Covert Castaway Sailing with SV AWEN

This coming week we celebrate International Women’s Day and I just love learning from all the women who sail about their experiences, what draws them to want to live on the ocean, learning to sail, dealing with expectations and small living spaces, and advice they give other women considering changing their lifestyle to live aboard a sailboat.  In this week’s Covert Castaway podcast I have the gre...

How do you handle doctor's visits or emergencies while traveling globally? Today we share what we learned researching international medical insurance plans while sailing and living abroad.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to be sailing liveaboard cruisers. Join us as we share what we are learning as we make the lifestyle change to sell our stuff, quit o...

This week we include a special holiday gift for you for continuing to listen as we enjoy making room in our lives to learn and try new things. Just like sailing, anything is possible with a little practice but you've got to start somewhere! You can link directly to a higher quality version of the Le Bateau audio file at https://soundcloud.com/user-739904824/le-bateau .  Welcome to Covert Castaway,...

Any sailing couple knows that your entire marriage is one display while docking a boat. In this week's podcast we talk about our ideas about how we can better communicate and all the dynamics while docking and anchoring as we prepare for next season. Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruisers. Join us as we talk about what we...

In this episode we share our conversation with Vu and Bella from Seattle about their experience in their first season of liveaboard cruising, their quest to build an all electric catamaran they named Blue Saga, and lessons they have learned sailing so far. You will find their adventurous spirit and positive outlook contagious!  Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the tran...

Sorry, sorry, sorry this episode is so late. Our reentry back home to the US has been...well...a transition. We went from sailboat life to facing the devastating impact at home due to COVID and the economic and political situation. This week we get you caught up on what's been going on and what is next for us this winter. Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition...

We sat down with a couple from Australia who just started their first sailing season on their Moody 38 and got their perspective on making the transition. They share great advice and their adventures getting started cruising during COVID-19 lockdown in the mediterranean.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruisers. Join us as...

Find out what they don't tell you at the boat show...all the hidden costs of fully commissioning a new sailboat. In this episode we share what we spent money on after we took delivery. By adding up our post-delivery receipts I can give you an itemized view of things you may want to consider budgeting for.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to being a live...

How do you tuck the sailboat in for winter safe and sound? We had no idea either. This week we talk about our process winterizing our catamaran and what we discover in the process. Spoiler alert, it includes discovering five buckets of water in our bilge! Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruisers. Join us as we talk about wh...

Two vegans on a boat? In today’s episode we talk about what we do to try to stay healthy as we sail and enjoy the liveaboard lifestyle. We cover our general philosophy, eating out, shopping and preparing food and recipes. We also cover alcohol and exercise. Check out our blog for my recipe for Vegan Flapjacks at www.sailingawen.com . Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making th...

Our listeners Mark and Kathryn reached out to us with a bunch of questions about our journey to liveaboard cruising and our experience in the trough of despair along the change curve. They are also pursuing the dream and we thought it would be fun to record the conversation about sailing and lessons we have been learning. This one is a bit longer than normal but the chat was an honest take on what...

We have been getting a lot of questions about how we decided on a catamaran versus a monohull sailboat, why new versus used or chartered, why a production boat and why we chose an Fountaine Pajot. In this podcast we sum up our own personal preferences and rationale but remember, buying a boat is all about personal tastes and preferences.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience maki...

In our premier episode for Season 3, we share more about us and how sailing started. Also, we find a naked man aboard our boat at 3 am!!! Welcome to Covert Castaway, our fully uncut experience making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruisers. Join us as we talk about what we're learning as we make this lifestyle change to sell our stuff, quit our corporate jobs, leave our family and sa...

Season Two is a wrap and we get ready for the next chapter now that we find ourselves all alone (together) on a sailboat.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me as I share a candid journal about what we're learning as we make this lifestyle change to sell our stuff, quit our jobs and sail away on a 47 foot catamaran....

Now that we are left completely unsupervised on our sailboat, things get wobbly. We make some mistakes and learn a few things on our first double-handed passage to Sardinia, experience a scary docking incident and make a trip to the hospital...and we find Jesus, literally.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me as I...

We debrief on our two-week sailboat migration across the Bay of Biscay, through Gibraltar Strait to Mallorca. Lots to learn about sailing our new catamaran, more things to fix and trying to complete our boat projects list. The lessons for us keep coming! Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me as I share a candid journ...

We discovered the problem behind water being in both of our Volvo engines, just before we begin our maiden sailing voyage across the Bay of Biscay. We are so lucky to get this resolve before we left, versus discover neither of our diesel engines working in a confused sea state. Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me a...

Just before leaving the dock, we discover an unexpected surprise. 

The last two weeks of preparing the sailboat have been a blur, we update you on the shakedown, what broke, progress we've made and thoughts before setting sail for our maiden voyage across the Bay of Biscay.    Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me as I share a candid journal about what we're learning as we make this...

Our first sail! Well, sort of...it was with a sailing instructor who was teaching us the secrets of sailing a catamaran, but more importantly, how to maneuver in a tight, busy marina without ramming into other boats, people or docks. In this episode we share what it was like to finally sail our new boat and plans for the shakedown sail.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making th...

I once thought if you buy a new catamaran, it comes out of the factory and is sail-ready, which is not the case really. In this episode, we will share the changes we are making to make it easier to sail and other customizations before leaving the dock.  Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me as I share a candid journa...

Quick interview of our first guest. My DH's sister from Paris came to visit and gives her first impressions of the boat and her thoughts on our plans ahead.   

Rumors proliferate and we get our first taste of boat drama only a few days into our arrival to finally take possession of our new catamaran sailboat. Four days in and it feels like we've had enough action to pack a month. It's official, our lives are no longer status quo! Welcome to Covert Castaway, an undercover diary of making the transition to being a liveaboard sailing cruiser. Join me as I s...

Quick update from the sailboat in La Rochelle and very first thoughts. Surreal!