Liveaboard Experience on S/V Dare Greatly

Home
Us Virgin Islands
Charlotte Amalie
Liveaboard Experience on S/V Dare Greatly

Thinking about moving onto a boat? Join us aboard our 40' sailing catamaran. You'll share our adventures, everyday tasks and expenses. Water Enthusiast. Nerd.
(2)

It's a bit of work sprinkled with fun! Come dip your toes into the bluewater and this unique lifestyle. We purchased our boat 2 years ago and placed her in charter service in the British Virgin Islands. We've been visiting her often but come January, we'll become full time cruisers. We'll start in the Virgin Islands and wind our way south thru the Leeward & Windward Islands. What a process this is

to leave "normal" life and start cruising. It's way more complex than we ever imagined! In that vein, we welcome other folks who are thinking about this alternative lifestyle to try it out with us. Visit our page and message us for details. Sailing Vessel Dare Greatly
*Named after a quote by Theodore Roosevelt
2020 Lucia 40 by Fountaine Pajot
38’ length, 22' beam with a 4' draft
Fully rigged with mainsail, jib and parasailor (downwind sail)
Twin 30 hpr diesel engines
Water capacity 140 gal (watermaker and filter onboard)
650 watts solar panels, generator (a/c)
4 cabins, 2 heads
10’6” dinghy with 10 hpr motor

Captain Jim Behm: “Island Boy” Nature & Dog Lover. Salty Sailor. Fisherman & Scuba Diver. Best Friends with Christ. Adventurer. Kind, good man. Hard worker. Beer & rum drinker, hearty eater. Loves No Shoes Radio. Master of many trades but worked most of life as a carpenter/general contractor. Raised in Wisconsin (go Brewers, Bucks & Pack), currently residing in Florida until January's move onto the boat. First Mate Patricia Strutz-Behm: “The Mermaid” Nature & Dog Lover. Tree Hugger. Christian. Kinda Type-A but in a good way. Food is fuel (NOT a Foodie). Loves unpretentious and squishy old people. And Cabernet. Has been in many lines of work over the years, including as a realtor, house flipper, outdoor & travel writer, dog groomer and fishing guide. The crew: 11-year old Mason, our well behaved, but spoiled, rat terrier! We went to the bluewater to live life simply and intentionally. To focus on what we consider to be important and real things in life. To happily live together amongst nature and the community of fellow cruisers and locals that we meet on our travels. To share our Christian faith and to conserve & appreciate the natural wonders and resources He gifted us with. Are you considering the cruising lifestyle? Dip your foot into these waters and join us for a liveaboard experience aboard Dare Greatly. You’ll share in our adventures, everyday tasks and expenses. Hoist the sails, tie a bowline, cook up freshly caught snapper, scrub the hull while surrounded by tropical fish, help navigate to the next anchorage, take a hike thru dense foliage, quench your thirst with a cold libation…It’s a bit of work sprinkled with fun throughout the day. It truly is living deeply and fully—come join us to get a taste and to realize you, too, can do this! Thank you to all our family & friends who are helping make this dream a reality!

05/10/2022

I'm not going to post on this Liveaboard Experience page any longer...island internet is too slow, costly & intermittent to double post.
To follow along with our travels PLEASE friend request me (Patricia Strutz) so you can access my personal profile posts.
Thank you!

04/10/2022

Fish On!!
Caught some nice rainbow runners.
If you're squeamish, don't look at the pic on right. We bleed them to keep the flesh firm. Very tasty fish, had some on the grill tonight.
****PLEASE friend request me (Patricia Strutz) as I will discontinue this page soon and only post on my personal profile.
Island internet makes it difficult--especially videos.

04/10/2022

Beach side campfire with friends outside our mooring field.
***PLEASE friend request me on my personal page (Patricia Strutz) as I will be discontinuing this page soon. Island internet makes it difficult to keep up with both pages & videos take forever to post...

