Sail Far Live Free

Gonna put the world away for a minute Pretend I don't live in it... Wishing I was knee deep in the water somewhere Got the blue sky breeze and it don't seem fair Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair Sunrise there's a fire in the sky Never been so happy Never felt so high And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise Mind on a permanent vacation The ocean is my only medication Wishing my condition ain't ever gonna go away (From Knee Deep by Zac Brown Band) I have a daily ritual at our dinner table of asking my kids to tell me one thing they learned and one thing they enjoyed at school. I joke with them that I'll be asking the school for a refund if they can't come up with something they learned each day. But more times than not, they not only tell me what they learned but they also teach me something I never knew or something I long since forgot. It's great! I get to feel like I'm back...

"Our ship was now all cased with ice, -hull, spars, and standing rigging; -and the running rigging so stiff that we could hardly bend it so as to belay it, or, still worse, take a knot with it; and the sails nearly as stiff as sheet iron."   ( Richard Henry Dana from Two Years Before the Mast , 1840) I feel cold just reading that quote. Luckily, I'm quickly warmed looking out the window here in early March and seeing budding trees and an absence of snow. Even after one of the mildest winters I can recall, it's still incredibly energizing to get the first taste of spring. 'Tis the season for maintenance lists to take shape and local chandleries and yards to start crawling with shoppers and workers. If the weather wasn't enough to remind me, the giant catalogs from West Marine and Defender that arrived in the mail would do the trick. I'll be trying to stick with the two-blog-posts-per-week rhythm as sailing season quickly approaches. Here's what you...

The following is a reprint of an article I authored for SAIL Magazine's March, 2012 issue.  The pictures in the blog post are my own and differ from those that appeared in the magazine.  You can read our logs from this cruise by clicking here . Favorite Weekend Cruise: Beaver Island - An old Mormon kingdom off the coast of Michigan We left the hustle and bustle of Charlevoix, Michigan just in time to make the second drawbridge opening of the morning as we pointed the bow towards Beaver Island, an isolated destination about 32 miles offshore in the middle of northern Lake Michigan. There was a thick fog on the inland seas as a light drizzle fell from the gloomy sky. Thanks to our chartplotter, I knew our position and the proper heading to make landfall on the island, but I was weary of the fog without radar.  I also knew we were following the approximate route of the Beaver Island passenger ferry, so I raised the ferry captain on the VHF.  He confirmed he had us ...

When I first started sailing, I was easily seduced by the technology temptress.  If my budget would've allowed, my boat would have had a touch screen display for radar, gps, and satellite weather.  That screen would be flanked by some really cool individual speed, depth, and wind displays.  Most likely, these would be the  solar powered and wireless displays from TackTick .  But my dinghy-size budget said "No!" to TackTick and so instead I opted for the handheld WindMate 200 wind meter from SpeedTech. The WindMate 200 features a large digital display and sturdy construction.  It's pocket-sized with a cover plate that easily swings to the side when in use.  Obviously the unit will display windspeed, but it will also give you air temperature, wind chill, and digital compass readouts.  In addition to realtime/current windspeed, you'll also have the option of seeing the average over 10 seconds as well as the maximum speed.  All windspeed reado...

I've been on a bit of a blogging hiatus over the last week.  But I promise I have a legitimate reason.  The crew of s/v Island Bound just increased by one member (5lbs 15oz to be exact!).  Our third beautiful daughter was born on March 1st and will step in as "deckhand in training" this coming sailing season. Unlike many sailboats, she didn't come with a name so we gave her one: Soleil Saylor Walters.  With a middle name of Saylor, little Soleil (pronounced "so-lay") should fit right in.   Looks like we're gonna need one of these:  I think this poem by our oldest daughter Hannah (first mate aboard s/v Island Bound ) makes the perfect conclusion for this "New Crew" post. Soleil, by Hannah Walters Soleil small, cute eating, sleeping, cooing Soleil is my new cute baby sister crying, rolling, gazing gentle, soft Baby

