01
BUILDING NOW
Boat Selection
How to choose a safe, practical home afloat without losing sight of the crew who must live aboard it.
- Monohull vs. catamaran
- Family layout requirements
- Survey and inspection planning
- Budget and ownership costs
THE EXPEDITION LIBRARY
LEARN. PREPARE.
EXPLORE.
A growing collection of the research, lessons, checklists, and hard-earned knowledge helping our family prepare for life under sail.
KNOWLEDGE IS OUR FIRST VOYAGE
Every mile begins with something we can learn today.
Operation Wake is still being built, and so is this library. We are collecting what we learn about boats, seamanship, family cruising, systems, destinations, and the long road from dream to departure. The goal is simple: make the path clearer for the families coming behind us.
EXPLORE BY COLLECTION
THE KNOWLEDGE WE'RE BUILDING.
Each collection will grow with our training, research, repairs, voyages, victories, and mistakes.
02MAPPED
Learn to Sail
The skills, courses, and seamanship habits that turn passengers into a capable family crew.
- Training pathways
- Navigation and weather
- Docking and anchoring
- Rules of the road
03MAPPED
Cruising Destinations
Route research and practical destination notes, beginning close to home and expanding with every wake.
- Florida Gulf Coast
- Keys and Dry Tortugas
- Bahamas and Caribbean
- Future bluewater routes
04MAPPED
Boat Systems
Plain-language explanations of the machinery and systems that keep a cruising boat safe and independent.
- Diesel propulsion
- Electrical and solar
- Water and plumbing
- Rigging and sail handling
05MAPPED
Family Cruising
Building a safe, healthy, purposeful family life inside a home that happens to float.
- Homeschooling aboard
- Routines and watchkeeping
- Provisioning and health
- Faith, privacy, and connection
06MAPPED
DIY & Maintenance
Repairs, refits, tools, costs, and lessons from maintaining a cruising boat with our own hands.
- Preventive maintenance
- Mechanical repairs
- Fiberglass and finishes
- Project records and costs
07MAPPED
Field-Tested Gear
Equipment selected for a reason, with honest notes about where it earns its place aboard.
- Safety and navigation
- Tools and spares
- Cameras and drones
- Galley and everyday life
08MAPPED
Captain's Library
The books, charts, courses, apps, channels, and references shaping how we think and prepare.
- Books and reference guides
- Courses and certifications
- Charts and planning tools
- Creators worth following
FIELD NOTE 001
FROM THE BEGINNING
We will show the work, not just the horizon.
This library will not pretend we began as experts. It will preserve the questions, decisions, checklists, failures, and breakthroughs that carry Operation Wake from dry land to open water. When experience changes our minds, the library will say so.
ON THE CHART TABLE
Operation Wake Academy
Downloadable boat-comparison worksheets, maintenance logs, safety binders, provisioning planners, homeschool materials, and practical checklists are planned as the library expands.
PLANNED COLLECTIONTHIS LIBRARY IS ALIVE
Every lesson should leave a trail for those who follow.
Operation Wake is more than a record of where our family goes. It is a record of how we get there, built openly for anyone preparing to cast off toward a more intentional life.