30/09/2022

My favorite farmers market pick: West Indian Pumpkin
*Locals call this pumpkin but I believe it is Calabaza Squash. It's sold in chunks, like first pic. Since it's autumn, I've been craving squash but don't care to use the oven (it's still hot here so I'd rather not heat up the boat).
I just cut off rind, cube it & stir fry for a couple minutes. I top with cinnamon, Jim uses brown sugar. Taste & texture is similar to butternut or acorn squash, delicious!!

29/09/2022

Monkeying Around
Visited Grenada's rainforest again. The wild monkeys you see on the trail are skittish but the ones near the visitor center are used to people cuz they get fed fruit. One ate a banana off Jim's head.
These are Mona Monkeys. They are native to west Africa but were brought here aboard slave ships in the 18th century.
They have pretty color patterns and of course are acrobatic. They fill their cheek pouches with food like a chipmunk!
To view video of monkey eating banana off Jim's head, you must visit my personal page (Patricia Strutz--simply friend request me). Island internet is too slow to upload twice...

29/09/2022

Fort Matthew & Fort Frederick
Hiked up to the top of St. George's, Grenada, with Jim, Liz, Erin, Marty & Leah. Whew, it was a steep climb but we were rewarded with interesting ruins & awesome views.
Built in the late 1700's for protection, the forts later served as a mental asylum and even a bar! Now they just house lots of bats and orb-weavers(spiders).
I have a video of the dark tunnels, which were super creepy but cool. There was a lot of screaming going on as bats would fly over us....I uploaded the vid onto my personal page, so plz friend request me (Patricia Strutz) if you'd like to see it. Island internet is too slow to upload it twice.

26/09/2022

US Naval Ship Burlington
This cool ship graced our harbor in Grenada this week.
Made out of aluminum alloy, it's 338' long with a 94' beam. Biggest catamaran I've ever seen.
Word is it's in town to train Grenada's authorities on drug trafficking response.
It goes 43 knots, has a heliport & vehicle ramp, can transport up to 600 tons of personnel/cargo, and looks to have four 50-caliber machine guns (one on each corner).
Check out the telescoping boom crane in the stern ...made in my hometown, Appleton, Wisconsin
**Posted a couple vids on my personal page. Friend request me if you'd like to see them (Patricia Strutz). Takes too long with island internet to upload.

25/09/2022

Practicing our skills...
There are so many different skills we need to remain proficient on while we cruise. Each week we try to practice a few of them. Today we ran thru:

*How to use our Epirb (safety device that alerts Coast Guard & helps them locate an overboard person)
*How to administer oxygen in a scuba diving emergency.
The neighbors saw Jim with mask on and texted...are you guys okay? Do you need some help?! :-)

25/09/2022

Such camouflage!
If it wasn't for the white claw, I wouldn't have seen this Channel Clinging Crab (aka West Indian Spider Crab). Makes me wonder how many fish I never notice?

25/09/2022

Christ of the Deep Sea
Bronze statue in St. George's, Grenada harbor recognizes fate of the Bianca C, a 600-ft. cruise liner that sunk on Oct 22, 1961.
A major explosion caused the ship to burn for two days before sinking. Grenadians jumped into their fishing boats and saved over 600 passengers & crew. Only 2 perished.
The Grenadians then set up a makeshift hospital as well as welcomed people into their own homes.
The shipping company acknowledged their contributions by erecting this statue, which is a replica of The Christ of the Abyss statue found underwater in the Mediterranean Sea.

23/09/2022

Mason has his own personal walker!
Amawele loves to take him for a walk and the kid is so stinkin cute.

22/09/2022

Yesterday I posted a few pics from cargo ships. I'm sharing this photo (not mine) of a captain moving between the pilot boat & the freighter. Scary stuff and a very physical job

22/09/2022

Meraki Sunset
Our friends boat, Meraki.
Greek word describing when a person puts a part of themselves into something.

