Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Gaviidae Sails
Gaviidae Sails

Adventures of a Wandering Loon

Recent Posts

St. Lawrence Estuary – the Southern Shore
We departed Tadoussac on July 30th and crossed the St. Lawrence to the southern shore. Our friends Frank and Marie-Claude from SV Komeekha had left...
Read More "St. Lawrence Estuary – the Southern Shore"
The Saguenay
Please don’t call me Ishmael. This account does describe "sailing about a little and seeing the watery part of the world." And it involves a...
Read More "The Saguenay"

Dan’s Galley

Dan loves to cook and the galley or kitchen is his domain. When he has an idea for a particular dish, he will find numerous recipes and then merge them together. Of course he always adds his own twist as well.

Click on the wine bottles to see the complete recipe list.

 

Random Posts from the Past

Diversions in a Southerly Direction
I happen to be one of 5000+ women who belong to a Facebook group called Women Who Sail (WWS). The participants are located around the globe and have been an …
Read More "Diversions in a Southerly Direction"
Lion’s Head – On the Wrong Side of the Peninsula
If you remember O.J.’s high speed chase down the freeways of LA, you will get the picture of our incredibly slow-motion docking when coming into...
Read More "Lion’s Head – On the Wrong Side of the Peninsula"
Cascades and Pits in Otter Head
The old sea adage is that there are two types of sailors: Those who have run aground, and those that will. Last August Julie and...
Read More "Cascades and Pits in Otter Head"
Meldrum Bay to Gore Bay – Harbour Hopping
We ended up staying at Meldrum for two nights due to weather – non-stop rain, cold, etc. When you have the option to stay put,...
Read More "Meldrum Bay to Gore Bay – Harbour Hopping"
Wilderness Rally at Turnbull Island – North Channel
Can you really call it wilderness when you have thirty-four boats all gathered together for a few days of fun? I know towns whose population...
Read More "Wilderness Rally at Turnbull Island – North Channel"

The Boat Kitty

Our boat kitty is subsidized in a very small part by our affiliate relationships with a number of vendors. When you go through our site to purchase an item, you may get a small discount and/or we may get a dollar or two dropped into our boat kitty by the vendor.

We do not have affiliate relationships for all of the items, some we have included because we have found their products exceptional. The items included are also not exclusive to life on the water – many work equally well in any home.

Click on the kitty to see our favorite items.

Our Journey into Housesitting

A number of years ago, I met a woman (Lisa) through the Facebook group Women who Sail and I followed some of her postings. Along the way she mentioned ‘housesitting’ and I asked her for more detail. Lisa supplied me with tons of information about her foray into housesitting including contacts, websites, and tips on getting started.

Realizing that we did not need to stay in one place during the non-sailing months opened up a huge number of possibilities for us. Equally important was the realization that we did not need to pay rent when we could travel and take care of people’s homes and pets. As the bean counter in the family the idea of taking those dollars designated for rent and putting them towards either travel expenses or boat improvements sounded like a win-win.

Housesitting Information

Required Skills
Both Dan and I had both grown up with an assortment of animals and we really missed having furry critters around. My experience covered dogs and horses but Dan had grown up on a ranch...
Read More "Required Skills"
Housesitting Resources
One of the most common questions we get asked is how we find the housesits. The simple answer is the Internet. There are numerous online services that you can join to either find housesits or look for a house sitter for your own place.
Read More "Housesitting Resources"
Tips for Sitters
Housesitting Tips for Sitters (based on our experiences) We’ve learned a few things during our time as housesitters. We have compiled a list of things we wish we had known when we first started housesitting.
Read More "Tips for Sitters"
Tips for Homeowners
We also get asked by homeowners what they can do to make their sit more appealing and how to make sure they get qualified sitters.
Read More "Tips for Homeowners"
House and Pet Sitting Locations
Here are the locations where we have been house and/or pet sitting. Locations with multiple icons in an area are repeat house sits.
Read More "House and Pet Sitting Locations"
Housesitting Profile
About Us My husband (Dan) and I are retired. In 2013 we sold our downtown Minneapolis condo and now spend our summers on our beautiful 41′ Gozzard sailboat. Currently we are sailing on the Great...
Read More "Housesitting Profile"

Housesitting Posts

It Never Rains in Southern California
Got on board a westbound seven forty-seven may sound familiar to many but Dan was surprised that I knew the song – he figured I...
Read More "It Never Rains in Southern California"
Housesitting – Changing Course
My sister recently commented that Dan and I live a glamorous life. Yes, there are moments – quite a few actually. But there are also...
Read More "Housesitting – Changing Course"
Reflections of a Winter
I stepped outside with our two canine wards on their leashes. The smell of wood smoke wafted through the surrounding woods. While the convenience of...
Read More "Reflections of a Winter"
Housesitting – It’s a Wrap (and time to get ready for the sailing season)!
I am currently enjoying my morning coffee in an idyllic place near Roxbury CT. Again, our house and pet sitting adventures have taken us to...
Read More "Housesitting – It’s a Wrap (and time to get ready for the sailing season)!"

About Dan and Julie

We started our sailing journey very casually – Dan on a Sunfish and Julie on an O’Day Daysailor. A chance invitation from a co-worker to sail in the Virgin Islands got us both hooked and started us on a very different path for recreation and as a lifestyle.

2013 – Heading into Duluth on our G37

From that initial charter experience we both began to dream of a sailboat large enough to live on with a goal of getting to tropical waters. We did our research on boats, made a list of requirements (the must-haves vs. would-like-to-have). Our process led us to Gozzard Yachts but it was 2013 before we actually purchased one.

Read More

Team Gaviidae

Daniel DeWeese
Captain, Galley Slave, Mechanic
LinkedInFaceBook
Julie Thorndycraft
Navigator, Chief Efficiency Officer
LinkedInFaceBookInstaGram