Ahoy!
You have stumbled upon a travel blog that chronicles the journeys of two nomadic professionals who live their lives by cycling between working their butts off in science and medicine and goofing around in a boat!
Here you can follow our journey aboard the spectacular 2017 Leopard 48 catamaran The Intrepid Jerry. In Nov 2025 we left the US for the Caribbean and made our way west through the Panama Canal in April 2026. We plan to explore the Pacific Ocean and beyond as we attempt to circumnavigate over 3-5 years.
Below you will find our travel map, blog, and information about our first voyage aboard The Amazing Marvin from 2015-2017.
Happy exploring!
Where is Jerry?
Offshore, making way from Tangatapu, Tonga, to Opua, North Island, New Zealand. Anticipating a landfall Oct 28 or 29.
Pacific Ocean
Last update: Oct 20. 2026
Jerry’s Journey:
Blog Ahoy!
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Some Whales…
The Burnetts have been thoroughly enjoying Aitutaki, an island in the southern group of the Cook Islands. This is the first new nation they have sailed to since arriving in French Polynesia in May. Once again Mel finds herself docked…
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A Society Island Excursion With Your Intrepid Tour Guide, Jerry!
Cruisers gotta cruise. This truth about the nomads that make up our community is one reason why we weighed heavily the decision to go through the time and effort to extend our allotted 90-day visa to a full year in…
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Hotel Jerry
Mel hasn’t posted much lately as her role has been transformed from free-wheeling, blogging cruiser to Mom and concierge to four visiting Gen-Z’ers. To imagine what this is like, take the logistics required to live on a sailboat in a…
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Load moreDay 3 Tonga to New Zealand. Crisis averted. One from the Big Book of Offshore Fears: Fear #27. Squeaking Noises. Mel was rudely awakened from her off-watch nap and found Greg staring at their autopilot. Oh boy. Their nemesis. Memories of their 13 days of hand-steering across the Pacific flashed before their eyes. But then a good memory appeared. A shiny new autopilot being birthed from a suitcase bigger than their visiting child. It was to serve as a spare to the now-working old one, which Greg refurbished. In a 30-minute procedure, experienced autopilot surgeon Greg removed the diseased part, expertly transplanted a new one, and sent the old one off to pathology. First assistant Mel made sure the patient, Jerry, did not die of gybing in 27 knots of wind in the meantime. We are happy to report that the patient is doing well post-op!
Sometime before all of this, we crossed 180 degrees longitude. We Westerners are now in the exotic East, which we had to find by sailing west. Wrap your head around that! 😜
Distance: 192 nautical miles in last 24 hrs.
Seas: Still 9 ft. Now there is a vertical component to our bouncing from some seas off our forward quarter. In addition to the beam and back quarter component. Gotta love the Pacific! The upside is that we are periodically entertained by blowholes through our scuppers! Wind 18-25 knots apparent.
Dinner: OMG more meat pies…
Entertainment: In addition to the satisfaction that comes when Finding Her Edge goes exactly as predicted, with the sisters boyfriend-swapping regularly, Mel has been listening to audiobooks. This one is classic comfort fantasy, The Fires of December by Brandon Sanderson. #blowholes #funnynameDay 2 Tonga to New Zealand. We are pretty much in the same conditions as yesterday. No breakages, but our front cockpit scupper was blasted out of place. Waves have crashed over our top deck as well, so at this point Jerry is completely covered in salt. New business idea: Artisanal sea salt, organically harvested from sailboats arriving in New Zealand. (May include bits of flying fish, bird poop, and squid.)
Distance in 24 hrs: 218 nautical miles
Dinner: Meat pies from the Vietnamese Cafe in Nuku’alofa. Not as good as hoped for, but it’s food. Cooking at this point requires too much core work!
Entertainment: Greg is rewatching Schitt’s Creek and is on Season 2. Mel is binging Finding Her Edge on Netflix even though the writing and acting is a lot like those meat pies.
