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 of SSPH! ~ Ben (A …
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 features we seek in our …
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 features we really liked, which …
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 regular Google Hangouts. Each hangout …
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 quiet and have an open …
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 had finally decided to transition …
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, sleeping bag, clothing, water jug, …
UPDATE: Dec 9, 2013 For an compelling read on the entire story click here. For a brilliant article on decision making at sea in relationship to the Bounty tragedy, click here…a must read! For my own post about evaluating preparedness, click here. UPDATE: Feb 13, 2013 I wrote this blog post during the chaos of Hurricane Sandy. I heard the …