The seduction was short, sweet, and complete Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 Whenever my husband, Kevin, suggested sailing together on his parents’ boat, my response was always “no.” I had spent many days fis...
Two boats, one storm, two outcomes Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 In November 1981, my wife, Nancy (known as Boo), and I chartered a Ranger 33 out of Everett, Washington, with our friends Jay and Nancy. Vela...
But we are united under one: sailor Issue 99 : Nov/Dec 2014 I’ve grown weary of the labels that divide us: deniers, alarmists, extremists, centrists, greens, tree-huggers, libertarians, progressives, ...
The good memories eclipse the bad Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 As I sit here writing this in my shed a million miles from the ocean, I gaze longingly at the chart on the wall. The winter rain gently patte...
Reflections upon entering the good old years Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Most of the time it is dark and hot inside during the summer months. It’s late July and for the past nine months I have lived in a...
A family’s unplanned evening swim Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Every third week our weekend sailing routine was interrupted by . . . work. There I’ve said it. I know you’re not supposed to use such langua...
The diagnosis was elusive and surprising Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 Our passage up France’s Seine river from Honfleur to Rouen was uneventful. We ran all day with Entr’acte’s engine humming along at 3,1...
How sailors measure accomplishments Issue 100: Jan/Feb 2015 Nearby dock neighbors and friends spent a summer with a new-to-them sailboat after being boatless a few years due to health issues. The rein...
Sea horses for different courses Issue 101 : Mar/Apr 2015 The first time I heard it, the song brought tears to my eyes. It has had the same effect every time since. It wasn’t meant to be sad; it’s a s...
A life-changing lesson in wind against tide Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 In New England, the seasons change quickly. I found myself rowing my dinghy out to Encore, my 22-foot Columbia Midget Ocean Racer, ...
Great Lakers explore a New Zealand favorite Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 It could have been the gannets. In the few weeks we spent on or near the water in New Zealand, I learned to love these great diving...
Sailing solo and being social Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 We three set off on an autumn day bound for nowhere in particular. Jerry in Raconteur, his race-worthy Ericson 32; Stuart in Over Easy, a well-fo...
Hanging out with cruising legends Issue 102 : May/Jun 2015 When your universe is an island the size of a sailboat, your perspective naturally will be dramatically different from the point of view of c...
Former owners reach out across the years Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 There is a lot to love about sailing. Hal Roth put it simply when he wrote of “the pleasure and the freedom.” Lesser mortals talk abou...
. . . but extra pounds bring peace of mind Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 Toward the end of my summer cruise I happened to anchor for the weekend in Sag Harbor, New York, just east of the breakwater in 12 f...
The inevitable, unpredictable, freshwater fertility frenzy Issue 108: May/June 2016 Each year, along the south shore of Lake Ontario in late April when it’s time for painting and varnishing boats, the...
A first cruise that might have been the last Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 Though it’s not the ocean, Lake Ontario demands a certain amount of respect. My husband, Chris, and I were reminded of this not to...
An oil change that led to a life change Issue 108: May/June 2016 The convergence of boat and boat owner is serendipitous. We expect the new owner to find the boat; sometimes the boat finds the new own...
I want to work sailing into the lives of my great grandchildren (there are 13 of them with 2 more on the way). Unwilling to spend $30,000 apiece for new MC Scows (the most sensible choice given local ...
The ever-narrowing gap twixt cup and lip Issue 103 : Jul/Aug 2015 A search on the Internet would have you believe that the term “slippery slope” has been in use since 1951. In the grimmest of definiti...
A new role brings a fresh identity Issue 104 : Sept/Oct 2015 I renamed my boat. For several years, I’ve made my home aboard a 1967 Irwin 27 . . . just another narrow-beamed mass-produced vintage sloop...
Karma and kind strangers made it happen Issue 104 : Sept/Oct 2015 One desk-bound afternoon in May, as I juggled two phones, carrying two calls to two different area codes in a foreign country, while f...
Familiar waters feel like a fond hug Issue 104 : Sept/Oct 2015 We had just seen a favorite kid play the role of a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz when we untied our docklines in late June for a 75-nautic...
A loyal, uncomplaining member of the crew Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 We lost a treasured sailing companion several years back and sailing hasn’t been quite the same since. By all appearances that August...
A lifelong sailor supports her passion by chartering Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 It was 2004 when I entertained the thought of a boat of my own. I had just completed the exam for USCG Master. When I took...
Life lessons from an early affair Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 There was no name on her hull when I found her, so I called her Frankly Scarlett in reference to the closing line of Gone With The Wind. That...
A daily duty records a lifetime of memories Issue 105 : Nov/Dec 2015 I am sitting in front of the fire doing research for an upcoming ocean passage. I like to study the passages of others. What routes...
A sailor and a snake give each other the shivers Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 Shortly after Speedwell had been relaunched following a few weeks on the hard at Young’s Boatyard in Jones Creek, just off the...
A sailing legend puts a wayward boat’s demise in perspective Issue 106 : Jan/Feb 2016 “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” –Buddha In June 2013, at about...
A former tightwad reflects on shoestring budgets Issue 108: May/June 2016 The pastime of sailing has often been compared to standing in a cold shower while tearing up 20-dollar bills. Yacht ownership ...