Let's say winter's chill was something you could no longer take as a Great Lakes sailor. Or perhaps you just want to extend your sailing season beyond the boundaries of summer. What options do you have?  You could just opt for a bareboat charter somewhere in the Caribbean and consider the itch scratched. But then you'd miss out on all the adventure of moving a boat between the Great Lakes and the Caribbean. And you wouldn't be sailing  your  boat. I'm here to convince you that the best option is to sail your own boat south. What follows is an overview of the route you could take to get you and your boat to warmer water and weather from the Great Lakes. Route 1: St. Lawrence Seaway (including Lake Champlain shortcut) You're adventurous if you choose this route. From most starting locations in the Great Lakes, you'll also be seeing the most scenery and passing the ...

Looking out at Penobscot Bay from Camden, Maine (by K. Walters) I've read a lot of great books.  Almost all of my favorites are non-fiction works that either tell the story of someone's journey, document an adventure, describe the science behind a natural phenomenon, or give a look into a historical event.   Time of Wonder  by Robert McCloskey is a fiction book that does none of the above.  In fact, it's a children's book.  But it also happens to be my very favorite children's book.  I've read it with my daughters on many occasions and it still makes our senses and our minds come alive.   McCloskey weaves a tale of a summer spent at the family cottage on an island in Maine's incredibly beautiful Penobscot Bay.  You follow the siblings in the story like their shadow as they listen to a rain approaching the shore, as they spend a foggy morning on the edge of nowhere, and as they sail near "porpoises puffing".  The idyllic summer beg...

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video (with pictures embedded!) must be worth at least a million.  Now that all the excitement from the  trailer to our latest movie  has built, we present to you the full feature film... Journey to the North Channel .  (You did watch the trailer, right!?) Grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the show in full HD! (Click the full-screen icon in the lower right corner of the video player for a bigger picture.)

Sailing vessel Guppy  has made landfall (in case you haven't already heard)!  And her captain, Laura Dekker, is now the youngest person to have circumnavigated the Earth single-handed.  Laura completed her circumnavigation on January 21, 2012 in Simpson Bay on Sint Maarten.  I've written before  about sailing records and my mixed emotions when it comes to young sailors (Laura set out when she was just 15 years old!) and these mind-blowing attempts.  The bottom line is that I couldn't possibly support such an attempt by one of my own daughters.  But if I'm completely honest, there's also a part of me that is majorly impressed with Laura's accomplishment. Here's a bit from Laura's blog about the end of her amazing journey: "The dark and starry night sky slowly vanishes its floating lights sprinkling to dust as small islands appear on the horizon. I can see Sint Maarten very far in the distance. St. Eustatius is behind me, Saba is abeam and St. Ba...

Sailing vessel Island Bound running before the wind  under her sunny spinnaker As you've probably gathered if you've been feeling the rhythm of this blog, I like to occasionally interject sailing-related quotes. Though the words in the quotes are not my own, most all have inspired me to write, to think, and to reflect. Words have the power to take our minds on a journey to another place and another time. This morning I made the mistake of watching the Saturday news. The opening four stories featured war (nuclear weapon "achievements" in Iran), murder (the Powell tragedy in Utah), religion feuding with government (contraception and the Catholic church), and child abuse (Sandusky molestation trial). "Kids, cover your eyes and ears, dad needs to find the off button!" How very thankful I am that there isn't a television cable long enough to reach my little sloop when she leaves the chaos of the shore. And so today I bring you this quote... "Ther...

Sailing wouldn't mean nearly as much to me if I couldn't share the joy that it brings me with my children.  In fact, when I sail with my kids, the two biggest joy-producers in my life collide to create my fondest memories.  I guess I'm lucky that my kids love sailing nearly as much as I do.  I've been told that a teenage day may come when they'd rather be somewhere other than harnessing the wind with dear old dad.  But until that day comes, you can bet I won't be leaving the dock without them.  Anyone else with kids knows that cruising and sailing takes a few special considerations to accomodate their needs.  What follows are my tips for cruising with kids on board. Use jacklines, harnesses and tethers .  Safety is a major consideration whenever you sail with kids, but what exactly do you need to do differently?  If we're cruising, we typically have our jacklines installed on deck, even if the kids aren't with us.  But when they ...

