Our Volvo Penta D2-75F started smoking just days before an approaching tropical storm — we had to tear it down and re-machine a part ourselves. This episode shows the real side of liveaboard catamaran life: hands-on DIY marine diesel repair, sailing storm prep, and keeping kids busy in tight quarters (Laurie gets a full makeover courtesy of the crew!). We also talk through other engine problems we’ve been chasing and what’s next. Boat/Region: Royal Cape 500 • U.S. East Coast / Atlantic Topics: Volvo Penta D2-75F oil leak, smoking diesel, re-machining engine parts, storm preparation, catamaran maintenance, family sailing. 🔔 Subscribe for weekly sailing, catamaran upgrades, and real boat life episodes.

We’ve finally reached the Atlantic Ocean! After weeks of traveling down the Intracoastal Waterway, our sailing family aboard Chasing Serenity is celebrating this big milestone. This episode is filled with the beauty and challenges of life aboard our Royal Cape 500 catamaran as we continue our journey south. We take time to relax at the beach, where we spot wild horses roaming along the shoreline and dolphins playing in the waves. These magical moments remind us why we chose the sailing lifestyle — even as repairs, storms, and daily boat work are never far away. Back on the water, we try our luck at fishing directly from the catamaran. I share the trolling gear and technique that work for us while cruising, from lure choice to how we set up lines while under sail. It’s a simple but effective setup for catching fresh fish during our passages. Join our family of four as we sail, repair, explore, and adjust to full-time liveaboard life. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, every week brings new lessons, unexpected challenges, and unforgettable experiences. ⚓ About us: We’re sailing full time aboard a Royal Cape catamaran with our two kids, sharing the highs and lows of cruising life. Subscribe for weekly sailing episodes that include boat projects, family adventures, wildlife encounters, storms, and the daily reality of living at sea.

This week on Chasing Serenity starts with an update you never want to give: our engine broke just as a tropical storm was heading our way. Liveaboard life continues and our family finds a way to make life work. The rest of the episode takes you with us down the Intracoastal Waterway, traveling from Virginia into North Carolina. Our ICW mast barely made it under so many bridges! It’s a shorter episode, but full of the beauty (and challenges) of ICW cruising. ⚓ Join our family aboard our 50-foot Royal Cape catamaran as we share the ups, downs, and everyday reality of life on the water.

This week aboard aboard our family sailing vlog, we tackle a big catamaran repair: fixing our broken main halyard at the masthead. Using what was left of the broken halyard, we went up the mast and replace it. It was nerve-wracking but it worked — and we’re back sailing! I was a satisfying DIY catamaran repair win! Between repairs, we explored a tiny shack on a remote Chesapeake beach and were greeted by dolphins on our way into Norfolk, VA. First dolphins we've seen on the boat!!! I also share an issue I’ve been tackling with our boom crane, and the fix I’m trying to make it work reliably. ⚓ Join our family aboard our 50-foot Royal Cape catamaran as we take on repairs, adventures, and everyday life while cruising. 🔧 Boat Work: Replacing the main halyard on a Royal Cape 500 catamaran, boom crane troubleshooting on a Royal Cape 500 catamaran. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Crew: Liveaboard family of 4, emotional support dolphins Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

This week we sail as a family from Solomons to Norfolk with the kids enjoying some time on the water. Jeff tackles one of our biggest projects yet — upgrading our electrical system from a single Victron Multiplus to a dual inverter setup in parallel. It’s a huge step forward for powering our off-grid liveaboard life. Check out the last phase of our DIY project catamaran refit. ⛵ Sailing Route: Solomons, MD → Norfolk, VA 🔧 Boat Work: Converting single Victron Multiplus system to dual Victron Multuplus in parallel, wiring, fuses, breakers, Marine AC and DC wiring 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Crew: Liveaboard family of 4 on our Royal Cape 500 catamaran Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

This week we sail from Annapolis to Solomons, but DIY catamaran engine fixes are dampened by a major fail. While tackling some painting and boat projects, we take apart our engine… only to ruin the part completely while cleaning it. Thankfully, we manage to replace it and keep our sailing vlog moving! ⛵ Sailing Route: Annapolis → Solomons, Chesapeake Bay 🔧 Boat Work: Painting + Engine Repairs (and mistakes!) - Volvo D2-75F raw water impeller change, tubo wastegate valve carbon cleaning, exhaust mixing elbow over cleaning and replacement. Raymarine fluxgate compass location change. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Crew: Liveaboard family of 4 on our Royal Cape 500 catamaran Have you ever made a repair mistake that cost more time or money than expected? Tell us in the comments!

