Have you missed me? A lot has been happening since we landed in San Juan. Like, A LOT. Here are some of the highlights:
- The dogs are four weeks into their quiet recovery period following a multi-night stay at the animal hospital to treat their heartworms. Since the introduction of the worm-killing poison, its been our job to keep their heart rates as low as possible for 4-6 weeks, so the worms will disintegrate gradually. They are doing great – you’d never know there is something wrong with them. We’re thrilled about that, of course, but it’s also kind of a problem because, guess what? It’s a total pain in the ass keeping two energetic dogs quiet, especially when there’s a stray cat living under every car and bush when we take them out to do their business. It’s a frustrating time for everyone, and we can’t wait to move past this chapter in their lives.
- While the dogs were in the hospital, Brian and I sprang into action mode to secure an apartment. The San Juan Bay Marina is a noisy/busy place with lots of activity to bark at, and we worried about their recovery (Marigot especially, being the protector of the two) in that environment. We settled on the Old City, found a furnished home built in the 1500’s for rent, and scrambled to pull together the insurance and documents necessary to close the deal. As New Yorkers accustomed to a cutthroat real estate climate, this seemed totally normal to us, but our broker and our landlord seemed taken aback by our sense of urgency. We signed the agreement, hopped into our rental car, drove over to the vet, grabbed the dogs, and brought them home to our new place in Old San Juan. Mission accomplished!
- Nico is reveling in land life. We’ve never seen him so happy. It’s making me feel really guilty about forcing him to live on the boat.
- We are using the Masters of Memory method to finally learn Spanish.
- We were inundated with inquiries from potential buyers for Nightingale Tune. I was feeling overwhelmed by it all, until out of the crowd emerged the most perfect family who couldn’t wait to fly down for a walk-through. They came to see her, fell in love, and now she is under contract. I am feeling all of the feels over this new development.
- Brian flew back to New York for a week to attend a family wedding, and I stayed home with the pets. While he was gone, I worked the soil on a biodynamic coffee farm (more on that soon), attended a fun Cinco de Mayo party on my neighbors’ rooftop, finally got my hair styled and colored, did research for the business I’m starting, and enjoyed a girls’ day out with Jennifer from s/v Corpse Pounder. It feels weird to be keeping a calendar again, but I’m enjoying how it feels to be busy.
- We’ve had a steady stream of cruiser friends visiting as of late. Some are passing through San Juan Bay en route to the Bahamas and the US, while others have, like us, stopped cruising and put down roots here in Puerto Rico. We are so grateful for all of these friends, who have helped keep us sane in the face of craziness by reminding us to stop and enjoy our new surroundings. After all, it’s the Puerto Rican way.
Which brings me to my last point – a question that keeps coming up – what shall become of the blog? Honestly, I’ve been struggling for inspiration lately. Do you, my readers, care about this next chapter and our increasingly normal lives?

Post treatment mutt butts. There’s a shaved spot for each injection they received during their stay at the vet.

And speaking of new hair styles, I finally made it to the beauty parlor. This was taken after she chopped off 6 inches!

The apartment is long and skinny. We separated it with a gate to give Nico his own space where Cole and Marigot cannot bother him.

Old friends turned marina neighbors – Jennifer, John, and Jack of Corpse Pounder. It’s been beyond awesome that we all decided to settle in Puerto Rico!

We hosted a gathering with a mission to finish all of the beer left in our boat fridge. We were joined by our friends Marjolaine and Mike – who used to sail on s/v Basta (way back when) who recently settled in Puerto Rico, Alli and Dave of s/v AlliOop, Cheri and her husband Alan (not pictured) of s/v Consort
I would still be very interested hear how your lives are going if you are still happy to share! I will likely never visit your new home and love hearing about your life there, and how your furry family is going!
Thanks Carolyn! It helps to know people will still read on. 🙂
So happy to see you! I was afraid something not good happened. Glad to see it’s not the case, except for the worms 🙁 I missed reading your blog, so well written with so beautiful pictures! and would certainly miss following your adventure and your furry kids 😉 I’m a pet lover too. But should you decide to stop the blog (snif snif), please give some news through facebook at times? 🙂 Best to you in all your projects!
Yay! I did miss you. Yours was one of my favourite sailing blogs. I would still be interested to read about your new life, if you want to keep writing about it. I think your viewpoint on life on a Caribbean island will be interesting!
Oh, I forgot to say – since you have finished sailing, I have been trying to find other sailing blogs to follow along with. Perhaps an idea for a blog post might be any that you also follow?
Great idea @ Miss Kitty! Truth be told, we haven’t been following as many these past few years, but will be happy to share blogs written by friends.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your on-board adventures and would enjoy hearing how things are in Puerto Rico. There are on going things I want to know, about the dogs and your new company and Nico and … I must confess that I really want to know what the new owners name Nightingale Tune/Morning Light. Thanks for sharing your adventure and if you’re ever in Annapolis, there’s always a berth available for you (including the dogs).
Hi Linda! We will continue to update, though probably less frequently than when we were cruising. Once the sale is closed, we expect to update the blog with some tidbits about the boat and her new family. Hope all is well! I just realized that it was two years ago yesterday that we came down and spent our first night on the boat, surrounded by all the guys prepping their Alberg 30s for their rendezvous.
Wow! What a journey! It’s been fun virtually traveling with you all these months/year(s)? You’ve done an amazing job of capturing it all! The sea in your pictures looks too blue to be real (though I know it is). While reading your blog I would momentarily felt like I was on vacation. Thank you for sharing, and yes I’ll keep on reading if you keep on writing 🙂
I will always be a loyal reader. I love your life and your photos, please keep updating.
Hey Seabiscuits and thanks for the great blog posts. We’re a family of four on a sloop and we’re planning to head to San Juan very soon (we’re in USVI now) with the intention of staying put for a bit. It sounds like we’re not the only ones! We’d love to meet you guys and pick your brains a bit. Please email when you get the chance and keep up the good work!
Hi guys! I just responded via email – hope we get to meet!