Sailing, Simplicity, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Rigging Simplicity & The Con of Leading Lines Aft

Benji — Thu, 02 May 2013 18:11:44 +0000

This is an op-ed piece. The opinions expressed here represent my current state of thought on the subject, and I make no claims of ‘best practice’ or attempts of conversion… and who knows, I may change my mind a few years down the road. The views in this post do not necessarily reflect the views [...]

Best Features of an Offshore Boat – Part II – The Interior

Benji — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:48:08 +0000

In this post I want to talk about a few below deck features we really liked about our former boats — Elizabeth, a Bristol Channel Cutter 28 and Daphne, a Nor’sea 27. As we search for our new boat and peruse the boat sales websites, we find that the features listed below have subconsciously become [...]

New Projects and New Relationships

Teresa — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 20:06:35 +0000

Two weeks ago I hosted a Live Google+ Hangout called One Simple Question: Exploring Our World One Question At A Time. On the panel were four experienced sailors who fielded all sorts of questions about sailing and preparing to voyage. I had so much fun that I think I found my new calling! As soon as [...]

Best Features of a Blue Water Boat Part I

Benji — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:00:08 +0000

Our former boats — Elizabeth, a Bristol Channel Cutter 28 and Daphne, a Nor’sea 27 were fantastic blue water boats! Both designed by Lyle Hess, they are hard acts to follow. Both were built like tanks, and made to go anywhere. In this post I want to talk about a few of their on deck [...]

Google Hangout: How Do You Prepare for a Voyage?

Teresa — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:59:26 +0000

Since Ben and I set sail 2 years ago to make One Simple Question we have received thousands of emails from interested, inspired and amazing people. Every single email is a new relationship. Now we want all these people we’ve heard from to connect, discuss, and build stronger, mutually-beneficial relationships. Sooo…we’re going to be doing [...]

Telltale Signs of a Boat Not to Buy!

Benji — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:59:06 +0000

How do you know when you’re about to be scammed by someone trying to sell you their boat? The first sign happened when I got out of the car and my wife turned to me and said, “Ben, I just saw him pump a ton of water from the bilge.” I told Teresa to keep [...]

Unleashing Women’s Sailing Potential

Benji — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 22:00:32 +0000

Unleashing Women’s Potential, originally published in Blue Water Sailing December, 2012 “You’ve got to let me put a few holes in the boat,” I told Ben while wielding the drill in my left hand and positioning it against the bulkhead of his Bristol Channel Cutter, Elizabeth. After several years of solo sailing, Ben and I [...]

Better Than New Year’s Resolutions

Teresa — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 21:54:04 +0000

Last summer I was instructing a Seamanship Course for Outward Bound on the coast of Maine. The program is rugged and designed to build character, develop leadership and self-reliance, and encourages teamwork. One of the course elements is a Solo. Students spend three days alone in the wilderness with sparingly few things: a rain tarp, [...]