Sailing to Annapolis was a milestone for us, but life afloat brings new challenges. This week we arrive in Annapolis, wrestle with how power and water are limiting our cruising plans, and take on a few boat projects like repairing a leaky hatch. We also face two big weather events: a wild summer storm, and hurricane Erin which ended up being surprisingly uneventful. 📍 Chesapeake Bay → Annapolis ⛵ Royal Cape 500 Catamaran 🔔 Subscribe for weekly sailing family episodes. Join our crew on Patreon!: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

From calm Chesapeake sailing to big life changes, this episode has it all. We enjoy some peaceful sailing time, fix our alternator, make friends with a few curious ducks, and even sell our car. We also share what’s next for our family and launch our Patreon! patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity 📍 Chesapeake Bay ⛵ Boat: Royal Cape 500 Catamaran 🔔 Subscribe for weekly sailing family episodes

This episode marks two big firsts for us. We take our Royal Cape 500 catamaran out for our first sail without our training captain on board — and then spend our first night on anchor away from the dock. It’s both exciting and a little nerve-wracking, but these are the milestones that make boat life real. 📍 Chesapeake Bay ⛵ Boat: Royal Cape 500 Catamaran Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity 🔔 Subscribe for weekly sailing family episodes as we learn, fix, and explore. 💬 Do you remember your first night on anchor? How did it go?

This week is all about sailing. We take our Royal Cape 500 catamaran out for our final sailing training, sail around a historic Chesapeake lighthouse, and once again find ourselves fighting with our stubborn autopilot. Repairs aren’t easy, but we’re determined to get it working before our next big trip. 📍 Chesapeake Bay ⛵ Royal Cape 500 Catamaran 🔔 Subscribe for weekly sailing family adventures 💬 What’s your favorite landmark you’ve sailed past? Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

Life aboard isn’t always predictable. This week, we cook up a special treat with the kids, share a glimpse of what lunch looks like on a boat, do a bit of engine maintenance… and end up swimming with jellyfish after the boat gets tangled during a man overboard drill. Just another week chasing serenity in our floating home. 📍 Chesapeake Bay ⛵ Boat: Royal Cape 500 Catamaran 🔔 Subscribe for weekly sailing family episodes Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

From storm clouds to sandy beaches, Episode 5 has a little bit of everything. We take the kids sailing, explore a quiet beach on the Chesapeake, and experience a gorgeous (and slightly intense) thunderstorm. Kaylee gets her first-ever haircut onboard, we clean our speed sensor, and replace the mainsheet line. It’s the kind of week that reminds us why we chose this life — and how much work it takes to keep it going. 📍 Chesapeake Bay ⛵ Royal Cape 500 Catamaran 🔔 Subscribe for more sailing family episodes Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

Living on a boat with your family is not a vacation — it’s a full-time job. This week we: 🧗 Go up the mast to repair our wind vane 🖌️ Sand and paint parts of the boat 🛁 Clean mold from inside 💩 Replace the toilet macerator 🧼 Laurie walks us through our laundry routine Oh — and we say goodbye to our boat’s old logo in preparation for the Chasing Serenity logo! 📍 Filmed in: Solomons, MD ⛵ Boat: Royal Cape 500 Catamaran 🔔 Subscribe for weekly family sailing adventures 💬 Would you live full-time on a project boat? Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

It's 100ºF and our boat AC dies. Cue Heat, sweat, and stress. While trying to survive a brutal heat wave aboard our Royal Cape 500, we scramble to fix our broken air conditioner and finally get our second engine running. Meanwhile, Laurie and Ana captain the dinghy for the first time ever. Subscribe for new episodes every week as we fix up our project catamaran and chase serenity at sea. Ever had a system fail at the worst possible time? Let us know in the comments! Featured in this episode: -Marine AC repair -Engine troubleshooting success -Dinghy driving for the first time -Surviving a summer heat wave aboard Filmed in Solomons, MD Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

We're starting to turn this boat into a home - one upgrade at a time. In this episode we install hammock chairs, replaced broken faucets, upgrade our drinking water system, and say goodbye to our rusted-out magma grill. But boat life also mean jellyfish, ducklings, and unexpected learning curves at every turn. Watch as we continue our liveaboard family journey and make this Royal Cape 500 a little more livable, one small victory at a time. Links for products in the video: Lifeline Netting: https://amzn.to/4kqAoIX Cord to tie netting to rails: https://amzn.to/3TixrPz Hammock Chair: https://amzn.to/44kBtvC Grill: https://amzn.to/4lABItE Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity

We just moved aboard a Royal Cape 500 catamaran with our family of four - and it's a full blown project boat! From plumbing to electric, cosmetic to critical, we're working on turning this fixer-upper into our island hopping dream home. This episode includes us driving from Minnesota to Maryland, starting to settle into our new boat home, and us finding out our "to do" list is a lot longer than we expected! Subscribe for weekly episodes! Patreon: patreon.com/SVChasingSerenity