Jay and Jen Johnson
Rum Runners of lore were some of the best sailors on the seas. They had to outrun, outwit, and outsail the navy in order to make their spoils. We are proud to follow in the traditions of the past Rum Runners; to sail in the same waters, to find protected anchorages and friendly ports, as well as to enjoy some of the best rums the Caribbean has to offer- yar! Rum Runner
Let me introduce you to the crew of the Rum Runner; I’m Jen and do most of the blogging. But my life wouldn’t be complete without my husband Jay by my side. And as always we have our trusty companion Kona, the Salty Dog. We have been living aboard the yacht Rum Runner for over four years now. We have sailed along the East Coast of America, to the Florida Keys, amongst the islands of the Bahamas, and are now down in the Caribbean. We love the adventure, exploring new cultures and tropical islands. Here are the tales and photos of our life living aboard.
Travel Blog Posts
August 1st 2010
So this is it... the last blog entry. And I am a bit perplexed at what to say. In many ways, I am sad that it is all over. We really had an amazing time; living aboard the S/V Rum Runner and sailing around the world for the last 5 years (okay... not AROUND the world like circumnavigating, but around the world like to other countries and across oceans). It truly was an adventure of a lifetime! It has been more fantastic than I could have imagined, way more difficult than I ever would have thought, and truly a life changing experience. We have learned so much, not only about ourselves but also about the world around us. And I will always cheerish the memories and friends we have made along the way. But on the ... read more
June 25th 2010
We woke up early Monday morning and made the decision to go. It was time to cast off the lines and set sail across the Gulf of Mexico. The preparations were done and the crew had arrived and everyone was anxious to get underway. So Jen packed up Kona and her stuff in the rental car and hit the road, driving across the country with the help from her dad, who was flying into Miami later that day. And the Rum Runner set sail for its final leg of the journey home, to a small coastal community in the Bay Area of Houston known as Kemah, Texas. Overall the trip was good, although hot... very very hot. The first day or two we were able to do some sailing, which was great. The highlight of the ... read more
June 18th 2010
This last week has been fast and furious! We sailed into Key West, pulled into the marina, and then it was time to get to work. We had to organize and plan all the details for the last leg of our journey... which is how to get the boat from Key West to Kemah, TX? Our original plan was to sail up the west coast of Florida, over to New Orleans, and finally into Galveston Bay, stopping at a couple of great anchorages along the way. Which was a perfectly good idea... right?!?! But that all changed when the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded and created one of the worst oil spills in U.S. history right in our path. Obviously, we couldn't sail our boat thru the oil spill even if we wanted to. Not ... read more
Bahia Honda
Published: July 3rd 2010North America » United States » Florida » Keys » Bahia Honda State Park
June 12th 2010
Although we have made it back to the States, we still aren’t home yet. We still have to sail the boat from Florida to Texas. And the jumping off point for that leg of the journey is in Key West. So after a few days of rest and recovery, plus some much needed shopping, we left Miami at first light and sailed down to the Keys. Oh… the Florida Keys! You gotta love it. Remote enough to have an island feel, but still connected to the mainland and all the amenities. Funky little towns along the way, great fishing and seafood, plus fun and interesting people. We have always enjoyed our time in the Keys and we decided to stop at some of our favorite anchorages along the way. Besides, we can only travel along the ... read more
June 8th 2010
It is with mixed emotions that I write this blog. On one hand, we are bummed to leave the islands. We have truly loved this life, living on the boat and sailing throughout the Bahamas and the Caribbean. We have certainly seen some amazing things and met some wonderful people along the way, and every day is an adventure. There is also a slower pace out here in the islands which allow you to reflect on what is important in your life and connect with nature. And every island is beautiful. We have loved all the different anchorages and beaches and cultures everywhere we go and it has been so much fun to explore it all. So I am sad to leave this lifestyle behind. But on the other hand, I am also very excited to ... read more
June 3rd 2010
Unfortunately it was time to set sail, say good-bye to Spanish Wells, and continue on our trek towards America. Although we did have one last stop in the Bahamas that we just had to make and luckily it was on our route. So the Rum Runner set a course for the Berry Islands. We absolutely love the Berries for its remoteness and its fishing. This truly is deserted island paradise! And in fact, we were the only boat at the Devils-Hoffman anchorage, our favorite gunk hole tucked between the various small islands and enclosed by the shallow waters of the Great Bahama Bank. We were surrounded by so much natural beauty and enjoyed the solitude of quiet island life. We went to the beach, explored the different islands in the dinghy, and caught fresh conch for ... read more
May 31st 2010
No "Best of tour thru the Bahamas" would be complete without a stop in Spanish Wells. What can we say, we love it here. It is such a unique island with a culture all its own. We come here for the beautiful beaches, we come here for the great fishing, we come here for the fun circles in the golf cart, but most importantly... we come here to visit our good friends. We pulled into the marina after a long day of sailing up from the Exumas and it didn't take more than 40 minutes before we were spotted by one of our friends. Then one phone call after another, and we had a welcome back party on the boat before we knew it. It sure was great to see everyone! We loved our time in ... read more
May 20th 2010
We have been sailing up thru the islands in the Exuma Chain for the last 10 days, stopping at some of our favorites along the way. We have already spent months exploring this area and love it. But sadly, we do not have as much time here as in years past. So instead, we did a “best of” tour and focused the time we had on the islands we love most. Of course the top of the list for us is Staniel Cay and the surrounding anchorages. So when we left Georgetown, we sailed straight there. It was a great trip, calms seas and enough of a breeze to fill our sails and push us along. And better yet, we caught a mahi-mahi along the way. Nice! It was a struggle to land this big fish ... read more
May 10th 2010
I would be remiss if I didn’t write a blog about Conception Island, the gem of the southern Bahamas. It truly is paradise. And like so many places in this world, the harder the journey the greater the reward. Conception is an island that we have wanted to visit many times but that has eluded us over the years. Part of the reason is because it is remote and off the beaten path for boats travelling in the Bahamas. And in order to really enjoy the island, you must have good weather. Luckily, we were able to stop there on our way back up from the Turks and Caicos. And we were fortunate enough to be able to spend a few days there. Our time there was magical. We would spend most of the day relaxing ... read more
Back in the Bahamas!
Published: May 13th 2010Central America Caribbean » Bahamas » Exuma » Georgetown
May 8th 2010
We left the marina at Turks and Caicos at high tide (basically because it is the only time we could leave) and set sail for the Bahamas. We were planning on an overnight trip to Conception Island, over 200 miles away. The weather was great, if not a little more wind and waves than expected. But we were going down wind and things were going along smoothly, and we were making great speed. To top it all off, we had one of the most beautiful sunsets off shore that we have ever seen. The sky was red and orange and pink everywhere you looked (the picture does not do it justice, trust me). It was a great night to sail, and we were just chugging along. But that all changed in the morning when we were ... read more
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