Heather Francis

1 month ago | cruisingworld.com | Heather Francis

Are you sure we are still in the Philippines?” I ask my husband, Steve, as a long purple tongue twists around the branch I am holding, elegantly stripping it of leaves. “It doesn’t make sense, does it?” he replies quietly, so as not to disturb the diners. “Giraffes roaming around freely on an island in the Philippines doesn’t make any sense at all.” I giggle, daring to reach up to touch the snout that is attached to the long purple tongue.

2 months ago | boats.com | Heather Francis |bought Kate

Waves are a disturbance that travel through water caused by wind blowing across the surface. The size of a wave is affected by many things including how strong the wind is, how long the wind has been blowing, the depth of the water, and the distance the wave can travel without obstruction. The ‘disturbance’, or wave, is energy, and when a wave comes in contact with a boat there is a transference of energy from the wave to the vessel.

Jan 20, 2025 | boats.com | Heather Francis |bought Kate

Over the years, we’ve hauled out our Newport 41, Kate, in the US, Panama, Fiji, Philippines, and Malaysia. We’ve done everything from the routine bottom job to a full paint job on the topsides and deck, had our engine completely rebuilt, installed a new shaft and feathering prop, fixed rotten spots in our deck, and most recently replaced our standing rigging.

Jan 16, 2025 | cruisingworld.com | Heather Francis

Shane Granger and Meggi Macoun found the 126-year-old wooden sailing vessel Vega high and dry on Grenada in 2001, suffering from years of neglect. The 80-footer was still sound, though, so they spent years on restoration work, all while looking for a meaningful way to make use of the boat. “If we tie her to a pier, she will die in a year,” Granger says.

Oct 28, 2024 | boattrader.com | Heather Francis

We use our dinghy everyday for ferrying provisions, trips ashore, and exploring new anchorages. We’ve even had to use it as emergency propulsion for our sailboat when we’ve encountered serious engine troubles. So, to say that we depend on our dinghy and outboard engine would be an understatement. Since our outboard engine is such an essential piece of equipment, we make sure to treat it right.