Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this episode, Mike and I discuss my experience with having kids on the boat.  I have 3 granddaughters, ages 8 and 6 years, and 14 months.  The 6 and 8-year-olds are sisters and keeping them occupied, while we are out sailing, takes some planning.  My younger son and his wife have a 14-month-old.  She is a challenge in a very different way, as her schedule revolves around eating and taking her naps.  I share some things we have learned in having them on the boat.  I hope you enjoy the episode.

We love to hear from you, our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know—wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this episode, Mike and I discuss selecting, buying, and installing an AIS unit. I hope you enjoy the episode.

The AIS Unit I purchased:

Si-Tex MDA-5 Class B AIS Transceiver

The company I purchased the AIS unit from:

The GPS Store  https://www.thegpsstore.com/

We love to hear from you, our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know—wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this episode, which I recorded solo while on Paradox, I talk about some spring projects, including fixing a leaking galley sink drain, sending my son up the mast to run a spinnaker halyard and replace a burned out deck light, and I disclose a big screw-up on my part.  I hope you enjoy the episode.

We love to hear from you, our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know—wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this episode, I have a conversation with Stephen Ladd.  He recently wrote a book, titled “The Five Year Voyage - Exploring Latin American Coasts and Rivers”.  It is one heck of an adventure on a small sailboat.  Steve and his wife Ginny traveled through 19 countries, had a baby in Brazil, and finally got a small motor for their sailboat when the prevailing winds and currents made it almost impossible to make any headway.  Steve’s first book was titled, “Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat”.  It’s another epic adventure, this time solo.

Here are some links you should check out.

www.stephen-ladd.com

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Years-Twelve-Foot-Boat-Stephen/dp/0966933702/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=0966933702&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Five-Year-Voyage-Exploring-American-Coasts/dp/0966933710

We love to hear from you, our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know.  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.  For as little as 99 cents a month, you can help defray the costs of producing this podcast.  Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  Bela’s side of this podcast was actually recorded on Paradox, his 2009 Hunter 45DS.  It’s the first “remote” podcast we have done.  There are two topics for this episode.  1. Preparing Paradox for its Spring launch, including the post-launch activities.  2. Bela and Milke also review the new United States Coast Guard fire extinguisher regulations.  One of the worst things that can happen on a boat is a fire.  Having a working fire extinguisher of the proper type and size is critical.  With the implementation of these new regulations, all marine fire extinguishers now have a 12-year expiration date.  Make sure to check yours.

Also in this episode is a recap of this past winter's boat projects, including the new Sea Hawk antifouling bottom paint and the de-winterizing steps to get Paradox ready for use.

Here are some Fire Extinguisher links you should check out.

https://www.boatus.org/fire-extinguishers/

https://uscgboating.org/recreational-boaters/fire-extinguisher-faq.php

You can now find the podcast on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUBVrKRwfVddOMArjuPJZ3A

We love to hear from you, our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know.  Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Today we have part 2 with Amy Alton, who along with her husband David Alton purchased a new catamaran in 2014 and sailed around the world. They finished their circumnavigation in 2020 a few weeks before the COVID pandemic hit.  They have a YouTube channel, Out Chasing Stars, where they documented their around-the-world travel.  They spent the better part of 2021 sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, which is also on their YouTube channel.  We have a great conversation that is broken into 2 parts.  Part 1 is about the circumnavigation and part 2, this episode is about the Chesapeake and Amy’s writing career.  Yep, she is an author also!.

Here are some links you should check out.

https://outchasingstars.com/

https://www.youtube.com/outchasingstars

https://www.instagram.com/outchasingstars/

https://www.lizalden.com/

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know.  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.  For as little as 99 cents a month, you can help defray the costs of producing this podcast.  Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this episode, I have a conversation with Amy Alton, who along with her husband David Alton purchased a new catamaran in 2014 and sailed around the world. They finished their circumnavigation in 2020 a few weeks before the COVID pandemic hit.  They have a YouTube channel, Out Chasing Stars, where they documented their around-the-world travel.  They spent the better part of 2021 sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, which is also on their YouTube channel.  We have a great conversation that is broken into 2 parts.  Part 1 is about their circumnavigation and part 2 is about sailing the Chesapeake and Amy’s writing career.  Yep, she is an author also!

