I remember when I started junior high, my father put his hand on my shoulder and said in his best John Wayne voice, “Darlin’ are you going to run cross-country next year?” I nodded. “Good. From now on you’ll eat what I tell you to eat, you’ll sleep when I tell you to sleep, and you’ll run when I tell …
Two Boats
I extended my arm in front of me and aligned the side of my palm with the horizon. It was only three fingers width between the horizon and the sun. I had about forty-five minutes before sunset. Just as the sun was dipping below the horizon, I was turning into the Abescon Inlet. I circled around the green buoy marked …
A Meal Underway
Mid-morning the seas began to lie down and the sail was even smoother. I boiled water for steamed veggies. It would be the first hot meal I had made underway on this voyage. Filling the small pot with an inch of water, I set it on the gimbaled stove and released the break that steadied it. Now the stove could …
Good News, Bad News
I have good news and band news. The bad news: In the first month of travel I already went way over my monthly budget. I don’t know how I’ll manage to continue to travel like this for as long as I wanted to, let alone get to distant shores. Here is the breakdown: Grocery: 331.47 Postage: 13.26 Boat Repair/Maintenance: 30.81 …
You Got It!
I awoke at five o’clock in the morning with hopes of favorable wind. Fifteen knots on the starboard quarter would blow me to Atlantic City just past nightfall. I shoved off only fifteen minutes later. My anchor was lashed securely to the bowsprit so it would not swing around, my compass was lit with a red glow, and I was …
The First Day…
Hours after the sun had risen, with the sails set and monitor wind-vane steering the boat, I went into the cabin to fix myself some breakfast. I pulled out three kiwis, a bowl, knife, cutting board, and a spoon. Braced against the counter with the boat crashing through the waves, I sliced the first kiwi in half and placed the …
Its A Nice Way to Live, Isn’t It?
I have been hard at work lately. While during the winter, I struggled to find work and pay the bills, now I am swamped with several, although modestly paying, jobs. I find all of my work very satisfying and have no trouble working overtime. But with several days of overtime strung in a row, I decided to take the day …
YOU live on a boat?!
Spring is here and pale faces are beginning to emerge from their houses and enjoy the fresh air. With the winter cover finally off my boat, my mast up, and my lines cast free from the dock, I can feel a sense of freedom that, like the buds on the trees, is beginning to open up and reveal its charming …