20/09/2022

Happy International Punch Day
Since it follows Pirates Day I figure it must mean Rum Punch!
The sprinkles on top are freshly ground nutmeg. And this pic is from last night, I haven't started drinking in the morning...yet;-)

19/09/2022

While in Grenada, we've been worshipping at Grace Lutheran Church (& School). They celebrated their 10-year anniversary yesterday.
Such a wonderful service. We call this little girl Princess cuz her name is a long, difficult one for us to say. She is a little sweetheart.
I posted some awesome, inspirational videos of the vocal & dancing performances on my personal page (Patricia Strutz). If you'd like to see them please friend request me. Internet service is too slow here for me to upload twice:-(

19/09/2022

Yo Ho Ho it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Ahoy, Mateys!
First two pictures were taken by Donna Barrett at the W***y T. They've placed pirate statues made from rebar on this sunken wreck. So fun.
I've dove it many times but once, on Xmas Eve, we saw dozens of "Sailors Eyeballs" scattered around the treasure chest. We had no idea what they were & thought someone had decorated for the holidays. They look like small, shiny ornaments.
Upon further research, I found out they are an algae and one of the largest single
-celled organisms. They are squishy, like an eyeball. There's 4 of them in my hand. Usually you only see one at a time so we had a rare occurrence on Xmas Eve and have never seen anything like that since. It was pre-Go Pro for me; would've been fun to capture that scene.

17/09/2022

FIRST 250 DAYS LIVING ABOARD DARE GREATLY
*240 extraordinary sunsets (a couple cloudy or stormy days)
*250 days without wearing long pants--or any “real” clothes for that matter!
*Around 1,300 miles sailed
* 32 islands visited
*Just under 100 diving adventures
*Probably 200 snorkeling adventures
*Countless turtle & tropical fish sightings
*Miles & miles of hiking adventures
*Lots of fishing adventures--most while under sail; the ultimate challenge!
*Witnessed whales breaching by our boat
*Sailed with pods of dolphins swimming alongside the boat AND swam with wild dolphins!
* 1 Sainthood (Saint James)
*Indulged in quite a few sundowners (cold beers, cheap Cabernet, rum punches)
*Met interesting locals and cruisers
*Had fun sharing these experiences with family & friends
*Lost weight, gained muscle and I’m sure lowered our blood pressures!

So Far….
Favorite moment: swimming/playing with WILD dolphins in St. Thomas, USVI

Favorite island chain: US Virgin Islands! Why?
*laid back, low key atmosphere w/o tons of regulations
*friendly locals--it’s practically a law to greet everyone!
*amazing hiking trails accessible from the bays we're anchored in.
*spots to anchor yet--so many islands have “no anchoring laws”
*good fishing
*great diving—found some awesome coral reefs teeming with fish
*good snorkeling—turtles everywhere
*campfires—enough countryside left to enjoy some!
*3 Lutheran churches that welcomed us to worship
*3 major islands and numerous small islands to explore
*access to restaurants, marinas, bars, shopping, transportation options, nice airport…

Surprising things we’ve learned:
*This is an incredibly physically demanding lifestyle
*Cruising with a dog is more challenging than we thought
*We wish we would have done this 10 years ago (so many diving, anchoring, etc. regs now)
*Internet & cell phone service is difficult yet
*Even on our “almost new” boat, there’s always a maintenance project or repair going on
*There’s a very diverse group of fellow liveaboards to meet and learn from
*It is unbelievably hot in late summer in the southern Caribbean
*You can’t find peanut butter on many islands (when in Rome, eat what the Romans do!)

Disappointments: Very few.
*too much sargassum w**d
*too much litter on land & in the water

It's been an amazing first 250 days. We both look forward to the next 250! Bring it on!!

