Updates Underway Archives | Sailing Rua Hatu

June 13, 2025June 13, 2025

Our Chesapeake Bay Winter (Part 1)

Nic and Kiwi standing behind the "Love Portsmouth" sign in Portmouth, Virginia

Last fall, after lingering in Maine well into October, we hurried south ahead of the looming winter storms that would soon blast the far Northeast with ice and snow. Florida wasn’t exactly our cup of tea, what with brewing animosity towards cruisers there, so the Chesapeake seemed like a reasonable compromise of milder temperatures, friendly folks and plentiful anchorages to explore during the off-season. We were excited to catch up with several Virginia-based sailing friends whom we met the summer before in New England. But nobody could have prepared us for the winter we were about to encounter.

October 25, 2024October 24, 2024

Back to the USA – Exploring New York!

After an eventful crossing of the Gulf Stream from Bermuda, we reach the New York Bight and set anchor at Coney Island. We explore Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Gold Coast along Long Island Sound before continuing on towards Cape Cod.

July 30, 2024July 29, 2024

Bermudiful

After over 3 years in the tropics, we finally headed north in search of cooler temperatures. We left St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands and aimed for the tiny archipelago of Bermuda situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Our short stay on the island was filled with unique flora, fauna, foods and fun and offered us a chance to relax between two long passages en route to the US East coast.

July 12, 2024November 6, 2024

Goodbye Puerto Rico, Hello Virgin Islands!

After over four months in Puerto Rico we were ready to move on to new cruising grounds. But the prime season for crossing to Bermuda was still a month away, so we island hopped to eastward to explore the beautiful waters of the US Virgin Islands (and dodge the cruise ships that visit there). Though the islands of the USVI’s are less than 100NM east of Puerto Rico, the vibe was entirely different.

December 22, 2023December 20, 2023

Third time is the charm

After ten days of relaxing in Dominican Republic, and waiting out a tropical storm that caused the “largest rainfall event ever” on the island of Hispaniola, we finally receive clearance from the Dominican Armada (Navy) to depart for Puerto Rico. Just like the rest of our Caribbean journey, the winds wouldn’t exactly be in our favor, but we pushed onward nonetheless to reach our intended destination.