Sailing Totem: Circles Around a Small World
It’s not surprising for bluewater cruisers when people we met thousands of miles away or years before turn up in the same anchorage.
The Sailing Totem blog chronicles the sailing life of the Gifford family and also offers tips and advice for new cruisers.
Behan Gifford has sailed more than 60,000 miles while circumnavigating with her husband, Jamie, and their three children. Seeking a family-focused life afloat and a different kind of education for their kids, the family set off from the Pacific Northwest in 2008 aboard their Stevens 47, Totem. Since then they’ve visited 48 countries/territories from Mexico to Madagascar to Martinique. With their eldest fledged to college, the reduced crew of four are currently cruising the Pacific.
Behan has long chronicled the rewards and realities of life afloat on the blog, Sailing Totem. She’s a co-author of Voyaging with Kids, the acclaimed guide to cruising as a family, and is published widely in boating magazines. She seeks to encourage and inspire with her writing about the cruising life: to make it relatable and informative and help others visualize their own future afloat. Jamie is a recovering racing sailor; circumnavigation was his therapy. As a sail designer, he was behind winning campaigns for events including the Americas Cup and Vendee Globe Challenge/BOC; now he consults with cruisers looking for the sails, rigging, and systems aboard. Together Behan and Jamie offer coaching services to cruisers looking for help to make the leap to the cruising life.
It’s not surprising for bluewater cruisers when people we met thousands of miles away or years before turn up in the same anchorage.
Who doesn’t want a new Leatherman?
There are safe and smart ways to enjoy observing and interacting with these often-feared and often-misunderstood creatures.
“Over the years, we’ve used a few different methods for marking our chain in order to know how much has played out as we set the hook.”
Picturing potential emergency situations and walking through them before they ever happen can be a great safety tool.
The crew aboard Totem looks into replacing their current lead-based battery bank with lithium.
On long voyages, short hops and in anchorages for the night or longer, knowing there’s another crew to hang with has its benefits.
The Giffords discuss strategies for keeping the varmints at bay, while also imaging a new and better galley aboard Totem.
The ongoing pandemic continues to create uncertainties for a sailing family, but COVID restrictions don’t stop them from visiting friends and relatives back in the States.
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