Clik here to view.
FPB 78-1: Greetings From the 4th Parallel (And a Birthday at Sea)
Greetings from FPB 78-1 Cochise, where we have now crossed into the fourth parallel. The big news is that after 4000 nautical miles with the wind dead on the nose it has started to free a bit, having...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78-1 Cochise’s Solar Array: Even More Valuable Underway
Cochise’s solar array is saving us substantial quantities of diesel on this passage. We were aware this would occur of course, but doing the math and actually seeing the solar array work are two very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Cochise Towards Panama: The Tide Has Turned (And Other Momentous Events)
You may have caught a slight plaintive tone recently. We just don’t like losing 36 miles a day to current, even if we knew in advance it was a possibility. But the tide has turned. At same RPM and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Another First for Cochise: Crossing the Line
After many attempts over lots of years we are happy to report we did it. We actually photographed crossing the equator exactly on the mark. (Note – we have not yet checked the GPS accuracy by flushing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78-1 Cochise: Weekend Update
It is Saturday afternoon, Cochise and crew are chilling, and recovering from a dose of CED (current events depression). No, we have not turned on the news, and we remain blissfully ignorant. But last...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tuesday News From Cochise: Squalls, Data And Details
Lots of excitement aboard FPB 78-1 Cochise in the last 24 hours, and a series of milestones. Cochise has seen the 9,000th NM roll under the hull, passed 1,000 hours on the engines, cruised into the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78 Cochise: Panama by Morning
Buenas tardes del yate Cochise. Isla de Coiba is in sight, we’re starting to see shipping, just 236 NM to Flamenco Marina. ETA 0900 mañana. Sea is calm, breeze light from astern. Starting to see new...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Change of Watch
It is 0545 Friday, November 11th, 2016. FPB 78-1 Cochise is 4700 nautical miles from Raiatea in French Polynesia, 6400 nautical miles from Denerau, Fiji. Cochise has accomplished this for the most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wishing New Zealand Quick Recovery
Many SetSailors have been writing in to inquire as to Circa and FPB’s experience of yesterday’s massive earthquake. The above image shows the direct impact resulting from the 7.8 quake and subsequent...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using Modern Tools To Manage And Extend Cruising Range Under Power
We begin writing this post halfway through a 4,700 nautical mile passage, under power, against the trade winds and prevailing current, between French Polynesia and Panama. The accurate fuel...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A Pirate’s Paradise
Our first visit to Panama was in the same era that the North Koreans first decided they wanted to reunite with their southern neighbors. In those days, our heads were filled with visions of one...
View ArticleClik here to view.
For Lightning Bugs Everywhere
For those of you wondering if it is worth the hassle of bonding the metal on your fiberglass yacht, we offer a series of photos from one squall in the Gulf of Panama. The outside photos are shot with...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78-1 Cochise Is In The Atlantic
*Note: FPB 78-1 Cochise is currently just rounding Cuba, with an ETA at 17th Street bridge in Fort Lauderdale sometime Tuesday afternoon. The following post was written after transit last Tuesday.*...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78-1 Cochise: ETA 17th Street Bridge 1330
Attention SetSailors! Cochise is approaching landfall, ETA at the 17th Street bridge in Fort Lauderdale around 1330 local time. If anyone in the area wants to check her out, say hello, and maybe shoot...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78 Video: A Very Fine Panama Canal Transit
Watch FPB 78-1 Cochise transit the Panama Canal, using a unique side thrusting technique to keep the fenders clean… Yachts transiting the Panama Canal have three choices for position. Center chamber...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 78 Video: Beating Against the Gulf Stream – Secrets of a Comfortable Ride...
In the pantheon of situations to avoid when cruising, northers in the Gulf Stream are up towards the top. The wind opposing current kicks up a nasty, short seaway, and the warm water mixing with the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
“Bommies” And Brute Strength: DF 2-62 Moonshadow Reports
John and Deb Rogers, owners of Deerfoot 2-62 Moonshadow, are currently having a little work done by Circa after a surprise encounter with a “bommie”… The above photo is of Moonshadow’s keel, after...
View ArticleClik here to view.
From Our Boat To Yours: End Of Year Slideshow
The following slideshow highlights some favorites from our first cruising season aboard FPB 78-1 Cochise… From New Zealand to Florida, covering over 11,000 nautical miles in just over four months,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB Video: The Way
A new video in which we reveal the secrets behind all those ocean-crossing miles…
View ArticleClik here to view.
FPB 70 Bow – Taking Metal To New Levels Of Shaping Sophistication
The FPB 70 brings together the very best of everything we’ve learned in the last 40 years, not the least of which is a very sophisticated bow shape – perhaps the most difficult plating job ever. FPB...
View Article