Tag Archives: cruising

6 Months Watermaker Update – Q&A Video

[sponsored post] This is a video for you techie-types covering our thoughts after living with our Spectra Watermaker for 6 months.

We are talking about:

  • Maintenance
  • Real-world statistics
  • Why we chose Spectra
  • Why this model
  • What happens if we get hit by lightning
  • Do we need to take supplements

Hope you like! It’s a fun one, and Kimmi and I have a bit different opinions on a few things…. watch and find out. 🙂

This video is brought to you by Sailing Zingaro and Spectra Watermakers.

Much love!

James

Sponsored by SPECTRA Watermakers

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Equator Crossing – Our Promise to Neptune (Ep. 55)

Episode number 55 covers the sail from the Coco Island, entering the South Pacific and arriving to Ecuador.

When we arrived the first time we had no idea how much we were going to see and how long we were going to stay. That country is so diverse: You have the coast, the mountains, the Amazon and Galapagos Island. Truly a destination for anybody that’s interested in anything! 😀

The next couple Episodes are going to be about us sailing all over the coast and even exploring the inland with their worldclass bus system. So cheap and so reliable, it’s amazing.

As You can tell, we loved Ecuador. I’m sure You’ll love it too!

Kim

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Sailing Your Catamaran Safely (Ep. 54)

This is an all-sailing episode! We go over how to sail safer, specifically on a catamaran. If you guys like to sail fast you like this episode!

Sailing a catamaran is a bit different than sailing on a monohull. We explain while crossing the equator into Ecuador. Come join us for this informative and funny example of what (not) to do when cruising around the world on a catamaran.

Also, this was one of our best and fastes crossings ever. 83 hours for 600nm. Woohoo!

Next stop: Mainland Ecuador. What a place!

-James & Kim

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Solo Sailing Through the Tuamotus!

While Kim is visiting her family in Berlin, I am solo sailing through the Tuoamotus, looking for the coolest places to bring her back to. This archipelago is definitely one of the most beautiful areas of the world!

Rangiroa Atoll

Sailing Zingaro | Rangiroa – the largest atoll in the Tuamotus

The Tuamotus are a group of atolls in the South Pacific. Very remote, very beautiful and very dangerous. Before the GPS age sailors avoided most of this area, because it was too dangerous to safely navigate. It is still dangerous if you’re not on your A-game – just this month three boats have been wrecked on reefs here. I saw one of them, when I was coming into the pass here in Rangiroa. It’s a constant reminder to be diligent.

Interesting notes on this journey:

My main sail ripped out of the mast track

Imagine you go outside at 2am and see your main flying in the wind, only held on by the halyard at the top and the foot at the bottom. And your alone. And it’s blowing hard with 6’ waves. But dangerous, that work. You can easily slip and fall in trying to wrangle the main. The only way I could do it was to let the halyard down almost to the deck, with the main spilling aft of the boat, and pull/push it back into the bag. Harder than it sounds, that thing is heavy. We are getting a new track shipped in, it’s and aftermarket tides marine track, they told me this happens after 10 years. Not sure the age.

No sleep – I start to hallucinate

It’s really nerve-racking sailing here solo. I usually sleep in 1 hour blocks, after the sun rises, no sails (drifting), and as long as I’m not within 20nm of land. I’m not sure how others do this… but here in the Tuamotus it’s hard to sleep because you know, if you sleep too long or the wind changes, you’ll loose your boat. At the same time after 36hr of no sleep I start to hallucinate (I know this from my navy days) and that’s no good either.

Sailing on/off anchor

I’ve really been trying to practice sailing on/off anchor, tacking with various sail setups (only jib, reduced jib, etc) and trying to learn the boat a bit better. Even after three years and 20k miles on her… I still have things to learn and I can still be a better sailor. That said, this last journey I sailed off anchor in one atoll, sailed 80nm to the next, through the pass, and sailed onto anchor in between a bunch of boats here. I’m damned proud of that. Too many people rely on the engines far too often. You don’t need them if you’re patient and willing to give it just a little more effort. It may pay off in the long run, as engines only fail when you need them the most.