Here are some links you should check out.

https://outchasingstars.com/

https://www.youtube.com/outchasingstars

https://www.instagram.com/outchasingstars/

https://www.lizalden.com/

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know.  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.  For as little as 99 cents a month, you can help defray the costs of producing this podcast.  Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  Today we have a very different podcast topic for you. If you have been listening to this podcast you know that Mike and I like to try new things, well this one is way out there. It is not about sailing. It is about how the experience of losing my 95-year-old mother, this past January,  completely changed my view of death and dying.  I went from fearing it and trying to ignore it to embracing the journey and experience.

This is an episode where I talk about things I have never talked about before.  I debated with myself for many hours regarding if I should express my thoughts in public.  With Mike’s encouragement, we hit the record button and had a wonderful conversation.

Episode OverviewIn this heartfelt episode of The Unconventional Path, co-host Bela Musits shares a deeply personal and transformative experience: the passing of his 95-year-old mother. This episode takes listeners on a profound journey through grief, acceptance, and ultimately, embracing the beauty of life and death.Key Topics Discussed by Bela and Mike:* Confronting the fear of death: How Bela transitioned from avoiding thoughts of mortality to accepting and understanding the process.* The power of reflection: Gaining wisdom and clarity through the loss of loved ones.* Supporting others in grief: How personal experiences can help others navigate their own losses.* The evolving perspective on life and aging: Finding peace and purpose as we grow older.Memorable Quotes:* "I went from fearing death and trying to ignore it to fully embracing the experience."* "One of the things about getting older is that you gain more experience in dealing with the loss of people you love."Why You Should Listen:* This episode is not only an intimate look at Bela’s emotional journey but also offers valuable insights for anyone dealing with the loss of a loved one. Whether you're seeking comfort, understanding, or simply want to hear a genuine and authentic conversation, this episode is a must-listen.Keywords and SEO Tags:Coping with lossDealing with griefPersonal growth through lossAccepting mortalityLife and death reflectionsEmotional healingPodcast on griefPersonal stories on death and dyingCall to Action:If you found this episode meaningful, please share it with a friend who might benefit from Bela’s story. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform!By integrating SEO-friendly keywords and phrases, these show notes aim to increase discoverability while resonating with listeners who are seeking comfort and understanding during times of loss.

Thanks for listening, I would love to hear your thoughts about this episode.   Drop us a line at [email protected].

Our next episode will be back on topic.

Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this episode, I have a conversation with Scott Wells about sailing the Chesapeake Bay.  Scott is a long-time Bay boater and sailor.  We discuss some of the great destinations on the Bay, some tips for not running aground, and nice anchorages.  I have bare-boat chartered many times on the Chesapeake, so it was great to reminisce about common places Scott and I have visited.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know.  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.  For as little as 99 cents a month, you can help defray the costs of producing this podcast.  Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike

Hello and welcome to the Sailing and Cruising the East Coast of the United States podcast.  In this is episode Mike and I discuss finding crew for your boat or finding a boat to crew on.  This was inspired by an email we received from Chris Curtis who lives on the West Coast and is a listener of the podcast.

He asked the question, “I like going out for 3-4 day sails, but I do not want to sail by myself.  How can I find crew?”  Mike and I go through the various ways of finding crew, the things to look for, and what questions to ask.  I also discuss how I got a crew position on a sail from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Baltimore, Maryland.

We love to hear from our listeners, send us your questions, comments, and suggestions at [email protected].  If you know someone that would be an interesting guest on the show, please reach out to us and let us know.  If you would like to support the podcast, click on the sponsorship link below.  For as little as 99 cents a month, you can help defray the costs of producing this podcast.  Wishing you fair winds, and calm seas.

Bela and Mike