Sail Far Live Free

Much has already been written about the wind.  One of my favorite wind quotes is from William Arthur Ward who said, "The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails." And another from Captain Christopher Shelton (from s/v Albatross and the movie White Squall ): "You can't run from the wind.  You trim your sails, face the music, and keep going." So now allow me to write a bit more about the wind, for sailing would be a lot more like drifting without it.   There are a few things in life that we can't see even with our eyes wide open.  God.  Love.  And the wind.  We can see the effects of all these things, but we can't see the actual  thing.  However, if we allow our other senses to open up, we can feel  them.  It amazes me that something as cryptic as the wind has the ability to carry a sailboat thousands and thousands of miles. And lastly, I'll finish my tribute to the wind...

Have you ever wondered why many classic bluewater sailboats are double enders?  Is there something inherent in the double ender design that makes them particularly well suited for offshore work?  Or maybe you're like me and simply find them to be irresistibly good looking and aspire to own one regardless of the design's intended function.  I'm pleased to welcome a very special guest blogger to SailFarLiveFree.com.  Bob Perry , one of the world's foremost yacht designers and a double ender aficionado, has graciously agreed to share his thoughts on my blog.  For more of Bob's writing, try  Yacht Design According to Perry .  What follows are Bob's words... Double-Enders According to Perry , by Bob Perry Oh boy. I get to write on someone else’s blog. I think I will write about double enders as a subject in itself. Without bragging too much I think I might   be responsible for more double enders on the water than any other designer. I don’t have ...

Lake Michigan was not feeling the Christmas spirit in November of 1912.   The big lake wasn’t giving any gifts that year, but rather was taking ships and crew to her cold depths.   Captain Herman Schuenemann knew the Great Lakes could get ornery in November, for it was in November of 1898 that his brother August was lost forever when his schooner sank in a storm near Glencoe , Illinois while attempting to deliver Christmas trees to Chicago .   August had asked Herman to join him on the ill-fated voyage, but he declined after proudly telling August that his wife was giving birth to twin daughters.   After August’s death, Herman was undaunted and carried on in the family Christmas tree business.   Herman Schuenemann became beloved by Chicago residents for brining fresh cut Christmas trees from Michigan ’s Upper Peninsula aboard sailing vessels to Chicago .   Each year the arrival of his ship in port near the Clark Street Bridge would signify the of...

Lake Michigan is my home water.  My cruising roots have been fertilized and grown here on the Great Lakes.  I feel a connection with Great Lakes sailors and have a bit of a quest to heighten awareness for the Great Lakes and raise their profile among sailors, outdoor enthusiasts and those with an intrinsic passion for water.  I believe those who have never been on the Great Lakes would be in awe of their size and beauty.  It is in this vein that I plan to periodically host guest blog posts authored by cruising sailors who started their great escape in the Great Lakes. Brittany and Scott from Windtraveler  started their journey at the southern end of Lake Michigan in Chicago back in September, 2011 (although planning, dreaming and scheming occurred long before).  Today they've made it as far south as Grenada in the Caribbean.  Given the theme of my website (Sail Far, Live Free!), I...

Just a quick update to let readers know I've made two new additions to the  Best Apps for Sailing and Boating  blog post.  You'll now find the Star Walk and Cruisers Forum apps included in the list.  I'll periodically continue to add new sailing apps as they become available and I have a chance to review them.

Notice anything new about the blog/website?  I started blogging back in 2007 on SailBlogs.com and fairly quickly moved over to Google's Blogger.  I can humbly say that the site has grown, matured, and increased in readership.  Now that my blog is nearly five years old, I thought it was a good time to freshen things up with a new look, layout, features and name. Let's start with the name.  Most of you will know that I have used "Sailing Island Bound" for several years, with Blogger's default domain name of http://www.sailislandbound.blogspot.com/ .  Since the site has transformed into much more than just the chronicles of Island Bound's journeys, I've choosen a new name that reflects my own personal journey and hopefully inspires my readers...Sail Far, Live Free!  So now I've got my own domain/URL, which is http://www.sailfarlivefree.com/ .  Don't worry, your old bookmarks and links to the blogspot add...

Every year or so, a new lost shipwreck is discovered somewhere in the Great Lakes .   Many are remarkably well preserved because of the cold, freshwater in the Great Lakes .   With literally thousands of ships lost (some estimate as many as 8,000) in the inland seas, it's likely this trend of discovery will continue.  Perhaps the most coveted and yet to be discovered lost shipwreck in the Great Lakes is that of  Le Griffon. Le Griffon  was a French barque ( or "bark", referring to the rig which consists of multiple masts, fore-and-aft sails on the aftermost mast and square sails on all other masts) commanded by famed French explorer Robert de LaSalle.  She displaced around 40 tons and was likely only 30 to 40 feet long.   LaSalle was seeking a Northwest Passage to China for France .   Le Griffon was launched in 1679 by LaSalle as a way to control the fur trade with Native Americans in the Great Lakes region.   Le Grif...

It’s been a while since I’ve done a boat review. What follows may quite possibly be more than you ever wanted to know about an Irwin 28 sailboat. Disclaimer: My own personal boat is an Irwin 28, so the review is admittedly biased by my firm belief that my favorite boat will always be the one that I own at the time. However, my biased perspective also assures that I know intricacies about the I28 that may not be apparent to those who haven’t spent significant time aboard this model. Irwin 28 Review Ted Irwin began building boats in his backyard at a very young age. He started professionally as a draftsman and part-time boat builder with well known racer and founder of Morgan Yachts, Charley Morgan. After learning on the job from Morgan and successfully racing some of his own designs, Ted started Irwin Yacht and Marine Corporation in 1966. He used his racing success and passion to inspire his early cruising designs. Though Irwin Yachts closed its’ doors in 1991 due partly to the luxury...

I’m personally not a racing sailor and don’t have the itch to become one. I’m perfectly happy letting the winds dictate my speed and often my destination. But I do appreciate the intricacies of squeezing out another 0.5 knots with perfect sail trim, weight distribution and helm control. I crewed for a season aboard a 38-footer during the Wednesday evening club races and also during longer races such as the Queen’s Cup, a night-time race across Lake Michigan. My time as a racing crew member taught me a lot about seamanship and sailing. Sailing around the world is a remarkable endeavor, whether at a leisurely pace aboard a small private cruising sailboat or as crew on one of the fastest, most hi-tech racing sailboats on the planet. What started out in 1973 as the Whitbread Round the World Race has, in today’s sponsorship laden world, become the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR). The nine month race, which starts in Alicante, Spain and concludes in Galway, Ireland has teams sailing over 39,000 n...

I'm continually racing to catch my mind after fall haul-out as it sprints away from another oncoming winter. S/V Island Bound is safely resting on her jackstands and the winterization tasks are complete. The winterization of my soul begins with dreaming of sailing adventure. So I figured this is a good time to share one of my favorite "dreamer" quotes: "All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible." The quote is from T.E. Lawrence, better known to some as "Lawrence of Arabia". The British army officer likely didn't have sailing on his mind when he made the statement in his autobiography, Seven Pillars of Wisdom . At the time Lawrence was serving as a liaison officer with rebel forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks o...