SailAmericanHoney

Mike and Kelli head out on the pontoon boat on Lake Havasu.

You never know what beautiful exhibit of nature you will see in these beautiful waters! Several Spotted Eagle Rays gave an amazing performance.

We picked up our dinghy today from TenderCare boats and took a cruise to our VRBO in preparation for our departure to the Bahamas. Captain Kelli did a great job and we arrived safely!

Wards on the Water Episode 8 Road trip! In this episode, Mike and Kelli drive cross country from Arizona to Florida and see everything from cacti to the coast. What do you do for 39 hours in a row on the road? See some scenes from across the country - will it be boring or are there some exciting sites to see? This is the next step on the American Honey journey - can’t wait to see her when she arrives! Follow us on FB & Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/SailAmericanHoney https://instagram.com/sailamericanhoney?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Want to know more about what’s mentioned in this episode? Check out these links: Chilttepica Products https://chilttepica.com/ My Pillow Promo Code HONEY www.MyPillow.com Charter American Honey www.SailAmericanHoney.com (email us) Catamaran Guru https://catamaranguru.com/

Kelli takes the helm and shows off her piloting skills in Lake Havasu.

Episode 7 We Go Baja Sailing In case you missed the tweet by an NBC “reporter” in Phoenix, we bought a boat. A sailboat. Not sure why he thought it was news, but what do we know! The real news? We didn’t know how to sail! In episode 2, we shared our first learning experience aboard SV Akani with Matt from Catamaran Guru. We worked hard before our week living aboard and we passed the rigorous practicals required by the Royal Yacht Association (RYA). We aced our final exam and earned our RYA Day Skipper certification. But no matter how tough that course was, one week was not nearly enough for us to feel comfortable sailing American Honey on our own. So we headed south of the border for another week of American Sailing Association (ASA) training with Go Baja Sailing. Captain Chris led our band of 7 pollywogs on a seafaring adventure that included class work each morning, experiential learning through the afternoon, written tests by 4 PM, and anchoring just in time for Happy Hour. Our classmates, Claudia & Peter, were from Switzerland (and are now roaming the world in a converted military vehicle – follow them on social @dubu_and_more). Scott and Cathy from the great state of Washington had a lot more sailing know-how than the rest of us and really helped all of us thrive on board. A solo lady who had relocated to Tucson from The Northwest also joined our escapades because her friends scheduled a charter on a monohull with Go Baja Sailing, but they didn’t have the space to add one more guest, but luckily we did! SV Manta is a 43 foot Fontaine Pajot catamaran based in La Paz, Mexico. Each week she is steered out into the beautiful Sea of Cortez by a seasoned captain and his or her students. The boat had some nautical miles on it, that’s for sure! We learned how to make a broken traveler and traveler car work so we could trim our jib effectively and ride the great wind almost every day. We had very limited cell service and we weren’t always sure if we’d be able to charge our devices. Captain Chris was very conscientious about water use – so much so that he forbade us from taking showers in either of the two heads, but we made due quite nicely by showering off at the back of the boat when needed. We snorkeled, paddleboarded, kayaked, and did dinghy duty each afternoon and evening. On the two nights we didn’t cook dinner on the boat, we found a couple of great little restaurants on the beach and had scrumptious shrimp tacos and great company - all with our toes in the sand. At the end of the week, we celebrated 7 successful completions of ASA 101, 103, 104, and 114. We said goodbye to our new friends and Mexico and traveled back to Arizona still dreaming of American Honey’s arrival! Follow us on FB & Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/SailAmericanHoney https://instagram.com/sailamericanhoney?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Want to know more about what’s mentioned in this episode? Check out these links: https://twitter.com/brahmresnik/status/1633206175423684608?s=46&t=SYBCfGukK15pWIFsgwLpKA Go Baja Sailing https://gobajasailing.com/ Follow Claudia & Peter https://www.instagram.com/dubu_and_more/ Charter American Honey www.SailAmericanHoney.com (email us at the link on the website) American Honey branding (yes, that cute mermaid with an Old Fashioned) https://whiskeyginger.com/ Catamaran Guru https://catamaranguru.com/ Link to American Honey on Cruise Abaco site https://cruiseabaco.com/boat/american-honey/

