Sailing Totem
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sailingtotem.bsky.social
Sailing Totem
@sailingtotem.bsky.social
Behan & Jamie sharing stories from our circumnavigation and beyond. Find us at sailingtotem.com or @sailingtotem in most of the online places
Cruising/Liveaboard starter pack! https://go.bsky.app/JgKFUaa

Behan's personal Bsky: @behan-totem.bsky.social
Since sailing to Japan in June, subsequent to a VERY thorough clearance, we have had FOUR unexpected visits from officials requesting information, paperwork, photographs, and to board and inspect Totem—in just four weeks. 😖 Why? And why does it matter?🤷‍♀️
Thank You for Your Cooperation: Lessons in Authority — Sailing Totem
We cleared into Japan just over a month ago, a process so thorough we thought it would satisfy any official needs for months. But since that clearance, unexpected visits from officials requesting info...
sailingtotem.com
July 31, 2025 at 7:11 AM
AWESOME ENERGY at this festival in Fukuoka! It's a UNESCO "Intangible Cultural Heritage" - feeling very lucky to experience Hakata Gion Yamakasa during our stay. NB: feed preview is cropped, recommend clicking to view full frame.
July 27, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Where our fellow cruisers at?! Tell me you're cruising without telling me you're cruising. We'll start:
This morning, I floated/removed about 100 weevils from this quinoa, because when will I be able to buy quinoa again?
July 22, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Next stop: Japan! 🇯🇵
June 10, 2025 at 9:58 AM
This is a steal of a deal!
SPECIAL--36% off Ugo's Messenger bag (large enough for a 17" laptop; 100% waterproof). My fave bag: a dry suit zipper gives complete protection and will float even with a laptop inside. Normally $350, now $224 (not a typo) with code BG36 at checkout - limited time. ugowear.com/products/ugo-me...
March 24, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Lamotrek (Yap state, Micronesia) is amazing and I wish we could stay for weeks and weeks and weeks! Departing for Guam on Sunday.
March 14, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Need a brain cleanse from the headlines? Steal away and join our Micronesian passage on Totem for a bit!
March 7, 2025 at 11:27 PM
It is hard to communicate the sheer awesomeness of the WALL of coral on the pass into Ahnd atoll. Heading out to drift-snorkel the pass again today.
March 5, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Micronesia, sprinkled with lush green islands and… not so many greens! This salad lover did not fully appreciate how few fresh fruit and vegetables would be available for our months in this beautiful region. What to expect, and what we're enjoying.
Lush green islands, no greens: — Sailing Totem
Micronesia, sprinkled with lush green islands and… no greens! This salad lover did not fully appreciate how few fresh fruit and vegetables would be available for our months in this beautiful region. H...
www.sailingtotem.com
February 26, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Beach walk at Ahnd atoll: watching black tip sharks in the shallows, spotting coconut crab in the littoral palms, marveling at the crashing seas in the ocean side of the reef.
February 26, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Reposted by Sailing Totem
What Is NOAA? - A Primer
What Is NOAA? - A Primer
What is NOAA, and why is it so important?
buff.ly
February 18, 2025 at 9:16 PM
New luff track going on today! UV damage thoroughly cooked the old one in less than 5 years.
1. Everything on a boat is consumable
2. Routine maintenance ✅
3. Exotic location ✅
😜
February 17, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Sailors: remember how the GFS weather model tanked in comparison to what other countries offered during the 45 administration?
February 11, 2025 at 5:48 AM
Fun fact: forgetting the date is 100% normal when cruising, and we're sometimes kinda proud of ourselves for guessing it correctly. Go Nica! 👏😆
Sunset, Las Perlas Panama.

Maybe 300 yards from where we were before.

February 10, 2025.

Hey, I figured out the date anyway.
February 11, 2025 at 3:25 AM
THIS! it is SO much work - and at ever stage, not just the "routine maintenance in exotic locations." yes, we love it and woudln't want it any other way. OK, except maybe the sorta less work way? Well captured, TBG!
February 6, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Home for February: Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Totem is on the right.
February 3, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Sailing towards a sunset again, cleansing breeze and golden light making all feel perfect and beautiful for just a little while.

500 NM to Pohnpei, more or less
January 29, 2025 at 8:28 AM
How lucky am I?!
Snorkeling in the Marshall Islands, seeking cephalopod friends to commune with in the tide pools on the ocean side of the atoll. We've been waiting for the trade winds settle; next week has a window to depart, we hope, to Pohnpei, Micronesia (as in, Federated States of).
January 23, 2025 at 3:49 AM
WHOA #menugoals
We're adapting our own very different Thanksgiving here in the Marshall Islands. There was turkey? More at www.sailingtotem.com/blog/a-cruis...
November 29, 2024 at 12:30 AM
Reposted by Sailing Totem
Friday tiki cocktails with my new bottle of delicious Rosalie Bay rum.

Rum, coconut liqueur, pineapple juice, creole orgeat, frozen pineapple and coconut water ice cubes. Shake it til you hear it go to foam; dirty dump into a glass with sea life on it. I’m calling it the Turtle Egg.
November 23, 2024 at 1:48 AM
New picture of our floating home, Totem, might be my favorite - even if you can barely see the boat! Taken in Majuro, Marshall Islands
November 18, 2024 at 3:00 AM
How it's going: coaching and consulting to help others embrace life on the water. Currently cruising in micronesia.
November 18, 2024 at 2:58 AM
Thirteen years in: college kid returns for winter break in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, two teens still boatschooling aboard
November 18, 2024 at 2:43 AM
How it started: our family in 2008, setting sail for a sabbatical aboard our sailboat Totem. Little did we know 🙃
Eight years in: most of a circumnavigation complete, hanging in the cockpit in 2016
November 18, 2024 at 2:34 AM