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About Us – SV Free Spirit

Welcome aboard SV Free Spirit, a timeless cruising yacht with a rich history and an enduring passion for the open sea. Our journey began with the dream of sailing across the world’s oceans, experiencing new horizons, and embracing the freedom of the wind and waves. Whether you're an experienced sailor or a dreamer hoping to one day set sail, we invite you to join us on this adventure of a lifetime.

Our Boat: SV Free Spirit

SV Free Spirit is a classic Alden Dolphin 47, built for adventure and designed with both comfort and performance in mind. Designed by the legendary naval architect John G. Alden, the Dolphin 47 combines exceptional seaworthiness with timeless beauty. With its full keel, elegant lines, and spacious interior, Free Spirit is more than just a vessel—it’s a home on the water.

Though she’s built for bluewater cruising, her craftsmanship and character also make her a standout in any harbor. Whether at anchor in a tropical bay or slicing through the waves on a passage, Free Spirit continues to inspire all who come aboard.

Our Mission

At SV Free Spirit, our mission is simple: to embrace the freedom of the sea. We believe in the power of sailing to connect people to nature, to each other, and to the world in profound ways. Our goal is to share our passion for life on the water and to inspire others to take the plunge and explore what lies beyond the horizon.

We strive to be a resource for other sailors, sharing the ups and downs of our journey—from daily life aboard a classic yacht to the challenges and joys of long-distance cruising. This website is our way of documenting our experiences, sharing our lessons learned, and offering inspiration to those who dream of life at sea.

May 2025 ~ Updates

Happy May everyone! I wanted to provide the update now for the month of May as we have landed at a new location but first, let's update you with everything that happened once we arrived in Marathon.

We had been to Marathon before however, it was by car and we passed on by because we didn't see it from the water side and really didnt understand how much of a gem this place really is. Also, it has a very sticky bottom and you don't want to leave!

Upon entering the Boot Key Harbor, we ran into some people we knew from back home and they left several months ago and were prepaing to leave that morning to continue their cruising adventures. So we said hello and wished them well. Exchanged phone #'s and she gave me all of the info for the harbor, things to do and places to check out. They never stayed in the mooring field so they didn't have feedback to provide us. A few hours later, they sent a text saying there were on their way back as their engine died and they were not able to travel. They made it 5 miles before that happened so we helped them come back into the harbor on a ball while they figured out what they were going to do.

Join us for the Sh*tshow that we can sometime have. This is our 1st experience grabbing a ball and well we didn't exactly know how to do this and lost the boat hook. Called on the radio for assistance to get on the ball and someone was able to assist us. Once on the ball, we shook out the nerves and tension and went to the office to check in. Found out it was cheaper to stay for the month rather than just a 2 1/2 weeks. Since we needed the dinghy docks for the dog, that just made sense for us. What an active marina this is. There is something going on every day, you can get mail, do laundry, have a long shower and free bike rentals, they have a project room and place to sit and relax and watch tv and eat ice cream in the hot afternoon.

So since we were going to be staying the month, it was time to get settled and ready to live. We picked up the mess from everything that fell while we were heeled over on one side. Started laundry and emtpied trash and tried to figure out what our new normal is. Turns out our new normal is starting our day around noon and finishing it at 3pm so we can socialize with people and have some fun.

So things that needed to be repaired while we had access was the following: contact sailrite for repair parts needed for the sewing machine, repair the Jib sail, figure out the issue with the generator, order new batteries and fix the ice machine. Those were the major items for us to tackle. There were a slew of other small items which obviously I can't remember so they must have been minor.

Where do we even begin with the issues that we had? We also finally received the final bill for the engine install that was more that what was expected. It caused a little pain to make that payment but we knew it was coming and were mostly ready for it. What we weren't prepared for was all of the other items that broke and the expense that came along with getting them fixed.

