Views from the Cockpit

Our first test sail after the refit helped restore the faith that the hard work was worth it.

Working as a team whilst sailing through the Ionian.

Crossing the Corinth Canal was a major sailing milestone and an unforgettable experience.

The first proper portrait of us on Serenity.

We crashed the WIlliams sailing holiday in Aegina, Greece for two days where we also got to meet their friends, the Dales.

Alex & Geraint allowed us to pioneer the Go Pro cockpit shot after we met up with them for three days in Mykonos.

Charlie joined us for a long weekend in Turkey, the highlight being christening the BBQ in a bay with phospholuminesence.

Our seven days with Joe and Amy in Turkey was filled with beers, bees, BBQs, water parks, lee shore rescues...

Travelling from Sardinia to Corsica with Alec's Mum and Dad was a largely relaxing week, and included anchoring amongst mega yachts, a trip to Bonifacio and some strong wind sailing to Ajaccio, as well as some delicious meals out.

Neon wifeys, an inflatable pineapple, spinnaker wrestling, topless damsels in distress, floating dance parties and the Jeans Nausea scale...it’s fair to say Liv & Elliott catalysed an eventful week on board.

Charlottesville reunion in Valencia with Lindsey, one of Laura's oldest friends.

Snackbox, Ropeslinger, Mole Rat and Not Lars celebrate a successful trip to Gibraltar that made use of every available mode of transport.

Serenity First assembled a perfectly balanced crew for the passage to the Canaries, blending experience, culinary prowess, squall dodging, height and woodworking abilities.

All smiles as the crew catch sight of Martinique after two long stints sailing from Lanzarote to Cape Verde and finally to the Caribbean. Ballin "Squid Legs" and Katherine "Boat Gym" Smith proved crack additions to the Atlantic crossing team!

Alec's family joined us on Serenity for a Christmas adventure exploring St. Lucia and St. Vincent & the Grenadines. Christmas day surrounded by turtles and friendly fellow cruisers in Mustique was truly special!

Hiking with Sam and Marianthe from Seahawk in Guadeloupe.

Beach, boats and best friends.

Beach BBQ with Seahawk's extended family in Barbuda.

David and Katrina joined us for a games filled long weekend in St Martin.

Laura's parents came down to the USVI for a little day sailing on Serenity.

The view approaching a new island is always a thrill! (Here arriving at Saba in the West Indies)

Catching a ride to shore with the guys from SV Delos, who have a very popular YouTube channel, in Saba.

Laura's high school volleyball coach and his wife came to St. Kitts for a few days of sailing!

Laura's uni friend Tish and her husband Obie came to see us in St. Kitts, and brought lots of our favourite snacks!!

Alec and Tish navigating back to the boat in Whitehouse Bay, pulling Laura behind on our newly acquired paddleboard.

Steve and Lisa from SV Azimuth joined us on a tour of Montserrat, here we are in the green part of the island looking out towards the ash covered side decimated by a volcanic eruption only a few decades ago.

Quebecois friends Hugo and Seb on their old steel ketch Damacha, who we met and explored with in Guadeloupe (they also helped us fix our leaky window!).

Playing a little guitar as the sun goes down - these were very special times!

One of our favourite seaside towns, St. Pierre in Martinique was very picturesque.

Alec shows our friends Eddie and Lisa how to fillet a fish we caught sailing with them around the Grenadines.

Games with friends in the cockpit were a particular favourite pastime - here playing Catan with Lauren and Felix (with some strange blue drinks...)

Dinghying to shore for a BBQ with Lauren and Felix off a remote island north of Grenada.

Alec made fast friends with Batman, the gentlest pittie ever and boat dog on SV Breeze.

Celebrating completing one of Grenada's famous "hash" races through the jungle in Grenada, with our friends Nick and Roxy from SV Windward Lady.

Boat projects often led to odd views - such as this one where Alec's top half seems to have disappeared in the chain locker!

Celebrating a successful journey to Trinidad with new friends from boats on our convoy. Here with SVs Joy, Sampanena and Windward Lady!

Sometimes the view from the cockpit was a little intimidating... like these huge waves as we sailed off the coast of Colombia on our way to Panama.

Let there be light! New fairy lights made for perfect cockpit lighting.