13/09/2022

It's Not All Bluewater & Sunshine
Derelict Boats
All over the islands we see neglected & abandoned boats scattering the shoreline.
*Some were probably damaged in a storm & just left there.
*Others may have had the owner pass away or because they are in such ill repair, the owners simply walked away.
There's not a lot these islands can do about these terrible eyesores & ecological problems. Can't simply salvage them without it costing $$ and the island would need to locate & communicate with owner or fear legal action...
My solution: charge all incoming boat owners a security depo that would cover salvage costs if left beyond a certain date (with signed paperwork agreeing to give boat to island authorities if left unattended after that date)--the depo would be refunded upon clearing out of the country within the required time. I know that's prob not feasible but solutions are needed.
I have a video that shows a high end marina with many boats stored for season...and right across from the marina are dozens of derelict boats, heavy equipment, etc. but you'll need to watch the video on my personal page (simply friend request Patricia Strutz). Internet is waaaaay too slow here to upload video multiple times:-(

13/09/2022

We were flying yesterday!
11.5 mph (10 knots) in 13-knot wind becuz we were sailing with about a 2-knot current.

13/09/2022

Beautiful underwater bouquet!
I often reflect on how coral reefs look like underwater botanical gardens. This is called Large Flower Coral. Love it's pink & purple shades.

12/09/2022

This week's tropical fruit:
Coconuts & Custard Apples
*Even tho opening up a coconut is a big, messy job we love to munch on it--and it's supposed to be healthy, so it's worth the effort.
*The custard apple, on the other hand, doesn't seem worth the effort to us. It's not difficult to open but you eat the sweet, custard-like pulp by sucking it off the numerous small seeds. A lot of work for just a little substance

11/09/2022

Anybody know what type of bat this is?
Terrible pic, I know. It was electrocuted on the top of a power pole (in Grenada, West Indies).
Is very big! I think about a foot or more long. Scary looking head.
Some kind of fruit bat? Vampire bat?

08/09/2022

We are back in St. George's running some errands. We grab a mooring ball out in the harbor, then take our dinghy into town.
There's a beautiful walk up the hill behind the marina. It used to be hotel grounds and we've heard they will be building a hotel there again but for now, it's a picturesque spot to walk Mason.
Even tho the hotel was levelled, much of it's landscaping survived.
On my personal profile, I also have a nice video posted of the view from on top...if interested, friend request me. Internet is sloooow here so it's tough to post videos.

07/09/2022

Happy National Beer Lovers Day!

07/09/2022

It's Not All Bluewater & Sunshine...
The past two summers we had our boat hauled out "onto the hard"(stored on land, in a marina lot). While there, the bottom was painted, hull waxed & routine maintenance done.
Since we are now living aboard full-time in the water, we've been attempting to wax this beast a little at a time. Got 98% of the top side done; did the starboard pontoon the past 2 days. What a HUGE, physical job.
Next year she will be hauled out again & we'll pay the pros...we are do-it-yourselfers but this particular job (waxing while in the water) is brutal.

07/09/2022

Spotted Moray Eel
*opens & closes its mouth to breathe
*has razor sharp teeth and a hidden internal jaw. The outer jaw grips their prey & the inner jaw shoots forward to pull the prey into his throat.
Never been a real fan of these fish, especially since one of them attacked me when I was carrying several harvested lobsters!

06/09/2022

Dog Days of Summer....
Been in & out of the water today. Now I'm cooling off with a cold cider & we're listening to Xmas music (Let it Snow, I'm dreaming of a White Xmas, etc)...I think the heat is finally getting to us;-)

02/09/2022

Hiking Mount Qua Qua
Most couples go out to eat for their anniversary. Not us, we have to hike Grenada's 2nd highest mountain during hot, rainy season! Lots of fun, lots of exercise, breathtaking views and
even saw a couple monkeys!
Mason put it in 4-leg drive and out hiked all of us.
Notes by each photo

31/08/2022

Happy Anniversary to us:-)
Thought you'd all enjoy this throwback wedding photo!
Our anniversary is tomorrow but we're headed to the rainforest to hike for the day so I won't be on the computer.
Love you, Captain Jim!

