Sail Far Live Free

"I feel homesick for the sea, the desire to look again on the level expanse of salt water which has so often lulled me, which has smiled at me so frequently under the sparkling sunshine of a lovely day, which many times too has hurled the threat of death in my face with a swirl of white foam whipped by the wind under the dark December sky." - Joseph Conrad from The Collected Letters of Joseph Conrad It's about this time every year that the winter doldrums seem to peak and I find myself enticed by the nearing of March. The voices in my head begin their annual chanting, "Must go sailing...Must see open water...Must gaze at blue skies..." And so I find an excuse to make my way to the beach, hopelessly hoping I'll find 80 degree breezes and feel sun-baked sand warming my sole (soul). But alas, February rears her head again. I admit (and  have before ) that winter, in all its' blustery chill and expanses of gray, has shown me beauty in an attempt to...

Sailing Under the Mighty Mac (Mackinac Bridge - World's 3rd Longest Suspension Bridge) Picture This Bonus:  Video footage of s/v Island Bound sailing under the Mackinac Bridge

"It is impossible, in this world, to achieve an ideal; and if you do not believe this, I recommend you to take a picture of your perfect ship out of your mind's eye and try to copy it exactly in metal and canvas and wood." - Weston Martyr , British yachtsmen and partial influence for the creation of the Fastnet race Following on the theme of choosing a cruising sailboat as an exercise in compromise, I thought I'd turn a bit "math geek" and examine some of the numbers and formulas that attempt to quantify sailboat design.  Now before you start sending comments and emails telling me that numbers don't tell the whole story and such, let me say that this post and a few others I've made about sailboat design are merely part of my own education and exploration of my sailboat and the many others out there that could one day be our next cruising sailboat. So, with the disclaimer now out of the way, let's begin. Have you ever thought abou...

Life at Sea (Masked booby spotted in the Caribbean, by K. Walters)

"To know the laws that govern the winds, and to know that you know them, will give you an easy mind on your voyage round the world; otherwise you may tremble at the appearance of every cloud." - Joshua Slocum from Sailing Alone Around the World As sailors, we need to make our peace with the wind. After several years of sailing my boat, my feelings for the wind are still sometimes jumbled. When there's no wind I reluctantly fire up my old gasoline Volvo inboard and curse the swarming flies. And then there are times when I see a forecast calling for 25+ knots or I see the foam blowing off the top of a swell and my stomach tightens a bit as trepidation creeps in. I know the tremble that Slocum speaks of and apparently I've got more to learn about the wind. So how do you learn the wind? Well, there are plenty of books on the subject and I'm a firm believer in learning through doing. But there are some crutches available that will make your relationship wit...

Happiness is... By Isabel Walters Happiness is sailing on my sailboat as the cool wind touches my skin. My boat heels to the left as it sails smoothly throo the water.

Build me straight, O worthy Master! Staunch and strong, a goodly vessel, That shall laugh at all disaster, And with wave and whirlwind wrestle! - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow from "The Building of the Ship" (1849) I've been on a mental journey through the world of bluewater sailboats over the past couple of years. These staunch and sturdy sailing vessels seem to be an integral part of my longing to explore the watery part of the world and see islands, cultures and lands in far off places. So far I've examined my top ten favorite bluewater sailboats , written about some of the pocket cruisers and bluewater budget sailboats I'm familiar with and learned a ton by having some of my favorite designers such as Bob Perry and Ted Brewer share their perspectives in guest posts. Today I'm going to further my journey by attempting to make a generalization about bluewater sailboats. As with so many other things in life, choosing a particular sailbo...

The Tug of the Sea (by K. Walters)