Two years, three months, thousands of miles, two hurricanes, more than twenty waterspouts, seventeen jobs, one grounding, 72 blog posts, two pairs of flip flops, and still one dream. I began this journey as a school teacher dreaming of the day when I would cast my lines and sail away. I have sailed many knots since then, but still have …
Yesterday afternoon I stretched out in the cockpit of Daphne. My legs propped up on the aft cabin, my arm shading my eyes from the sun, and my gaze brushing across the pages of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. In the past year reading has taken on a new meaning for me. No longer am I simply enjoying a …
I may have been fortunate in my employment as a sailor on vessels sans electronics, where I had to sail day and night and in all types of visibility. Most recreational sailors can be more selective about when they sail and choose fair days. My sail-training grounds were the coast of Maine, a place where the fog can roll in so …
I became aware of my conviction in holding traditional navigational skills as a highly revered craft when I purchased a large offshore chart that needed to be folded in order to fit on Daphne’s small table. With each crease I laid in the chart, with each pleat I tucked into its edges I cringed. Silently, I made a promise to …
Dear Ms. Kate Lardy, Recently a friend gave me an April 2010 copy of Dockwalk, thinking I might be interested as my career and passion is with the sea. After perusing one issue, I was extremely disappointed by the representation of women captains among its pages. Especially page 21-24, the “Dockshots” and photos of crew attending the Miami Boat Show. With only two exceptions, all the captains, …
It was late at night while I was passing the time to hurry the rising sun that I started tying and counting all the knots that I know how to tie. I began categorizing them according to their uses. I tied adjustable knots, knots good for lines under tension, simple knots, decorative knots, knots for tensioning lines, knots I use …
Gretta stopped in The Sail Loft for a visit. Her father builds wooden boats in the shop below. Barefoot, with long blond hair, little Gretta decided that on this day she would learn to sew a canvas bucket while her brother cut wooden planks for the sailboats downstairs. “Its like a ‘Girl Saw’,” she said to Sarah. “All the boys …
“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest,” explains Sterling Hayden in his book “Wanderer.” And a big Thank You to John for reminding me of Hayden’s words and his book at a time when I need to be reminded. My journey was most certainly built on a rock solid …