30/08/2022

Sometimes juvenile fish look like miniature replicas of their adult version. Other times they are completely different colors or shapes.
Here's the Spotted Drum. Juvenile on left, full grown (about a foot long) on right.

Address

Virgin Islands
Charlotte Amalie

Telephone

+17158911173

Website

https://liveonasailboat.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Liveaboard Experience on S/V Dare Greatly posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Liveaboard Experience on S/V Dare Greatly:

Videos

Sail Fast!

We were flying yesterday! 11.5 mph (10 knots) in 13-knot wind becuz we were sailing with about a 2-knot current.

Flying Gurnard

Another funny fish! (Still shot in separate post) Flying Gurnard It's a bottom dweller, when excited it spreads it's "wings" which have phosphorescent blue tips. I thought it looked like a lizard with wings! Sorry for the cloudy image. My lens is fogging up--don't know why, maybe humidity. I'll spray with mask no-fog spray, maybe that will help.

Jim looking for lobsters

Lobsters everywhere!! (Here's the video to pair up with the still shot from last post) They know it's off-season now and just like to torment us. We counted 7 of them in one hole yesterday, all begging for some hot butter;-) The video makes me laugh. Anyone who has dove with Jim will agree, he spends more time upside down (poking his head into crevices) than right side up!

Bait ball

I love getting caught up in a bait ball! I had already been in the midst of these zillions of minnows for about a minute when I thought to turn on the camera. Later we saw a tuna chasing the bait so we hopped into our dinghy and trolled a couple lures to no avail. Probably a good thing cuz using a sharp gaff in an inflatable boat not a good idea;-)

A beautiful Green Turtle. At least I think it's a Green Turtle and not a Hawksbill (turtle people, feel free to school me:-) Still shots in separate posting.

Parasailor

Wind died down so we headed offshore to try our parasailor. It's a lightweight sail for low winds/downwind conditions. Today the wind was almost non-existent (could of used some more!) but we got it to sail quite well. It always went at least half the true wind and often more --which is great for dead downwind. Our mainsail & jib would've been too heavy to fill in these light winds. And it's a pretty sail, too:-) Still shots in separate post

Slithering sharptail eel

Here's the video of the sharptail eel....blow it up to get a good look at this snake-like creature

Sailing into Grenada (view from stern)

Made it to our summer stomping grounds: Grenada. Dodged storms today. It'd be really pleasant for a while (like video), then a squall would kick up and all hell would break loose. We hit 10 mph several times today, yippee! Grabbed a ball in Moliniere Marine Park. Will do a little snorkeling & diving then onto St. George's.

Mason on the loose

Mason gets to run off-leash!! First time in many, many months. Deserted island so no chance for stray dogs or people. He even had a case of the zoomies but I didn't capture that. MaryLu Kinlaw thought you'd enjoy seeing he still kicks his back legs out!

Dolphins

DOUBLE DOLPHIN DAY God has a sense of humor. We took off early today for a 24-hr sail. Offshore fishing has been SO tough with so much sargassum (floating weeds) fouling hooks. I prayed today for a big dolphin. Meaning dolphinfish (mahi mahi). I could use it mentally after getting beat up by this weed. Instead, we are treated to a pod of maybe a dozen dolphins frolicking off our bow for around 45 minutes. So fun! I mentioned to Jim that God must be trying to make a point (sending me dolphin mammals over dolphinfish). He said I need to be thankful for the gift we were just given and maybe be more specific with my prayers....so I related those words onto the big guy. Shortly afterwards I caught this dolphinfish. You can't make this stuff up, folks!! (Fish pix in separate post)

Mangrove trail

Dinghy ride means adventure! Thru the mangroves in Le Marin, Martinique

Pure bliss! Swimming through a crevice filled with easily over a hundred HUGE yellowtail snappers--most were 2' long and thick! A couple of big mutton snappers at the end, too. We just became part of their school; I love it when that happens. It's so peaceful.