Matt A. Claiborne

Originally published on boatlifelarks.com Running the ICW: 10 Tips for Newbies Text and photos copyright Matt Claiborne, 2017. Matt: “Why is that guy hugging that green channel marker so closely?” CRASH. Lucy: “Gosh, that catamaran looks way out of the channel!” CRASH! Fun fact: when only one keel of a catamaran runs aground, it spins violently! Pretty fun to smugly watch from a free floating vessel, but we bet it’s shocking to be aboard. Hopefully, we can continue to be smug. But we don’t like to get too smug. We did have a few close calls (we draw 4 feet and we consider anything less than 6 too skinny!). We got to 5.2 at one spot outside of McClellanville, SC. We saw it coming and were going very slow. Nothing happened, we made it fine. Now we know what you are saying, “there’s two types of sailors, those that have run aground and those that have lied about it.” And that may be true. When we bought our first boat to live aboard, a 32-foot monohull, we ran hard aground ...

Schematic style artwork for a t-shirt design T-shirt design Vinyl sticker cutout for the bow of a sailboat Technical schematics for PDF specifications publication All artwork and photography copyright Matt Claiborne, 2018.

All photography copyright Matt Claiborne, 2018.

A Visit to Hope Town, The Abacos, Bahamas by Matt Claiborne With its candy-striped lighthouse overlooking a protected harbor full of happy sailors, the settlement of Hope Town is the perfect island getaway. A twenty-minute ferry ride from the larger city of Marsh Harbor brings you to the idyllic town, which is situated on tiny Elbow Cay. The town’s pedestrian-only roads are lined with charming, colorful cottages and friendly shops. The ocean surrounds Elbow Cay. A beautiful, white sand beach fringed with turquoise blue-green water awaits visitors on the eastern shore of the island. Snorkeling, diving, and fishing are all great ways to enjoy the spectacular reef system that surrounds Hope Town and the other islands of the Abacos. A popular spot for cruising sailors and charter boat skippers alike, Hope Town Harbor is often crowded with boats of every description, tightly packed and swinging contentedly on their moorings. The harbor is lined with docks for restaurants, ...

 November 22, 2017 -- St. Augustine, Florida Here are few photos from our fall migration down the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. We made the trip from Deltaville, Virginia to St. Augustine Florida in a little under three weeks, with a few stops along the way. MV Nixie, Deltaville, VA Final sunset in Deltaville, Fishing Bay Two days after the Dismal Swamp Canal reopened Fall in the Dismal Swamp Foggy morning on the Alligator-Pungo River Canal, North Carolina Shrimp boat, Swansboro, North Carolina Beach at Isle of Palms, South Carolina before the offshore jump to Florida St Augustine, FL St Augustine, FL St Augustine, FL Creepy door, St Augustine Neat textures, St Augustine Streets of St Augustine Christmas time in St Augustine!

Seashell beach, Cape Lookout National Seashore A bit crabby on Ocracoke Island Cape Lookout Light Cape Lookout National Seashore Pamlico Sound Shrimp Boats, North Carolina All photography copyright Matt Claiborne, 2016.

Paddleboarding in Silver Lake Anchorage Ocracoke Harbor Summer squalls Ocracoke Light at night Streets of Ocracoke Sunset over harbor All photography copyright Matt Claiborne, 2016.