Ok, enough ranting! Have a great weekend! Kim is finishing up the next episode about our arrival the Ecuador!

Much love!
James

Eat, Surf, Sail, Repeat! Cruising Costa Rica | Sailing Zingaro – Ep. 42

In this episode we finally got to Costa Rica, so we fill up the diesel tanks (we motored almost the whole way there) with 30gal of petrol and head out to the protected anchorages of Isla Tortuga, Isla Cedros and point Oregano. We do some much-needed surfing, and the fish are jumping in our boat!

Costa Rica was pretty amazing. Really cool parks, clear water at the islands, and FISH. We caught 5 mahi mahi in 1 DAY once. We were throwing them back…

In the next few episodes we’ll take you to Isla Caño, Mercialagoes, and Jaco/Herradura. Stay tuned for the fun!

Thanks, Kimmi, you did a wonderful job with this episode.

Pura Vida!
James

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Lucie says goodbye | Sailing Zingaro – Ep 41

We’re loosing our crew! You guys have no idea how bad it’ll get without Lucie. She was the only cook aboard. She came, she cooked, she conquered. Bye, bye Lucie!

We’re just getting to Costa Rica at the end of this episode, and good times await us here! We’re going to sail the entire coast, all the way to Nicaragua. Islas Caño, Merciàlago, and even the elusive Cocos… Stay tuned!

We had some amazing adventures in CR. It was beautiful, expensive, crazy, locals came to the boat, Kimmi went back to Berlin, and James and a local went on a spearfishing/sailing adventure with a friend. We can’t wait to share all of this with you.

But, first, hope you like this one.

Pura Vida!
James & Kim

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We Made it to Rapa Nui!

It took us 18 days to sail to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) from Ecuador.

The only fish we caught were flying fish, but luckily James is getting really good at making Pizza, so we were cared for. Our autopilot broke and we had to steer Zingaro with bungee cords for 1800nm. Bummer, but we made it and couldn’t be happier!

We arrived Wednesday, March 27th, and needed to wait for the authorities to give us clearance to step foot on the island.

The next day we got the officials on the boat, but by the time we were done it was 4:00 and there was nobody around to help us get in… The surf here in Hanga Roa is crazy, and the waves (called El Cruz) break over the entrance to the harbor. We need someone to guide us this first time.

So, we’ve got some awesome footage to show you guys. A teaser reel is already done (next episode is coming soon).

Finally, on Friday, we set foot on land for the first time in 3 weeks. It was exciting! You know what’s the craziest thing that stands out in my mind? The SMELL of land after 19 days. I’ll never forget that.

So we celebrated our arrival, we met our new friend Martha and danced for hours… 💃💃🕺

Cruising to Easter Island was great

The wind came over the beam for the most part of the journey, but its strength was very variable. While we didn’t have barely any wind the first three days, we were FLYING the 10 days after that. Reefed down to the bare minimum and still surfing these waves like there was no tomorrow. Then again we were becalmed or with little wind for the last 350nm. We had some opportunities to fly the spinnaker.

So much for the wind. Now to the things that broke: Astonishingly little! Only the autopilot did, which sucked, but it doesn’t sink the boat after all, so I give it a 2 on the drama scale.

We were prepared well this time (for the first time ever, probably), we checked halyards and sheets for chafing, provisioned well… It helps to be aware of the things that could go wrong, even though I could have done with out learning that the hard way!

Over all, we loved the trip and I believe it was our best one so far.

Kim

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Did we ruin Cleveland’s dream?| Sailing Zingaro – Ep. 38

Remember the $5k boat? Well the guy that owns that boat came down to get a taste of cruising. This whole episode is about our time together, and at the end he gives us an “exit” interview.

Cleveland records his REAL thoughts before departing and gives YOU guys a heartfelt, no BS description of the two weeks he spent with us cruising southern Panama.

We love ya Cleve! Had a blast with you bud. Good luck on all your future adventures!

Got a bit of everything in this episode. Hope you guys enjoy!!!