After several days of pouring rain in Colon, Panama, we discovered a boa constrictor had taken refuge in our rigging!

New friends Yanell and Missy from SV Hoodoo - with whom we explored some more remote parts of San Blas.

SV Azimuth (aka Mr. and Mrs. Watersports) - reunited in San Blas after meeting last season in St. Kitts.

Thanksgiving 2019 in San Blas with our friends from SV Azimuth and SV Hoodoo.

The palm trees of San Blas framed Serenity spectacularly!

A particularly favourite view - tiny deserted islands in San Blas, ripe for exploration by kayak.

The gates close on the first set of locks as we head into the Panama Canal.

It was a little intimidating as a huge Panamax vessel pulled up behind us in the Panama Canal locks!

Approaching the final locks in the Panama Canal leading to the Pacific Ocean (with our line handler crew waving to people on shore)

Making sushi with the plentiful fish we caught sailing around the Pacific side of Panama.

Alec making friends with the wildlife - a Galapagos finch visited us as we passed the islands!

It took three of us to lift this gigantic tuna that we caught crossing the Pacific!

We used a sextant to plot our position (when we had good enough visibility on the stars!) all the way across the Pacific.

Our final day at sea on the Pacific crossing - flying the spinnaker under moody but pretty skies.

Taiohae bay in Nuku Hiva, where we made landfall after finally crossing the Pacific ocean!

An utterly gorgeous sunset while we were becalmed on the way to Toau from Nuku Hiva.

Building a smoker on the beach with new Danish friends from SV Impulse and SV Nautilus in Toau was a highlight of the trip!

The view from the cockpit in Toau in the Tuamotus included lots of reef sharks and some monster-sized Napoleon wrasse.

We hiked up a river valley in Tahiti with Martin and Cheryl from SV Zan, though it was a bit hard going!

Hiking Mt Aorai in Tahiti with Danish friends Oliver, Jan and Emil from SV Impulse.

Movie night! SV Moggy projected a film on a screen at the back of their boat, while a raft of dinghies (and our kayak) formed the seating area.

Our sunrise view from Papetoai in Moorea, with SV Catherine Estelle setting off this unreal sea scape!

An epic meal at a beach restaurant with new found cruising friends in Moorea (SVs Zan, Amazing Grace, Catherine Estelle, Celtic Star and Influencer).

Now that's a view! Looking back at Bora Bora's iconic peak from the prettiest anchorage in the SE corner of the atoll.

Evening games on Serenity with Aaron, Nat and their dog Malvo from SV Catherine Estelle in Bora Bora.

All smiles after successfully navigating the Maupiti pass.

Looking down to the Maupiti pass from its island's summit - truly breathtaking!

We rented e-bikes with our friends Martin and Cheryl from SV Zan to explore Huahine.

Serenity's cockpit offered the best seats in the house to watch the va'a (outrigger canoe) races in Huahine on Bastille Day.

Cooking up a particularly spectacular barbeque rack of Mahi in one of our favourite bays in Moorea.

Big smiles as we leave Tahiti for Fiji!

Making new friends with Gus and Buli from the Fijian Navy, who helped Laura park Serenity in Denerau, Fiji when Alec was in hospital.

Buddy boating with SV Max and SV Influencer in Fiji.

Sydney and Matt, our friends from SV Influencer, joined us for an exploratory hike around Somo Somo in Fiji.

A different sort of cockpit - Alec teaches Laura to dinghy sail at Turtle Island, while Serenity Looks on in the background.

We found many new friends amongst the staff of the Turtle Island Resort in Fiji, who came to visit Serenity before we left!

Hiking around Malolo in Fiji with our friends from SV Amari: Grace, Dottie and Will

We didn't race Serenity, so this is Laura's view from Roxanne's cockpit (looking at Pandora, who Alec was sailing on) during the Round Malolo Classic in Fiji.

Lady sailors grabbing a beer from the bar at Musket Cove, Fiji (with Grace from Amari and Kristen from Amazing Grace).

Thanksgiving 2020 in Denerau, Fiji with cruising friends from Amari, Island Wanderer, Amazing Grace, and Maximillian.

The cockpit at its most snazzy - with this special pineapple decoration!

Our last "view of the cockpit" - saying goodbye to Serenity First before it was time to fly back to England.