Within a day of grabbing the ball is when the issue with the generator started, the batteries shortly after. After doing some research, phoning a friend and doing countless hours of testing we came to the following conclusion. First, the generator took several weeks to get sorted out and that will be detailed in just a minute. Once we realized that the generator is not working and able to charge the batteries and knowing that there was no way we had enough solar on board to charge the batteries and that we could only allow them to drop to 50% and the amount of engery required, this was going to be an issue. We were left with the only option of running the engine to charge the batteries. That lasted about a day or so before the 1st battery died and luickily we had an extra battery on board to replace the one that wasn't working. About another day or so, the rest of the bank died. Now what do we do and how or where can we get batteries, what kind, do we go to lithium now?

Of course no one has the batteries that we need and they needed to be ordered from someplace. We did a temporary stop gap to help us. We spent $200 on 2 new 12 volt batteries and didn't care about taking them down below their charging state as this was just going to be a short lived thing. So off in an uber and off to Advanced auto we got, pick up 2 batteries and take them back, removed all of the old ones and connected the 2 new ones, charged and we are back in business however, we had to leave the engine on every couple of hours to charge. Our 1st night, we completely shut down the boat to everything that was not essential. New bedtime routine.. unplug and shut down the boat before bed! We ordered our new battery bank with Epoch batteries. We ordered with them for various reasons and we will go into full detail with that once we release the viedo install in a few weeks.

In the meantime, we are diagnosing the generator and changing all items as we go thru. New fuel filters both inside and outside the generator, changed raycor filter, checked all connecting wires and discovered no voltage to the fuel shutoff solenoid and found the back of the solenoid was bulged and bad, order 2 new solenoid from amazon and they both went bad as soon as they were installed so we replaced with factory OEM part. Found a broken wire in the back of the genie after looking at the skematics, replaced the broken wire and by passed all safeties so we can run until the new solenoid was in and replaced. Then started perfectly and works fine. This entire process took several weeks to get the generator restarted.

Changed the oil in both the generator and the main engine so they are good to go now. The new Epoch Batteries are installed and working fine and taking a full charge and we are able to run the AC at night to sleep and still have plenty left over in morning.

We did try to have a little fun while we were in marathon and took the dinghy out to Sombero Reef for some snorkeling, did several beach days with the puppies, drift dinghy raft on the full moon, and rented a car for the day to do a road trip in the keys... again, stay tuned for that video to come out as well.

Time to preapre to leave Marathon. Got a hole in the dinghy while in the dinghy channel. No idea what we hit or how it happened since there isn't anything there. So one more repair before leaving. So far, it's holding....

We finally left Marathon and made our way to Rodriguez Key for a sleep and were going to try and stay the next day to do some snorkeling in Key Largo at Pennacamp. At some point duriing the route from Marathon to Rodriguez Key... we lost the autopilot. That didn't quite work out as well as we had hoped. Nancy was seasick and it turned out to just be a down day for all aboard. Now the auto pilot wasn't working it gives us time to figure out that new issue. Andy was able to figure it out along with several phone calls to Raymarine for assistance and determined it was the ACU 400 that does not have voltage to the clutch side of the unit. So a new one of those is now required which means when we can get to a place to pick up a new unit and replace is in order. Most likely in West Palm. In the meantime, movies and food and relaxing which is not something that we have been able to do in a while. We left the next morning and anchored outside of No Name Harbor in Key Biscayne. What a cute little place! There is a state park, beaches, hiking trails, restaurants, bars, fuel and water there. Definatley a great place to stay while waiting for a weather wiindow to cross over to the bahamas.

We left Key Biscane and anchored in Lake Worth at West Palm Beach for the next few days while we fix the new set of issues... So wish us some luck that June will be better. It's getting expensive out here. I would say that if you have a budget to cruise, you need to be resourceful in your funds and figure out what can and can't be done and try if at all possible to leave with more than you think you will needed because you will need it!

Here's to another month on the water and hoping it doesn't get too crazy out here. Let's fix these items that are broken and move on to our next ports of call. In the meantime, coffee and breakfast are in order while I am typing out this novel and doing laundry. I hope to wash the boat and clean the cockpit. There is also some fun planned in here as well if we can fit it in. Looks to be a great place for the puppies as well.