Greatest hits tour – Sailing the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands on a 38 foot catamaran

Jeff 20 August, 2018
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Lying on the bow net during the height of the Perseid meteor shower, I was thrilled our greatest hits tour came together. It had been years since we sailed my Catana 431 in Europe and the Caribbean. My wife, Celine, …

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Sailing the Atlantic – slideshow

Jeff 17 January, 2018
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Join me as Tom, Scott and I prepare for, cross the Atlantic and celebrate arrival in St Lucia. Music is William Ackerman’s Bricklayers Beautiful Daughter.

Cassette steering for new monohulls

Jeff 17 January, 2018
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This steering system just won the Pittman innovation award and should reduce costs, improve consistency and effectiveness and deliver a better steering experience over custom one-off systems. Awesome design!                     https://www.sailmagazine.com/gear/jefa-modular-steering-cassette

Las Palmas – prepping for the Atlantic crossing…

Jeff 15 December, 2017
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The Line Extends – Jeffrey Smith’s circumnavigation continues This installment finds Jeff and his crew in the Canary Islands preparing for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. Being down one crew member, and while awaiting the arrival of our final crew …

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Guadeloupe to Trinidad – with a 14 month-old baby!

Jeff 15 December, 2017
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The Line Extends – tales of Jeffrey Smith’s circumnavigation aboard his Catana 431 catamaran Today! My catamaran Today! has been waiting patiently in Marina Bas du Fort, Guadeloupe for my return. Andrew Dove, the local North Sails representative, has been …

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Gibraltar to the Canaries – Major Injury

Jeff 15 December, 2017
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The Line Extends – Jeffrey Smith’s circumnavigation continues This installment finds Jeff and his crew sailing from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands in preparation for the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. Big seas, a 27 knot puff and a loose mainsheet …

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Crossing the Atlantic

Jeff 15 December, 2017
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The Line Extends: Crossing the Atlantic One in a series of stories about Jeffrey Smith’s circumnavigation aboard Today! It’s blowing 24 knots true out of the southeast, and has been raining off and on all night. Scott is driving in …

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The line extends – north from St Lucia

Jeff 15 December, 2017
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The Line Extends – tales of Jeffrey Smith’s circumnavigation aboard his Catana 431 catamaran Today! After three days at the dock in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia, recovering from our race across the Atlantic, it was time to fuel up and …

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My sailing resume

Jeff 9 December, 2017
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I started sailing in San Francisco Bay with my oldest brother when I was six. At 16 I was sailing with my other brother in a Lido 14 in Newport Harbor, and then took a series of sailing courses from …

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Burning Man – preparation, experience, tips and ideas

Jeff 15 October, 2017
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Burning Man Equipment List Following is the list of equipment I take with me to Burning Man so I can be 100% self-sufficient. That being said, I generally find I have too much food and in 2016 too much water. …

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Crossing the Atlantic in a 43 foot catamaran

Jeff 14 March, 2015
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After sailing in the Mediterranean for a year, I entered my Catana 431 in the 2001 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. Formerly known as the Atlantic Race for Cruisers, the annual event was rebranded to enable participants to get insurance for …

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Boat Books: great repair, maintenance, routing and preparation books (and some courses)

Jeff 26 February, 2015
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The first eight times I took my trimaran “The Shadow” sailing, I hit logs or other debris that did small to moderate damage to the boat. One repair to the centerboard was $800 so I quickly learned I needed to …

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Anchoring and docking a large catamaran – power or sail

Jeff 17 January, 2015
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When I took delivery of my Catana 431 in Canet, France, I was very concerned that I would carom it off the other boats and docks trying to get it out into the Med. Canet is very windy, and I …

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Gunboat 55 – short handed circumnavigator?

Jeff 14 January, 2015
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 Just watched a Sail magazine review on the first Gunboat 55 from the recent Annapolis boat show, and it is a seriously impressive boat. I have been following Gunboats since their introduction and always like their focus on high performance.  Nigel Irens …

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Al Di Meola – phenomenal guitarist

Jeff 24 September, 2014
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I first discovered Al Di Meola when he was playing with Return to Forever, many years ago. I have been following him through his solo career and as he has teamed with other musicians. His speed and technique is awesome, …

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Dell Computer – hard drive design flaw?

Jeff 23 September, 2014
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Relevance: Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 on Dell notebooks, tablets and desktops with up to 8 cores I started noticing that my Dell desktop and laptops had a hard time starting. Rebooting the machines to install updates, new software, after …

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Ducati Multistrada Upgrades

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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On my first ride on the Multistrada I noticed major buffeting from the windscreen.  The screen has height adjustment – I tried it all the way up, down and settled at mid-height.  The buffeting was reduced but still unpleasant.  I …

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Motorcycle Trip Preparation: Alaska

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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“The Milepost” is published each spring and contains the latest information for the variety of routes to Alaska from Montana, Idaho and Washington.  It is an excellent guide and lists out details for every segment of each route.  I originally …

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Adventure Motorcycle Selection – BMW vs Ducati vs Suzuki vs Triumph

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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Over the course of the last two years I have researched various alternative motorcycles for my trip to Alaska.  In 1996, I bought an early BMW R1100GS, which I rode all over the Pacific Northwest.  My expectation was that I …

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Charming the Snake – a quick trip to Morocco with Scott

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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Scott and I had sailed my boat from Barcelona to Gibraltar and were getting things cleaned up. We looked across the harbor, past the “Rock” of Gibraltar, and could see Africa!  Another continent! Someplace we had never been… We signed …

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Equipment List: Adventure Travel by Motorcycle

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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If you are planning a long trip on your motorcycle, take a look at this list. Please add a comment if you see anything missing. I will be expanding this list and also discussing various solutions for communications, entertainment, repairs, …

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Building a Sailing Catamaran in France

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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After years of research I decided to build a sailing catamaran in France to use as I circumnavigated the globe. I had been racing monohulls and  multihulls for years and really enjoyed the speed, stability and responsiveness of multihulls. After …

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Ducati Multistrada Issues: Clutch and Electrical

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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I went in to get new tires, new horn and to check the clutch. My Ducati has a history of missed shifts and false neutrals, particularly in fifth. Recently the bike was running rough in first gear – it was …

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Trip Report: Motorcycling from Seattle to San Francisco to Photograph the America’s Cup

Jeff 16 March, 2014
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As soon as I found out that the America’s Cup was coming to San Francisco in 2013, I made plans to take time off and head down to photograph and experience the event. One of my best friends lives near …

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