Enjoy!