Seems like a lot of my recent blog posts have focused on navigation and reviews of navigational equipment, so I thought it might be a good time to interject another quote.  This one is from Frank Bama, a fictional character in Jimmy Buffett's novel titled Where is Joe Merchant? "The best navigators are not quite sure where they're going until they get there." Well said, don't you think?  Sailors understand that life is all about the journey, not the destination.  Apparently, Frank Bama gets it too.  What would happen if we all focused a bit more on where we are instead of where we are going? And in honor of the mid-winter warmth we're getting here in the Great Lakes, I'm posting the following warming picture: February sunrise in St. Kitts (photo by K. Walters)

Automatic identification systems (AIS) have been catching on with recreational boaters and cruisers over the last several years.  While commercial ships have used the system for many years, the technology has been becoming more affordable for smaller private vessels.  If you haven't heard of AIS, it's essentially an automatic tracking system used to identify and locate vessels by digitally exchanging data with other nearby vessels and base stations.  Data often includes vessel position, heading, speed, destination, and a variety of other information.  AIS systems can't replace a good on-deck watch or radar for collision avoidance, but they do offer a reasonable supplement. AIS Overview from the International Maritime Organization As a recreational user, you have basically two options: 1) Purchase an AIS receiver that allows you to accept and view AIS data from other vessels , but does not transmit your own data; or 2) Purchase AIS equipment that allows you ...

If there's one thing that a snowy day in the deep of winter provides, it's time indoors to create things like the movie trailer below that we put together this morning while watching it snow.  Enjoy!

Wind Dancer reaching to the horizon (Photo by K. Walters) I was recently contacted by a reader requesting recommendations for crewing opportunities on the Great Lakes for the upcoming season.  Since I'm sure she isn't the only one looking to catch a ride on OPB's (other people's boats) here in the Great Lakes, I thought I'd share my recommendations in this blog post. My first recommendation for those with a hunger for adventure is to check the crew opportunities for the Chicago to Mackinac race .  You've probably heard of the race.  Maybe some of you have even sailed in a Mac race.  But for those who haven't, I know first hand that there are plenty of opportunities for both crew and media (writer/photographer) ride alongs.  Obviously your chances of scoring a crew position on one of the boats is greatly increased if you have race experience, but some captains/boats are willing to coach newbies an...

Afloat and waiting in Bonaire (Photo credit: K. Walters) Do any of you feel a deep, tethered attachment to the water?  Does your spirit fly highest when your feet are wet?  I've been thinking since my last post about how to put to words what it is about water that seems to keep me driven and inspired.  But the answer is either so complex or so simple that it escapes me.  Suffice it to say, water has power in my life.  Consider the following quote from Isak Dinesen (one of several pen names for Karen Blixen): "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." When has life ever thrown something at us that we can't handle with a good dose of hard work (salty sweat), a hard cry (salty tears), or a trip to open water (salty sea)?  Is it any coincidence that more than half our body weight is composed of water?  The Earth's surface is about 70% water.  We are literally surrounded by water.  I, for one, intend to explore as mu...

Ever restored an old sailboat?  If you have, you know how therapeutic in can be.  Have plans to do so?  What follows are my tips to make the project more enjoyable and successful.  (This blog post is adapted from an article of mine that appeared in the January/February 2012 issue of Good Old Boat magazine .) I first got into sailing by restoring a 1972 Helms 25 swing keel.  I'm not particularly handy, nor did I have boat restoration experience at the time.  In fact, restoring a sailboat wasn't "Plan A" for getting into the sailing and cruising lifestyle.  However, sometimes the winds of life (and budgets!) don't blow from behind and we can't sail downwind to our future.  Instead, we've got to trim the sails and figure out how to make progress towards our windward goals.  And so, I picked up a $400 project boat and started to teach myself about restoration.  Hopefully you'll some of the tips below useful...