Abroad Reach Travel

Putting in Van Subflooring: The Van Life Diaries 5

Gwen — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 22:00:00 +0000

When we built our first van in 2018, the most controversial thing we did was to not insulate under the van’s subfloor. We still stand by that decision because it was a standard height van, and every inch we could eek out mattered. Choosing not to insulate the floor gave us an extra inch of […]

The post Putting in Van Subflooring: The Van Life Diaries 5 appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

60 Affordable Gifts for Sailors Under $400

Gwen — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 23:16:08 +0000

Updated on October 29th, 2024Finding gifts for sailors can be a tricky thing, and over the years we have found other “gifts for sailors” lists to be a little ridiculous. You will regularly find ideas for $1000-$2000. What?!? I even once saw one that had a boat on their list? The holidays should be about […]

The post 60 Affordable Gifts for Sailors Under $400 appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

Cutting Holes in Our Van: The Van Life Diaries 4

Gwen — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 19:21:32 +0000

Updated on October 15th, 2024The scariest part of a van build has to be holes into the body of the van. It isn’t particularly hard, but the consequences of doing it wrong are VERY high. And on top of that, it happens super early in the build and so you haven’t quite gotten into the […]

The post Cutting Holes in Our Van: The Van Life Diaries 4 appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

Planning and Prepping: The Van Life Diaries 3

Gwen — Sat, 25 May 2024 01:12:44 +0000

Updated on August 22nd, 2024I am a big fan of the planning phase of any project. Prepping? Not so much. Planning is the dreaming and organizing, two things I’m great at. Prepping is just all the little stuff you have to do before you can actually start on any of the fun stuff. It’s tedious […]

The post Planning and Prepping: The Van Life Diaries 3 appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

We Bought a Broken Van: The Van Life Diaries 2

Gwen — Wed, 22 May 2024 02:13:06 +0000

Updated on May 24th, 2024We bought a van with a broken transmission. Not just shifting a little funky broken, but truly will not go into any gear broken. Was this a good idea? Probably not. Andy and I have done a lot of crazy things over the years and this doesn’t even register in the […]

The post We Bought a Broken Van: The Van Life Diaries 2 appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

A New Plan: The Van Life Diaries 1

Gwen — Sat, 20 Apr 2024 00:29:25 +0000

Updated on May 24th, 2024There is one thing that living and cruising on a sailboat for the last four years has taught me. Flexibility. It does not come naturally to me but practice makes perfect. When pretty much everything about your life is at the mercy of Mother Nature you get pretty good at rolling […]

The post A New Plan: The Van Life Diaries 1 appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

DIY Watermaker

Gwen — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 22:00:00 +0000

Updated on September 21st, 2022When we first started planning for our DIY watermaker our two biggest concerns were price and space. There were only a few requirements: it needed to be electric and run off 12 volts, it needed to fit on our Alberg 30 in a pretty small locker, and it needed to be […]

The post DIY Watermaker appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

Installing Solar on a Boat

Gwen — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 15:24:48 +0000

When we first purchased Acadia, it only had 200 watts of solar panels installed. This was basically enough to run our refrigeration and freezers and not much else unless we were motoring and charging via our 120amp alternator. We knew this wasn’t going to work out well for us in the Bahamas, where we planned […]

The post Installing Solar on a Boat appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

Intracoastal Waterway Gear for a Stress-Free Trip

Gwen — Sat, 07 May 2022 12:35:27 +0000

Updated on November 21st, 2022Making your first trip on the Intracoastal Waterway can be a bit overwhelming, especially when it comes to knowing what you might need to bring with you to make it a successful trip. You could certainly outfit your boat with all the latest gadgets and gizmos but it would cost a […]

The post Intracoastal Waterway Gear for a Stress-Free Trip appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.

Transiting the Champlain Canal

Gwen — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 18:00:18 +0000

The Champlain Canal connects Lake Champlain to the Hudson River and further on to the Atlantic Ocean. The canal is 60.72 miles from the junction with the Erie Canal to Lock 12 in Whitehall, NY and consists of 11 locks. The lock from north to south will take you from 96 feet above sea level […]

The post Transiting the Champlain Canal appeared first on Abroad Reach Travel.