What next? Now it’s a flat in the middle of Texas…

Episode 6 is a real fixer upper. Figuring out how to transport, install, and use a flat high performance Starlink Roam in Arizona, cross country, AND on a Bali 4.4 catamaran. It’s definitely a job for Mikegyver. Many of you know Mike as an emergency physician, a private pilot, a retired Air Force guy, a dad, and an amazing husband, but you might not know that he loves to devise solutions to puzzles and figure out ways to make things work. Hence the name: Mikegyver. You remember the show from he 80s (and maybe even a recent remake?): MacGyver always uses what he has on hand to devise unconventional ways to save the day. Mike is the same way. He sees the issue, thinks out a plan, and puts it into action. In this episode, Mike has chosen the newest version of Starlink to put on American Honey when she arrives. In the meantime, he wants to test the dish and the connection in Arizona, at highway speeds, and on SV Resolute, a sister vessel to SV American Honey (same size, same layout, etc). See how he Mikegyver’s our car, how he temporarily mounts the dish for use throughout the Abacos in the Bahamas, and what his plan is for putting it on American Honey. Follow us on FB & Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/SailAmericanHoney https://instagram.com/sailamericanhoney?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Want to know more about what’s mentioned in this episode? Check out these links: Charter American Honey www.SailAmericanHoney.com (email us) Starlink Roam https://www.starlink.com/roam Star-Mount https://star-mountsystems.com/products/quick-release-mount-for-starlink-high-performance-in-motion-dish American Honey branding (yes, that cute mermaid with an Old Fashioned) https://whiskeyginger.com/ Catamaran Guru https://catamaranguru.com/ Cruise Abaco https://cruiseabaco.com/ Link to American Honey on Cruise Abaco site https://cruiseabaco.com/boat/american-honey/ The Bahamas https://www.bahamas.com/

The Abacos was quite an adventure and these small sharks were exciting!

Shark tried to take a bite of our GoPro, not nice!

Graceful and fast swimmers. A trip out on American Honey will bring you close to nature! SailAmericanHoney.com

On to Episode 5 where the Wards climb Mount Boxmore! So many boxes arrived after Christmas until they hit the road to Florida in mid-February. SO. MANY. Learn about why cardboard is bad on boats and how they saved space on their cross country road trip. Stay connected with the Wards on the Water by subscribing to the Sail American Honey channel & sharing the updates across social media @SailAmericanHoney.

In Episode 4, Mike sends Kelli packing. Well, he challenges her to “pack light” for their one month trip to Florida and the Bahamas despite the fact that they will be traveling by car, plane, and boat and probably by golf cart and bike, too! Kelli has never been known for packing light, but she accepts the challenge. Thanks to some travel friendly apparel and a list of what she needs, she just might get her bag zipped. We shall see! Links to items mentioned in this video: www.SailAmericanHoney.com Functional soft-sided bag https://www.nomatic.com/ Shoes: https://thespanishsandalco.com https://www.teva.com https://www.keenfootwear.com https://havaianas.com Clothing: https://www.kettlewellcolours.co.uk https://athleta.gap.com/ https://vetchy.com/ Bag/Accessories/Hair/Make Up: https://thefileist.com/marketplace/category/lindsay-albanese/ https://www.nomatic.com/ https://langehair.com/ https://www.seintofficial.com Linens and Towels: www.MyPillow.com Promo Code: HONEY

EPISODE 3 The Wards are back on the water - well, near the water - discussing their very first sailing lessons aboard Sailing Vessel Akani. Armed with book learning from the navigation-heavy course work from the Royal Yachting Association, they hit the high seas (that is, the offshore areas!) from Hollywood to Miami to the Florida Keys in royal style. They plotted their course and shared crew chores while getting a week’s worth of hands on sailing experience under the fabulous guidance of the Catamaran Guru’s Captain Matt. Weathering the weather taught them to value times of smooth sailing while living aboard reminded them of the necessity of team work. Enjoy Episode 3 of Sail American Honey and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to our channel today as well as follow us for LIVE videos and updates on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SailAmericanHoney & Instagram https://instagram.com/sailamericanhoney?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=. Links mentioned in this episode: Lake Havasu City https://www.golakehavasu.com/ Catamaran Guru https://catamaranguru.com/catamaran-guru-sailing-academy/ Royal Yachting Association https://www.rya.org.uk/ American Sailing Association https://asa.com/ Bali Catamarans https://www.bali-catamarans.com/en/

In Episode 2, Kelli and Mike talk about the decision to get a bigger boat. They've lived on a lake for over 20 years and now they are dreaming of sailing away. The only problem: they've never sailed! Well, they've vacationed and enjoyed sailboats, sunsets, and sangria on many occasions, but they've never been a helmsman, a crew, member, or - for goodness sakes! - the skipper! Find out how their dream is becoming a reality - one step at a time. Join the adventure! www.SailAmericanHoney.com Mentioned in this video: https://catamaranguru.com https://www.bali-catamarans.com/en/ https://www.leopardcatamarans.com https://www.cata-lagoon.com/en We hope you'll subscribe to our channel and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @SailAmericanHoney - there are many adventures to come!

Introduction of our sailing adventure. Join us on our journey of boat purchase, sailing, exploration and self discovery. 1/