Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Words”
Originally published in Maine, Boats, Homes & Harbors Magazine, January 2015 ast summer I was teaching an Outward Bound course in a pulling boat off the coast of Maine when the students lost their way in the thick fog. My co-instructor and I told them to stop sailing, drop the anchor, and figure out where they were. We sat quietly …
I had the opportunity to speak on the women sailors panel moderated by Pam Wall at the Chicago Boat Show. A question was asked of the panel, “As a woman, what is it that scares you while sailing?” I was thankful that I was the last to respond to the question. While everyone else shared their answers I wracked my …
I can’t actually remember when I first learned about this crazy sailor guy named John Kretschmer. But I do remember that I instantly liked him. I picked up his book, Cape Horn To Starboard and read it faster than I had read any other book, besides Green Eggs & Ham. John and I met in person that same day I …
By understanding how your eyes work in low-light conditions, you can ensure that your vision doesn’t fail you when you most need it. The sun is just about to touch the horizon and you’ve spent the last hour setting up extra safety precautions for night sailing. You’ve connected a strobe light to your MOB ring. Every crew member on deck …
Solo sailing has always been a significant part of my sailing education. No other type of sailing even compares to the growth and challenge provided by long-distance solo sailing. When I sold Daphne my biggest concern was that I would lose the skills and perspective that I had developed while on my two-year solo voyage. Benji shared the same concern …
The first time I met J was at Blue Ocean Film Festival in 2012. He was speaking at a dinner and presented a clear blue marble to a person who he felt positively influenced his love for water. He asked us all to pick up our blue marble and hold it to our heart, then our head, then peer through …
Sound Signals and VHF Protocol in the Fog Our recent 3 day Morse Alpha sail training expedition in beautiful Maine offered a wide variety of sailing conditions. We saw gusts to 30 knots the first day out, thick fog the second, and light winds the third. The perfect course… a little bit of everything, couldn’t have planned it better myself. We had fun tucking in …
What is the value of stuff? When Ben and I flew to Panama to pick up our new boat, we carefully selected each item we would bring with us. Because we were flying we were limited by size and weight. Each tool, article of clothing, pot and pan was carefully chosen from all our belongings. Each bag was weighed, stuff …