Finding Our Balance

Spring greetings from SV Zephyros; wow, time and winter really do march along! For my initial installment, I’d like to talk about how we consider stopping for an extend period of time as full-time liveaboards in our 8th year aboard Zephyros.

First a little of our cruising history

Some years we sailed all year long; at other points we stopped for a few months as the weather and pace suited us. In the beginning, we were trying to get the most out of our 3–5-year sailing plan, which has now evolved into a “why would we stop” plan.

In the early years, our significant stops were fairly short, with 2 months in Gibraltar (Feb-Mar 2018) and 3 months in mainland Ecuador (Jun-Aug 2019). We would occasionally stop for a few weeks along the way to catch our breath, make repairs, await a boat part or heavily provision: a few weeks in Panama to cross the canal or in Puerto Montt, Chile to prepare for heading south in the remote Chilean canals.

After these stops, we were back to life on the move. Until we found ourselves planning our next steps in March 2020 in Puerto Williams, Chile and the world’s borders closed. We then transformed our cruising strategy as Puerto Williams became our home base for 2 years of repeated 6–8-week explorations of Chile’s deep south and two extended sails in Antarctica.

In early 2022, we were back on the move, zig-zagging our way north up the Atlantic Ocean and back to some warm Caribbean waters. We then stopped and spent some time in Grenada before heading to Trinidad for the rest of hurricane season and some boat work. Doing boat work and repairs in a yard is certainly different than cruising, but it isn’t really the same as pausing cruising for a few months – it is, or at least was for us, working at an intense pace so that you can get back to the cruising fun.

After the 2022 hurricane season yard period, we returned to cruising full time and stayed on the move, moving north through the Caribbean and crossing from St Martin to Ireland, via the Azores in 2023. In Ireland we worked our way along the wild west coast, pushing the season as late as we could. We ended up pausing in Derry, N Ireland for a month waiting for weather to cruise to our winter berth in Scotland, as we were resolute in our determination to find an opportunity to anchor and enjoy the islands and distilleries from Islay to Oban.

We arrived at Kerrera in early December and set off sailing again in March 2024, giving us a 4-month winter pause. From there we were on the move again winding our way up the northwest side of Scotland with stops in the Orkneys and the Shetlands before crossing over to Norway in May. The summer season saw us exploring Norway, visiting polar bears and walruses in Svalbard and then moving south again before stopping for the winter in early November 2024.

Seems like a random and dynamic pattern, doesn’t it?

So, how do we plan when we will stop and for how long?

Well, as with most things, it depends, and the weather constraints of your cruising area will be an important factor.

In the beginning of our cruising, we weren’t sure how long we would cruise so we wanted to keep moving, pushing the traditional seasons, and make the most out of our time onboard and together as a family. We paused only with cause. This worked for us for quite a while, but relentlessly recording miles isn’t really sustainable for most people. Every cruiser has to find their own balance and what works for them and their crew.

Having the borders close for the Pandemic (and a major back issue for me that needed healing time) really slowed us down in a new way. This presented us with an unexpected gift and change in perspective. When we travel at a quick pace, we see a lot and experience the places we visit largely as tourists. However, when we slow down or sit still, we have a chance to really get to know people and places. There are opportunities to be involved in the local community (sailing club, yoga group, recognized at the grocery store, etc). We really built bonds and connections with our 2 years of having a “home base” in Chile. We were still able to expedition sail, but for almost 2 years we were in and out of the same port and built deep, enduring friendships and really joined the community.

After 2 years of having a home base, we streaked north up the middle of the Atlantic, then went back to fairly constant moving, but our overall cruising pace slowed and our new comfortable balance point changed. We put miles under the keel with long passages, but we also made local connections a larger priority (the Falklands and St Helena) and dwelled in individual Caribbean islands for longer periods to explore and bond with fellow cruisers. Unlike most stops, our Trinidad yard time was planned, well in advance as the boat needed some work. Once in northern high latitudes, rather than needing to avoid hurricane season, we were back to stormy winter months. This stretched out our stops and down time moved back into an “off season”, with 4-5 month breaks. Kerrera gave us a chance to be a part of a wonderful island community and build close local and sailing bonds.

As this winter approached, we were all starting to look forward to sitting in one place for a bit. We were feeling the stress of weather routing through a building pattern of unsettled weather with seasonal storms and managing the resulting fatigue of burst movements consuming all the passable weather and leaving little but heavy rain, for exploration and play. It was time to stop and recharge.

This winter has seen us in less of a community but has given us an opportunity to focus on family connections, before teenagers might want to move on to new adventures. We’ve had access to skiing and wonderful hikes. We have used the slower pace to catch up on projects and schoolwork, attend to medical appointments, deep cleaning, boat repairs and other tasks that are difficult when on the move. This winter also treated us to a new luxury of “land life”, 3 well stocked grocery stores in close proximity, one literally a stone’s throw away from where we are berthed.

As we approach spring, we are starting to feel anxious to move. The flow of cruising life calls loudly; we are re-energized and looking forward to the season with great anticipation. A palpable buzz is in the air. The last tasks are being wrapped up. Last deliveries are being closely tracked. Baltic Sea adventures await.

We are looking forward to throwing off the dock lines and wandering again. Hopefully, next month my update will be from a new anchorage. The conveniences of dock life, nearby stores (with freezers and ice cream on a whim) and a steady mailing address will be behind us. We will have the boat back together and (mostly) stowed for sea. We will be shaking off the cobwebs, searching for the flow and balance of life on the move again.

Thank you for this space and joining me on my musings! May you enjoy your own safe and inspiring adventures and let us know any topics about life on board and long- distance cruising that you would like covered.

Megan Schwartz
SV Zephyros
Noonsite Sub-Editor

………………………………

About the Author

Noonsite editorial team member, Megan Schwartz, joined Noonsite in October 2024 concentrating on research and updating country formalities. She lives on board SV Zephyros with her husband and two teenage boys (17 and 15 years old) and they have been cruising full-time, since 2017. Zephyros is an aluminum expedition monohull which suits the family’s style of cruising perfectly as they enjoy high-latitudes and places less travelled but have also cruised popular Mediterranean and Caribbean destinations.

………………………………

© 2025 Noonsite. Do not reproduce without permission. All rights reserved.

The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the view of Noonsite.com or World Cruising Club.