Sailing AWEN | Liveaboard Crusing on Our Saona 47 Catamaran

Welcome to our blog!

We are in the process of transitioning to full-time liveaboard cruising on our Fountaine Pajot Saona 47 with the goal to sail from the Mediterranean to Australia over the course of five to seven years.

We created this blog to share lessons learned and document our journey as we make this major life change.

Our Story

Our Route

We track the destinations and anchorages we have visited on Polarsteps.

You can view more detail on where we have been, view pictures and interact with our route by clicking the link below.

Sailing Map

Jan 17
4 min

Choosing International Medical Insurance While Cruising

Healthcare insurance while sailing internationally can be a bit of a sore subject because now that we have quit our jobs the full impact...

Oct 28, 2020
4 min

Inspecting Surfaces & Package Options at Handover

This is part of the series of blogs on the owner inspection at handover, please check out hull inspection and major systems blogs for...

Oct 24, 2020
4 min

Mast & Rigging Inspection at Handover

Before you read this blog, please refer quickly to deciding on a new or used boat. The main takeaway is you have to remember that even a...

Oct 19, 2020
2 min

Hidden Costs to Commission a New Catamaran

In this blog I will cover the final, final costs of commissioning our catamaran after manufacturer and dealer costs. We finally had a...

Oct 8, 2020
8 min

Major Systems Inspection at Sailboat Handover

This is a continuation of a series of blogs about items we wanted to take extra care to inspect at handover. After the hull inspection...

Oct 5, 2020
1 min

Simple Vegan Slaw

Fresh and flavorful, this is a versatile side dish to use inside wraps or sandwiches or with pasta. Add to lentils or quinoa and create a...

Oct 1, 2020
3 min

Hull Inspection at Handover

There’s this strange time in the handover process where we are supposed to take possession of the boat but we still won’t have control of...

Sep 30, 2020
4 min

Sailboat Name & Artwork

We have been given so many compliments on our sailboat artwork, and for those who know what it means, our boat name. I thought I would do...

Sep 5, 2020
4 min

The Coppercoat Dilemma

We had been going back and forth about Coppercoat and there's definitely pros and cons. We believe there are benefits, especially if we...

Aug 28, 2020
4 min

Engine Problems Before Bay of Biscay Passage to Gibraltar

We were getting ready to finally leave the boatyard at La Rochelle. It was time. Not only had we spent way too much money in that town -...

Aug 2, 2020
3 min

Deciding on a New versus Used Boat

When we were thinking about buying a boat, we were weighing between the pros and cons of a new boat versus a used boat. One of the things...

Mar 10, 2020
2 min

Vegan Flapjacks

Chocolate Banana Pancake Recipe Try this high-protein vegan option for breakfast, when guests come or great for preparing for boat...

Feb 18, 2020
1 min

Vegan Split Pea Soup

This is a hearty, high-protein vegan soup but can be chilled overnight and used inside wraps the next day. Add garnishes to bling it up....

Jan 26, 2020
8 min

Choosing Flags, Registration, LLCs for a New Catamaran

So we were just told that our boat is coming out in just three weeks after first being told around December it was delayed until March....

Jan 11, 2020
8 min

Boats, Bickering and Battles

D-H! Dear husband, darling hubby, dawdling hottie, dork head or any other extensions of this handy acronym will do depending on the...

Dec 13, 2019
6 min

Schengen & Visas While Sailing the Mediterranean

How long can we actually stay in the Med and where do we go if we need to reset our time while sailing? In this blog I’ll share what we...

Nov 15, 2019
11 min

Drowning in Sailboat Paperwork

Life is chaos right now, honestly. I happened to also have a doctors appointment this week and no kidding, my blood pressure was really...

Nov 3, 2019
8 min

Making a Sailing Risk Management Plan

Let’s face it, stuff happens. It’s not the fact that they happen that is bad, it’s being unprepared for how to anticipate situations and...

Oct 31, 2019
8 min

Overcoming Fear of Ocean Sailing

The problem with sailing is the more you learn about it, the more you realize all the ways the ocean is out to get you. I have struggled...

Oct 17, 2019
9 min

Medical Matters

Accidents, heart attacks, sepsis…these are things that terrify me when it comes to living on a boat. In today’s blog I’ll talk about...

Oct 13, 2019
8 min

Warranties & First Year Fixes

In today’s blog I’ll talk about what I learned about warranties and who is supposed to be responsible for what.

Oct 4, 2019
9 min

How We Chose Our Broker

When you buy a new boat, it turns out that the broker you use you will be stuck with for a long time. It’s like a marriage. We sort of...

Sep 29, 2019
13 min

Deciding on Options & Learning About Commissioning

Decisions, decisions ...and so many things to consider. Commissioning and deciding about options when buying a new sailboat is not a...

Sep 22, 2019
10 min

Meeting Tracy Edwards & Women in Sailing

I had the pleasure of meeting Tracy Edwards, famed British sailor and social activist this past week and wanted to share some thoughts...

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