James & Kim

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Reality Cruising: This Couple is sailing around the World | Ep. 37

So much action in this episode! Spearfishing, shark fishing, storm sailing, and sweet sweet sailing. If you’ve got the itch to cut the lines and head offshore, this episode will do it for you.

We’re coming at you from the Seca Islands, Panama, one of our secret spots on the world. If you all get a chance, go there. Seriously.

We really enjoyed this episode, making it and editing it. Hope you enjoy watching it. We are uploading it from some sketchy hostel, because this is the only place with internet in Puerto López (Ecuador) at night!

See You soon,
James and Kimmi

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Beautiful Ecuador – the big surprise

Of all the countries we visited so far, Ecuador was by far the biggest positive surprise.

We wanted to come down here just to jump of to French Polynesia, but we ended up extending our visas and staying for four months to explore the whole country. We had 15kn of wind from the southwest every day and lonely islands to spend the night at. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Only a few days left in Ecuador – then we will set sail for Easter Island. Our next big cruising adventure… ⛵️

Fish attack!!! | Sailing Zingaro – Ep. 36

Fishing fail: That mahi mahi threw a knife at us! Tune in to find out just how the heck we got ourselves in this precarious situation, and if we got the fish if the fish got us…

We’re sailing in the Seca Islands, Panama: Cruising, fishing, storms and diving – This one has a bit of everything.

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Provisioning for Easter Island | Sailing Zingaro

Here’s a little peek into how we are provisioning for Easter Island. We are filling 10L/20L containers with rice, beans, quinoa, flour, lentils and popcorn. Then we put them into our buddy’s freezer for 3 days to kill any bugs/eggs (big problem here is weevils). Then we store them down in the hulls, and… pizza for months!

It’s pretty cheap this way. All of these containers were filled with various things for about $100. Yay team Z!

As we are getting ready for our longest trip we have been very busy. We will update you all on everything we’ve been doing, but first, check this vid out.

Much love! Thank you all! We cannot wait to take you to EASTER ISLAND with us!!!

James & Kim

Sailing the Lost Isles of Panama | Sailing Zingaro – Ep 33

Theres nobody here. It’s paradise. The weather is perfect, the sea is calm, and the spearfishing is amazing. Follow us for an amazing journey into the untouched and rarely visited Isla Secas.

They’re often passed up by cruisers, because it’s hard to slog up the coast towards Costa Rica. Furthermore, there isn’t any widespread knowledge about these islands.

That is the kinda place I want to be. And this time it worked out so well… What a beautiful island chain. It’s very close to Isla Coiba (World Heritage site and same underwater archipelago as Galapagoes). Just amazing.

Hope you like!

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The Sail Fail | Sailing Zingaro – Ep 31

The $7,000 sails don’t fit. We have trouble adjusting to them, and trying to beat to weather with them for the first time was a nightmare. We altered course and downwind sailing with them worked fine.

The roach on the main is far too big to fit through the backstays. Even double reefed it hits. I’ve since installed running backstays, but this issue is still not solved. Now I can use the sail double and triple reefed, but fully up there’s not enough clearance.

Continue reading →

Livestream about Dyneema, Synthetic Rigging & Boat building

Coming to you from the USA! Today we had a livestream with Luke Berger, owner of Kraken Structures Synthetic Rigging. We talk about Dyneema, and are showing examples of different ropes available, where they are best used. Also boat building, making money underway, and cruising plans for Zingaro…

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Season 1 FINALE | Sailing Zingaro Ep 29

The girls take the catamaran through the Panama Canal! We get some new linehandlers, struggle to get diesel, and finally get through the canal to the Pacific! What an adventure it has been so far.

As we say goodbye to the Caribbean ocean, we reflect on the memories we’ve made, the troubles, trials, and friendships. It’s hard to say goodbye, but exiting to start a new adventure in the biggest ocean on the Planet: Season 2 – PACIFIC.

Making this episode and looking back on the TWO YEARS we have spent cruising has touched us deeply.

Hope you guys love this episode as much as we do!

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