Tag Archives: Sailing

Night of the speed demon

During my 11-½ day epic offshore sailing voyage of over 1,700 miles, I began to gauge my performance as crew on whether it woke skipper Matt Rutherford from sleep on his 5-hour off watch. Some days and nights, he did … Continue reading

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A secret wish come true

On Day 9 of my epic sail from Galesville, MD to Ponce, Puerto Rico, at about 1435, I was sitting on the port bench seat when I heard what I thought was a dolphin blow. “A dolphin!” I called, so … Continue reading

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I saw that the world was flat

I was sitting in the only dry-ish spot topsides of a Hunter 38 sailboat, hundreds of miles from anywhere, surrounded by sapphire and cobalt waves with crests of rolling white foam. Bracing myself next to the main hatch, in the … Continue reading

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The world becomes more glorious

Little about conventional sailing prepares one to sail a 300-ton replica of a 17th century armed merchant vessel. For starters, rather than having one or two masts and a handful of sheets and halyards, such a ship has four masts, … Continue reading

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Embarking on a whole new life

Since I was 10-years-old, I quietly held a dream, which began to speak ever more loudly about a decade ago. In response to a question about which of two political aspirations I might have had, I blurted out, “Neither! I … Continue reading

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Adventure has a name

Eight years ago I wrote the following, a portent of today. Something big struck me as I pedaled my bicycle along in the steady wind beneath the glorious sky this morning. Several streams of recent thought and discussion flowed together … Continue reading

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Soul like an inner activist

“What if the soul is like an inner activist, disrupting your status quo, creating imbalance, finding nourishment in illness, moving you not only into light but also the dark, and leaving you unsure of your most cherished beliefs?” These are … Continue reading

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Spinning in the Gulf of Mexico

When you have wanted to learn how to fly a spinnaker since you were a kid, and you finally have the chance in mid-life, you do whatever is necessary to take that opportunity. That is how I ended up sailing … Continue reading

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“What if we hit the bridge?”

Five years ago today, an accident occurred that etched itself indelibly in my mind and changed my life for the following 16 months. On August 7, 2009, at approximately 9:50 AM, the regional Sea Scout Training Vessel (SSTV) der PeLiKan, … Continue reading

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Single handing therapy

Last weekend I enjoyed my first solo, or “single hand” sail in a very long time. This was something of a landmark for me, because, for almost two years, I was partially disabled by a succession of three leg injuries that … Continue reading

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